Maha-ratha means

Expressions researched:
"Maha-ratha means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Mahā-ratha means alone he could fight with many other charioteers. They are called ati-ratha, mahā-ratha.

Lecture on BG 1.6-7 -- London, July 11, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Translation: There are the mighty Yudhāmanyu, the very powerful Uttamaujā, the son of Subhadrā and the sons of Draupadī. All these warriors are great chariot fighters."

asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye

tān nibodha dvijottama

nāyakā mama sainyasya

saṁjñārthaṁ tān bravīmi te

(BG 1.7)

"Translation: O best of the brāhmaṇas, for your information, let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force."

Prabhupāda: So formerly, five thousand years ago, the same system, military—ordinary soldiers, then the captain, then the commander, the commander-in-chief—as there are gradations in the modern age, the same thing was there. But mahā-ratha, they had good qualification. Mahā-ratha means alone he could fight with many other charioteers. They are called ati-ratha, mahā-ratha. There are different grades of fighters.

Mahā-ratha means one who could fight with one thousand chariots on the other side. They were called mahā-rathāḥ.

Lecture on BG 1.6-7 -- London, July 11, 1973:

So, so far Pāṇḍavas are concerned, their son. Saubhadra... Saubhadra means Abhimanyu, Subhadrā's son. Because he was Subhadrā's son, his name was Saubhadra. Draupadī's sons, they are called Draupadeya. In Sanskrit, just like bhaginī, sister, bhaginī, her son is called bhāgineya, nephews. So there is link. As soon as we speak Saubhadra, that means Subhadrā's son. Subhadrā's son, he was only sixteen years old at that time. He was married with Uttarā, the daughter of Mahārāja Virāṭa. So they were all mahā-rathas, ordinary, not ordinary fighters. This Abhimanyu was killed by conspiracy by seven commander-in-chief. Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Droṇācārya, Aśvatthāmā, they all surrounded him, and they did not allow him to come out. They were very experienced commanders. So this is kṣatriya spirit. He was simply a boy, sixteen years old and he had to be killed by the combined efforts of very, very, big commander-in-chiefs. He was so great fighter, Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu-vāda (?). So Saubhadra, Draupadī... Similarly, Draupadī's sons also there. Sarva eva mahā-rathāḥ (BG 1.6). Mahā-ratha means one who could fight with one thousand chariots on the other side. They were called mahā-rathāḥ.

Commander-in-chiefs like Droṇācārya, Bhīṣma, Karṇa... They are mahā-rathas." Mahā-ratha means one fighter who can combat with thousands of men alone. He is called mahā-ratha.

Lecture on BG 2.33-35 -- London, September 3, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa says that "You are so reputed a fighter, and if you stop fighting, people will not consider... Especially other commander-in-chiefs like Droṇācārya, Bhīṣma, Karṇa... They are mahā-rathas." Mahā-ratha means one fighter who can combat with thousands of men alone. He is called mahā-ratha. As nowadays the titles are "captain," "commander," "commander-in-chief," similarly, formerly "mahā-ratha," "ati-ratha" were the titles given to the soldiers, fighters. So mahā-ratha, the greatest commanders... So Kṛṣṇa said that "You are recognized, one of the mahā-rathas. So what the other mahā-rathas will think of you? They will not consider that out of compassion you did not fight. They will think that out of fear you have left the battlefield. They will take the opposite." Bhayād raṇād uparatam. "Out of fear you have stopped fighting." Maṁsyante tvaṁ mahā-rathāḥ. "So now you are recognized as one of the mahā-rathāḥ. Yeṣāṁ ca tvaṁ bahu-mataḥ. "Oh, you are known by various, I mean to say, commander-in-chiefs." Bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam: "In their eyes you will be considered as degraded." Bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam. "Why should you accept? Better fight and die." That's all right. Thank you. (end)

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Mahā-ratha means... Mahā-ratha, ati-ratha, eka-ratha. A fighter who can fight with one man, he is called eka-ratha. And one who can fight with thousands of men, he is called mahā-ratha.

