Shloka 45
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
धृष्टद्युम्नो5पि कैतव्यमुलूकमिदमब्रवीत्
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumno 'pi kaitavyam ulūkam idam abravīt | tato dhṛṣṭadyumnenāpi kitavakumāram ulūkam etad uktam— “ulūka! tvaṁ rājaputra duryodhanāya mama vacanaṁ brūyāḥ; ahaṁ droṇācāryaṁ sa-gaṇān sa-bandhu-bāndhavān nihaniṣyāmi.”
Sañjaya said: Dhrishtadyumna too addressed Uluka, the son of the gambler, with these words: “Uluka, convey my message to Prince Duryodhana: I will slay Drona—together with his followers and with his kinsmen and allies.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, on the brink of war, speech becomes a moral instrument: a public vow and a warning. It shows the escalation from negotiation to irrevocable resolve, where personal enmity and perceived justice are articulated as a kshatriya’s commitment to decisive action.
Sanjaya reports that Dhrishtadyumna addresses Uluka (an emissary connected with the Kauravas) and instructs him to deliver a message to Duryodhana: Dhrishtadyumna declares his intention to kill Dronacharya along with Drona’s supporters and relations, signaling the hardening of battle lines.