Shloka 18
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
मानिनं समरे दृप्तं कृतवैरं महारथम्
māninaṃ samare dṛptaṃ kṛtavairaṃ mahāratham
Sanjaya berkata: “(Dia) seorang yang angkuh, sombong di medan perang, yang menjadikan permusuhan sebagai haluan tetapnya, dan seorang pahlawan kereta perang yang agung.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner dispositions—pride, overconfidence, and entrenched enmity—shape the moral weight of warfare. Martial excellence (mahāratha) is not ethically neutral; when joined to arrogance and deliberate hostility, it becomes a warning about the dangers of ego and feud in dharmic conflict.
Sañjaya is characterizing a warrior in the Kurukṣetra war, describing him as proud, battle-arrogant, committed to enmity, and of the highest fighting rank (mahāratha), setting the tone for the confrontation being reported to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.