Shloka 40
दर्शयन् व्यचरद् युद्धे द्रोणस्यान्तचिकीर्षया । चरतस्तस्य तान् मार्गान् विचित्रान् खड़्गचर्मिण:
darśayan vyacarad yuddhe droṇasyāntacikīrṣayā | caratas tasya tān mārgān vicitrān khaḍgacarmiṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Displaying his prowess, he moved about in the battle with the resolve to bring Droṇa to his end. As that sword-and-shield-bearing warrior ranged across the field, he traced many astonishing and varied paths of attack—maneuvers meant to close in on Droṇa and fulfill a grim purpose within the demands of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intention (cikīrṣā) directs action in war: skill and movement are not neutral but are guided by a chosen end. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of kṣatriya duty—pursuing a lethal objective within the battlefield’s code and necessity.
Sañjaya describes a sword-and-shield-bearing warrior moving through the battlefield in complex, varied maneuvers, explicitly aiming to bring about Droṇa’s death—closing in through tactical routes and displays of martial prowess.