Shloka 121
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
शारद्वतमहामीनं विविंशतिमहोरगम् । बृहद्धलमहोद्वेलं सौमदत्तितिमिड्लिलम्,“हमारे सैन्यरूपी महासमुद्रमें कृपाचार्य महा-मत्स्यके समान हैं, विविंशति उसके भीतर रहनेवाला महान् सर्प है, बृहदबल उसके भीतर उठनेवाले विशाल ज्वारके समान है, भूरिश्रवा तिमिंगिल नामक मत्स्यके स्थानमें है
sañjaya uvāca | śāradvata-mahā-mīnaṃ viviṃśati-mahā-uragam | bṛhadbala-mahodvelaṃ saumadatti-timiṅgilam ||
قال سنجيا: «إن جيشنا، وهو كالمحيط العظيم، فيه كِرِپاتشاريا (شارادڤاتا) كسمكةٍ جبّارة؛ وفيڤيمشتي كحيّةٍ عظيمةٍ تقيم في أعماقه؛ وبْرِهَدْبَلا كمَدٍّ شاهقٍ ينهض فيه؛ وبْهُورِشْرَڤا ابنُ سَوْمَدَتّي كالمخلوق البحريّ المهيب المسمّى تيمينغيلا».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches, through vivid metaphor, that war unleashes forces like those of the sea—immense, unpredictable, and destructive. It highlights how individual champions can function as overwhelming ‘natural powers,’ implying the ethical gravity of choosing conflict and the peril it brings to all involved.
Sanjaya is describing the Kaurava side’s leading warriors to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, portraying the Kaurava army as a vast ocean and naming key fighters as terrifying sea-creatures and surges within it, emphasizing their strength and the danger they pose in the impending battle.