Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 10
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् | पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ||
aparyāptaṁ tad asmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam paryāptaṁ tv idam eteṣāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam
Our army, protected by Bhishma, is insufficient; while their army, guarded by Bhima, is sufficient.
After nine verses of psychological manoeuvring, Duryodhana's actual truth slips out: 'Our army, protected by Bhishma, is aparyāpta (insufficient); theirs, protected by Bhima, is paryāpta (sufficient).' He has just finished listing legendary commanders — Bhishma, Drona, Karna — and yet he concludes his own forces are inadequate. This is catastrophic thinking — when you have already lost in your own mind, you interpret even your strengths as weaknesses. The verse teaches us about confirmation bias — gathering all the evidence, and yet arriving at a pre-decided conclusion of failure.