Shloka 10
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अशक्तेन च यच्छप्तं भीमसेनेन पाण्डव । दुःशासनस्य रुधिरं पीयतां यदि शक््यते
aśaktena ca yacchaptaṃ bhīmasenena pāṇḍava | duḥśāsanasya rudhiraṃ pīyatāṃ yadi śakyate ||
Ulūka sagte: „O Pāṇḍava, erinnere dich an das grimmige Gelübde, das Bhīmasena aussprach, als er machtlos war zu handeln. Lass ihn jetzt kommen — und wenn er wahrhaft die Kraft besitzt — soll er Duhśāsanas Blut trinken!“
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how vows and remembered humiliation can be weaponized as provocation. Ethically, it highlights the danger of letting rage and retaliatory oaths drive conduct, pushing conflict toward extreme violence rather than restraint and dharmic resolution.
Ulūka, speaking for the Kaurava side, taunts the Pāṇḍavas by invoking Bhīma’s earlier vow connected with Duḥśāsana. The aim is to challenge Bhīma’s honor and incite immediate, ruthless action, escalating the atmosphere toward inevitable war.