Lecture on SB 1.8.24 -- Mayapura, October 4, 1974:

The Battle of Kurukṣetra was forced upon the Pāṇḍavas by the Kurus. Still, Arjuna was not willing to kill them. Just see. He's Vaiṣṇava. He never thought of, that "My, these cousin-brothers, they have given us so much trouble. Why I shall be sympathetic upon them?" No. Still, he was sympathetic. Why? Now, because he was a Vaiṣṇava. That is Vaiṣṇava. Para-duḥkha-duhkhī kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye (CC Madhya 6.254). Vaiṣṇava is so tolerant. They suffer; still, they do not want others' suffering. So this is Vaiṣṇava.

So in that battlefield, mṛdhe mṛdhe, there were Bhīṣmadeva, Droṇācārya, Karṇa, Kṛpācārya. They were so big fighters, mahā-ratha. Mahā-ratha means... Mahā-ratha, ati-ratha, eka-ratha. A fighter who can fight with one man, he is called eka-ratha. And one who can fight with thousands of men, he is called mahā-ratha. And more than that, he is called ati-ratha. So these generals, Bhīṣmadeva, Karṇadeva, Karṇa and others, they were very, very powerful than Arjuna. Therefore Arjuna took the opportunity of killing Karṇa in a precarious position. Similarly, Bhīṣma was... Karṇa was almost dead when Bhīṣma was fighting. So Bhīṣma promised that "Today, either Arjuna will die or his dear friend, Kṛṣṇa, will have to break His promise. Then I'll give up this fight." So Arjuna was almost shattered, his chariot broken, and he was exasperated. So at that time Kṛṣṇa took one wheel and went to kill Bhīṣmadeva. So Bhīṣmadeva saw that "Kṛṣṇa has broken His promise. Therefore I give up this fight." Kṛṣṇa came to threaten him. That means He has broken His promise. "So I wanted to see that Kṛṣṇa breaks." This is also affection, love, between devotee... Just like in sporting, just like you want to see your friend defeated, but that does not mean you are enemy. In sporting, there is fight. That one party is defeated. That does (not) mean they are enemies. Next moment, they shake hands, sit together, dine together. It is like that.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja's, these are the qualifications. Sa vai bhāgavato rājā, not ordinary rājā. Rājā means king. Bhāgavataḥ. Bhāgavata means great devotee. First-class devotee, bhāgavata. Pāṇḍaveya. How he became bhāgavata? Because son and grandson, all in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the grandson of Arjuna. So Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend, he was bhāgavata. So unfortunately, Arjuna's son died in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. He was also bhāgavata. He was Subhadrā's son. Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa's sister Subhadrā, who is sitting here with Jagannātha. So Subhadrā's son was Abhimanyu, but he died in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Sixteen years old. But fortunately, his wife Uttarā was pregnant. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was within the womb of Uttarā, so he was saved. All others died. Pāṇḍaveyaḥ, coming in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas.

Therefore bhāgavataḥ. Mahā-rathaḥ. At the same time, he could fight thousands of warriors, mahā-ratha. A kṣatriya who alone can fight with another thousand kṣatriyas, he's called mahā-ratha. So it does not mean to become bhāgavata means, to become devotee, one has to stop all other activities. No. Here it is called, mahā-ratha. Mahā-ratha means a great commander. So a great commander can also become bhāgavata, a great merchant can also become bhāgavata, and a great brāhmaṇa, learned scholar, he can also become bhāgavata. There is no restriction. Not that simply one who is Vedantist, who is a very learned scholar, he can become bhāgavata. No. The social system was so nice that everyone could become bhāgavata. The brāhmaṇa could become bhāgavata, a kṣatriya could become bhāgavata, a vaiśya could become bhāgavata, or a śūdra could also become bhāgavata. Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says personally, "Never mind whether he's woman or a śūdra or a vaiśya, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, "all of them can go back to home, back to Godhead."