Shloka 41
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
विराटद्रुपदौ वृद्धावुलूकमिदमूचतु: । दासभावं नियच्छेव साधोरिति मति: सदा । तौ च दासावदासौ वा पौरुषं यस्य यादृशम्
sañjaya uvāca | virāṭa-drupadau vṛddhāv ulūkam idam ūcatuḥ | dāsabhāvaṃ niyaccheva sādhōr iti matiḥ sadā | tau ca dāsāv adāsau vā pauruṣaṃ yasya yādṛśam, tad anantaram |
Sanjaya said: The aged kings Virata and Drupada spoke thus to Uluka: “Our settled resolve has always been this—to accept the condition of servants to the righteous. Whether we are to be counted as servants or not-servants will be decided thereafter, when one sees in battle what kind of manly prowess each truly possesses.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True status—whether one deserves to command or to serve—is grounded in dharmic character and proven capability, not in boastful claims. Virata and Drupada express humility toward the righteous, yet insist that honor and standing will ultimately be determined by demonstrated valor and conduct in the coming conflict.
Uluka, acting as Duryodhana’s envoy, is addressed by the elder kings Virata and Drupada. They send back a pointed reply: they are willing to be ‘servants of the virtuous,’ but the question of who truly merits superiority will be settled after the battlefield reveals each side’s real prowess.