Shloka 49

Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

यच्च कृष्णमवोचस्त्वमायान्तं कुरुसंसदि । अयमस्मि स्थितो राजन्‌ शमाय समराय च

Transliteration

yac ca kṛṣṇam avocas tvam āyāntaṁ kuru-saṁsadi | ayam asmi sthito rājan śamāya samarāya ca ||

Translation

সঞ্জয় বললেন— আর যখন কৃষ্ণ কুরুসভায় এসেছিলেন, তখন তুমি যে বার্তা পাঠিয়েছিলে—‘হে রাজন, আমি শান্তি ও যুদ্ধ—উভয়ের জন্য প্রস্তুত’—সেই সময়ই আজ উপস্থিত। সমরের উপযুক্ত ক্ষণ এসেছে; এই উদ্দেশ্যেই সব প্রচেষ্টা করা হয়েছে।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'yac ca', 'definition': 'and that which

• moreover, that very (statement)'}, {'term': 'kṛṣṇam', 'definition': 'Krishna (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), the envoy and guide'}, {'term': 'avocas', 'definition': 'you said

• you spoke (2nd person singular, perfect)'}, {'term': 'tvam', 'definition': 'you'}, {'term': 'āyāntam', 'definition': 'coming

• having arrived (present participle, accusative)'}, {'term': 'kuru-saṁsadi', 'definition': 'in the Kuru assembly/court'}, {'term': 'ayam asmi', 'definition': 'here I am

• I am this (present, emphatic self-presentation)'}, {'term': 'sthitaḥ', 'definition': 'standing

• resolved'}, {'term': 'rājan', 'definition': 'O King'}, {'term': 'śamāya', 'definition': 'for peace

• for reconciliation (dative of purpose)'}, {'term': 'samarāya', 'definition': 'for battle/war (dative of purpose)'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Krishna (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• King (rājan—addressed figure)
• Kuru assembly (Kuru-saṁsad)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical statecraft as a dual readiness: one must sincerely pursue peace, yet remain prepared to uphold dharma through war if reconciliation fails. It highlights responsibility and resolve rather than impulsive aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya recalls the earlier message delivered to Krishna in the Kuru court—declaring readiness for either peace or war—and states that the situation has now ripened into the decisive moment where that declaration becomes operative.