Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
लोकसम्भावितौ वीरीौ कृतास्त्रौ युद्धदुर्मदौ
lokasambhāvitau vīrau kṛtāstrau yuddhadurmadau
Vaiśampāyana said: The two heroes, celebrated and esteemed by the world, were fully trained in the use of weapons and, intoxicated with the arrogance that battle can breed, were fierce and hard to restrain in war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Worldly acclaim and martial skill can coexist with a dangerous moral weakness: pride. The verse hints that reputation and competence, when joined to arrogance, can make warriors reckless and ethically unstable in the violence of war.
The narrator characterizes two unnamed warriors as widely renowned and expertly trained, yet driven by battle-fury and pride. This description sets the tone for their conduct in the ensuing conflict, emphasizing both their capability and their perilous overconfidence.