Shloka 116
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
एवमेव सदा दण्डं क्षत्रिया: क्षत्रिये दधु: । वेणीं कृत्वा षण्ढवेष: कन्यां नर्तितवानसि
evameva sadā daṇḍaṃ kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriye dadhuḥ | veṇīṃ kṛtvā ṣaṇḍha-veṣaḥ kanyāṃ nartitavān asi
Sañjaya said: “Thus, indeed, it has always been the way: kṣatriyas impose punishment upon kṣatriyas. Yet you—having braided your hair and assuming the guise of a eunuch—have made a young maiden dance.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the normative kṣatriya ethic—conflict and punishment occurring within the warrior sphere under daṇḍa (lawful coercion)—with an act framed as dishonorable: adopting a degrading disguise and directing that power toward a vulnerable maiden. It implicitly critiques misuse of strength and status, emphasizing that dharma in punishment requires propriety, rightful targets, and restraint.
Sañjaya reports a pointed remark: while it is customary for kṣatriyas to contend with and punish other kṣatriyas, the addressed person is accused of having braided the hair, taken on a eunuch’s guise, and made a maiden dance—presented as an act of humiliation and moral impropriety rather than straightforward warrior conduct.