Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.21.27 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 27
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूराय कर्मणे युक्तश्चिकीर्षु: कर्म दुष्करम् । अवाकिरच्छरशतैर्भरद्वाजं महारथम्
sañjaya uvāca | krūrāya karmaṇe yuktaś cikīrṣuḥ karma duṣkaram | avākirac charaśatair bharadvājaṃ mahāratham | tatpaścāt ||
പിന്നീട് ദുഷ്കരമായ വീരകൃത്യം സാധിക്കണമെന്നാഗ്രഹിച്ച്, ക്രൂരകർമ്മത്തിൽ ഏർപ്പെട്ടു, ഭരദ്വാജപുത്രനായ മഹാരഥൻ ദ്രോണന്റെ മേൽ നൂറ് അമ്പുകൾ വർഷിച്ചു।
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.
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