Shloka 40
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
अस्य गात्राणि वर्धन्ते गणश्ष परिहीयते । अद्य सप्ताष्टदिवसान् डिण्डिको5पि न दृश्यते,“उसके अंग दिनोंदिन हृष्ट-पुष्ट होते जाते हैं और हमारा यह दल रोज-रोज घटता जा रहा है। आज सात-आठ दिनोंसे डिंडिकका भी दर्शन नहीं हो रहा है”
asya gātrāṇi vardhante gaṇaś ca parihīyate | adya saptāṣṭa-divasān ḍiṇḍiko 'pi na dṛśyate ||
Sañjaya said: “His limbs grow stronger and more robust day by day, while our own company keeps dwindling. And now, for seven or eight days, even Ḍiṇḍika has not been seen.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral and strategic momentum can shift: one party’s strength and confidence increase while the other’s unity and numbers decline. It serves as a warning that ignoring signs of weakening resolve and leadership leads to further loss.
Sañjaya reports an observable change in fortunes: a particular figure is becoming physically stronger, whereas their own contingent is shrinking. He also notes that a person named Ḍiṇḍika has been absent for a week or more, suggesting desertion, disappearance, or a troubling lapse in support.