Shloka 160
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
इति श्रीमहाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि उलूकदूतागमनपर्वणि दुर्योधनवाक्ये षष्टयधिकशततमो< ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi ulūkadūtāgamanaparvaṇi duryodhanavākye ṣaṣṭyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Udyoga Parva—specifically the section on the arrival of Ulūka as an envoy—ends the one-hundred-and-sixtieth chapter, centered on Duryodhana’s words.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the line does not teach through a direct maxim; instead it signals the ethical pivot of the episode: diplomacy is being used as a stage for hardened positions. By labeling the chapter as ‘Duryodhana’s words’ within an envoy narrative, it highlights how personal resolve and pride can override conciliatory dharma and propel society toward war.
This is the formal closing statement of a chapter in the Udyoga Parva. It situates the chapter within the sub-episode of Ulūka’s arrival as a messenger and identifies the chapter’s focus as Duryodhana’s speech, marking the end of that unit and preparing the reader for the next development in the pre-war negotiations.