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

Devanagari script

क्रूराय कर्मणे युक्तश्चिकीर्षु: कर्म दुष्करम्‌ । अवाकिरच्छरशतैर्भरद्वाजं महारथम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | krūrāya karmaṇe yuktaś cikīrṣuḥ karma duṣkaram | avākirac charaśatair bharadvājaṃ mahāratham | tatpaścāt ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：继而他执意行那残酷之举，欲成就艰难之功，便向大车战士、婆罗堕阇之子（德罗那）倾洒百箭，如雨而下。

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• क्रूराय: for a cruel (act)
• क्रूराय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• कर्मणे: for the deed/action
• कर्मणे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• युक्तः: engaged/intent
• युक्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चिकीर्षुः: wishing to do
• चिकीर्षुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिकीर्षु (कृ धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्म: a deed
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दुष्करम्: difficult (to do)
• दुष्करम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्कर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अवाकिरत्: showered/covered (with)
• अवाकिरत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + कृ (किरति/कॄ)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शरशतैः: with hundreds of arrows
• शरशतैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर-शत
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• भरद्वाजम्: Bharadvāja (Drona)
• भरद्वाजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरद्वाज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महारथम्: the great chariot-warrior
• महारथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Bharadvāja’s son)
• arrows (śara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.