Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
लोकसम्भावितौ वीरीौ कृतास्त्रौ युद्धदुर्मदौ
lokasambhāvitau vīrau kṛtāstrau yuddhadurmadau
ಆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ವೀರರು ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಖ್ಯಾತರೂ ಗೌರವಿತರೂ ಆಗಿದ್ದರು; ಅಸ್ತ್ರವಿದ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ಸಿದ್ಧರು, ಯುದ್ಧದ ದುರ್ಮದದಿಂದ ಮತ್ತರಾಗಿದ್ದು—ರಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಗ್ರರು, ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸಲು ಕಷ್ಟಕರರು.
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.