Shloka 36
उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas
वैशम्पायन उवाच (तच्छुत्वा वचनं तस्य विजयस्य हि धीमत: ।) विनिवर्त्य ततो रुक्मी सेनां सागरसंनिभाम् | दुर्योधनमुपागच्छत् तथैव भरतर्षभ,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन परम बुद्धिमान् अर्जुनका यह वचन सुनकर रुक्मी अपनी समुद्र-सदूश विशाल सेनाको लौटाकर उसी प्रकार दुर्योधनके पास गया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tac chrutvā vacanaṃ tasya vijayasya hi dhīmataḥ | vinivartya tato rukmī senāṃ sāgarasaṃnibhām | duryodhanam upāgacchat tathaiva bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O bull among the Bharatas, having heard the words of that wise Vijaya (Arjuna), Rukmī then turned back his ocean-like vast army and, just as before, went to Duryodhana.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and armies are secondary to discernment and alignment: after hearing Arjuna’s decisive words, Rukmī redirects his forces and chooses a political side, showing that intention and allegiance shape outcomes more than sheer military magnitude.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Rukmī, upon hearing the wise Vijaya (Arjuna), turns back his vast army and goes to Duryodhana, indicating a shift or confirmation of support toward the Kauravas.