Shloka 88
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
पराजितो$सि द्यूतेन कृष्णा चानायिता सभाम् | शक््यो<मर्षो मनुष्येण कर्तु पुरुषमानिना
parājito'si dyūtena kṛṣṇā cānāyitā sabhām | śakyo'marṣo manuṣyeṇa kartu puruṣamāninā ||
Sañjaya said: “You were defeated in the game of dice, and Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) was dragged into the royal assembly. Yet a man who prides himself on being truly manly can still endure and master such humiliation.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outward humiliation with inner strength: even after catastrophic dishonor—defeat at dice and Draupadī’s being dragged into the court—a truly self-possessed person can restrain rage, endure disgrace, and choose disciplined action rather than impulsive retaliation.
Sañjaya recalls the pivotal outrage of the dice-game and the public violation of Draupadī’s dignity in the sabhā, using it as a moral pressure-point: the listener is reminded of past defeat and insult, and challenged on whether he can bear it with the steadiness expected of one who claims manly valor.