Shloka 256
उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas
उवाच धीमान् कौन्तेय: प्रहस्य सखिपूर्वकम् | धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर तथा भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके समीप अन्य सब राजाओंके सुनते हुए रुक्मीके ऐसा कहनेपर परमबुद्धिमान् कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनने वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्ण और धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरकी ओर देखते हुए मित्रभावसे हँसकर कहा--
uvāca dhīmān kaunteyaḥ prahasya sakhipūrvakam | dharmarāja yudhiṣṭhira tathā bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇake samīpa anya saba rājāoṅke sunate hue rukmīke evaṃ kahane para paramabuddhimān kuntīputra arjunane vasudevanandana śrīkṛṣṇa aura dharmarāja yudhiṣṭhirakī ora dekhate hue mitrabhāvase haṃsakar kahā—
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When Rukmī spoke thus in the hearing of the other kings, the wise son of Kuntī—Arjuna—glanced toward Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira and toward Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and, with a friendly smile and a light laugh, replied.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid provocation and public scrutiny, a noble person restrains anger and chooses speech that preserves dignity and dharma. Arjuna’s friendly laughter signals controlled confidence and an intention to respond without descending into crude hostility.
Rukmī has said something in front of many kings. In response, Arjuna—described as exceptionally wise—looks toward Yudhiṣṭhira and Kṛṣṇa (as if acknowledging authority and counsel) and then begins his reply with a friendly smile, setting the tone for what follows.