Shloka 32
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अवोचं यत् षण्ढतिलानहं वस्तथ्यमेव तत् | धृता हि वेणी पार्थेन विराटनगरे तदा,“मैंने जो उन दिनों तुमलोगोंको हिजड़ा या नपुंसक कहा था, वह ठीक ही निकला; क्योंकि अज्ञातवासके समय विराटनगरमें अर्जुनको अपने सिरपर स्त्रियोंकी भाँति वेणी धारण करनी पड़ी
avocaṁ yat ṣaṇḍhatilān ahaṁ vaḥ tathyam eva tat | dhṛtā hi veṇī pārthena virāṭanagare tadā |
Ulūka dijo: «Lo que una vez os dije, llamándoos “eunucos”, se ha mostrado cierto. Pues entonces, en la ciudad de Virāṭa durante el tiempo de ocultamiento, Pārtha (Arjuna) tuvo que llevar el cabello trenzado como una mujer.»
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage illustrates how speech can be weaponized: Ulūka uses a past episode of enforced disguise to shame the Pāṇḍavas. Ethically, it highlights the contrast between malicious taunting and steadfast endurance—Arjuna’s temporary outward change does not diminish inner valor or dharma.
Ulūka, acting as a messenger, delivers a provocative message meant to inflame and demoralize the Pāṇḍavas. He points to Arjuna’s time in Virāṭa’s city during the incognito year, when Arjuna lived in a feminine guise and wore a braid, claiming this ‘proves’ his earlier insult.