Shloka 29
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
न चापि गमने शक्ति काज्चित् पश्यामि चिन्तयन् । सो<5स्मि नेय: सदा तात नदीकूलमित:ः परम्,“तुम्हें भी प्रतिदिन मेरी एक आज्ञाका पालन करना होगा। मैं तपस्या करते-करते बहुत थक गया हूँ और दृढ़तापूर्वक संयम-नियमके पालनमें लगा रहता हूँ। बहुत सोचनेपर भी मुझे अपने भीतर चलने-फिरनेकी कोई शक्ति नहीं दिखायी देती; अतः तात! तुम्हें सदा मुझे यहाँसे नदीके तटतक पहुँचाना पड़ेगा
na cāpi gamane śaktiṃ kāñcit paśyāmi cintayan | so 'smi neyaḥ sadā tāta nadīkūlam itaḥ param ||
Sanjaya said: “Even after reflecting, I do not perceive in myself any strength at all for walking. Therefore, dear child, I must always be led; you must carry me from here to the farther bank-side of the river.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ethic of care: when someone becomes weak or incapacitated, it becomes righteous for the able person—addressed here as “tāta”—to provide steady assistance. It also underscores humility in acknowledging one’s limits.
A speaker (reported by Sanjaya) states that he has no strength to walk even after trying to assess himself, and therefore instructs the addressed person to lead/carry him regularly from their current place to the riverbank on the farther side.