Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अभिश्ञो दूतवाक्यानां यथोक्तं ब्रुवतो मम । दुर्योधनसमादेशं श्रुत्वा न क्रोद्धुमहसि
sañjaya uvāca | abhiśño dūtavākyānāṃ yathoktaṃ bruvato mama | duryodhanasamādeśaṃ śrutvā na kroddhum arhasi |
Sañjaya sagte: „O König, du verstehst es, die Absicht hinter den Worten eines Boten zu erkennen. Ich werde die Botschaft Duryodhanas genau so wiedergeben, wie sie gesprochen wurde. Nachdem du sie gehört hast, sollst du nicht zornig auf mich sein.“
संजय उवाच
A messenger who reports a message faithfully should not be blamed for its harshness; ethical listening requires separating the bearer from the content and responding with discernment rather than anger.
Sañjaya prepares to deliver Duryodhana’s directive to the king, requesting beforehand that the king not direct anger at him, since he will repeat the message exactly as received.