Shloka 28
चिकीर्षुर्दुष्करं कर्म धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथ: । इयेष वक्षो भेत्तुं स भारद्वाजस्य संयुगे,तत्पश्चात् महारथी धृष्टद्युम्नने दुष्कर कर्म करनेकी इच्छासे उस रणभूमिमें आचार्य द्रोणकी छातीमें तलवार भोंक देनेका विचार किया
cikīrṣur duṣkaraṃ karma dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ | iyeṣa vakṣo bhettuṃ sa bhāradvājasya saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya dit : Désireux d’accomplir un acte difficile, le grand guerrier de char Dhṛṣṭadyumna résolut, au cœur du combat, de percer de son épée la poitrine du fils de Bhāradvāja (Droṇa). Le vers encadre cette intention comme un geste hardi et périlleux — une résolution lourdement chargée d’enjeux éthiques au sein des nécessités et des transgressions brutales de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, a warrior’s firm resolve can drive him toward extreme acts described as ‘duṣkara’ (hard to accomplish). It implicitly raises ethical tension: heroic determination and battlefield duty can coexist with morally fraught intentions, reminding readers that resolve does not automatically equal righteousness.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, a foremost Pāṇḍava fighter, forms the intention to strike down Droṇa—identified as Bhāradvāja’s son—by piercing his chest in the midst of combat, signaling an imminent, high-stakes confrontation.