Shloka 57
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
दर्शयेम च रूपाणि स्वशरीरे बहुन्यपि । न तु पर्यायतः सिद्धिर्बुद्धिमाप्रोति मानुषीम्,“इतना ही नहीं, हम अपने शरीरमें बहुत-से रूप भी प्रकट करके दिखा सकते हैं; परंतु इन सब प्रदर्शनोंसे न तो अपने अभीष्टकी सिद्धि होती है और न अपना शत्रु ही मानवीय बुद्धि अर्थात् भयको प्राप्त हो सकता है
darśayema ca rūpāṇi svaśarīre bahūny api | na tu paryāyataḥ siddhir buddhim āpnoti mānuṣīm ||
Sañjaya said: “We can even reveal many different forms within our own body and display them. Yet such successive displays do not accomplish our intended aim, nor do they make an enemy fall into merely human calculation—into fear and confusion.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere exhibition of extraordinary power—such as manifesting many forms—does not by itself secure one’s objective. Ethical and strategic success depends on achieving the intended end through effective means, not on spectacle; likewise, a worthy opponent may not be shaken into ordinary human fear by displays alone.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and assessments, Sañjaya reports a statement emphasizing that even if one can demonstrate wondrous transformations, such demonstrations do not necessarily bring about the desired result or intimidate the adversary into human-level fear.