Shloka 27
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूराय कर्मणे युक्तश्चिकीर्षु: कर्म दुष्करम् । अवाकिरच्छरशतैर्भरद्वाजं महारथम्,तत्पश्चात् दुष्कर पराक्रम करनेकी इच्छासे क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्म करनेके लिये तत्पर हो उन्होंने महारथी द्रोणाचार्यपर सौ बाणोंकी वर्षा की
sañjaya uvāca | krūrāya karmaṇe yuktaś cikīrṣuḥ karma duṣkaram | avākirac charaśatair bharadvājaṃ mahāratham | tatpaścāt ||
Sanjaya said: Bent on a cruel deed and desiring to accomplish a difficult exploit, he then showered the great chariot-warrior Bharadvāja’s son (Droṇa) with a hundred arrows—driven by the will to perform a harsh act in the fury of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, intention (cikīrṣā) can turn action into a morally charged deed: the same martial skill becomes ethically weighty when directed toward a ‘cruel act’ (krūra karma), reminding readers to attend to motive and restraint even amid kṣatriya conflict.
Sanjaya describes a warrior, intent on a harsh and difficult exploit, raining a hundred arrows upon Droṇa—identified by the epithet ‘Bharadvāja’s son’—as the battle intensifies.