Chapter I · Śloka 9
Duryodhana uvāca
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः |
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ||
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ||
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ |
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ ||
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ ||
And there are many other heroes, all skilled in battle, armed with various weapons, who have given up their lives for my sake.
tyakta-jīvitāḥ — they have renounced their lives for me. Duryodhana frames loyalty as self-sacrifice, and the phrasing reveals something important: he knows these men are dying for his cause, not a just one.