Shloka 39
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
शारद्वतमहामीनं विविंशतिमहोरगम् । बृहद्धलमहोद्वलं सौमदत्तितिमिज्विलम्,“हमारे सैन्यरूपी महासमुद्रमें कृपाचार्य महामत्स्यके समान हैं, विविंशति उसके भीतर रहनेवाला महासर्प है, बृहदबल उसके भीतर उठनेवाले महान् ज्वारके समान हैं, भूरिश्रवा तिमिंगिल नामक मत्स्यके स्थानमें हैं
śāradvatamahāmīnaṃ viviṃśatimahoragam | bṛhaddhalamahodvalaṃ saumadattitimijvilam ||
Ulūka said: “In our army, which is like a vast ocean, Kṛpācārya (the son of Śaradvat) is like a mighty fish; Viviṃśati is like a great serpent dwelling within it; Bṛhadbala is like a powerful surge or tidal upheaval rising in it; and the Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas) is like the fearsome sea-creature called a timingila.”
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how martial rhetoric uses vivid metaphors to project strength and instill fear. Ethically, it highlights the psychology of conflict—how pride and intimidation can escalate hostility rather than encourage restraint or reconciliation.
Ulūka, speaking for the Kaurava side, describes key Kaurava warriors through an ‘ocean of army’ metaphor—fish, serpent, tidal surge, and timingila—aiming to glorify his side’s power and unsettle the opponents.