Shloka 13
Ulūka’s Provocative Envoy-Speech in the Pāṇḍava Camp
Ulūka-dūta-vākya
स्थिरो भूत्वा महाप्राज्ञ सर्वलोकक्षयोदयम् | यथाभूतं महायुद्धे श्रुव्वा चैकमना भव
sañjaya uvāca | sthiro bhūtvā mahāprājña sarvalokakṣayodayam | yathābhūtaṃ mahāyuddhe śrutvā caikamano bhava, mahāmate ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô toi d’une grande sagesse, demeure ferme. Écoute d’un esprit unique, sans trouble, le récit véridique de ce qui s’est produit dans cette grande guerre — des événements qui annoncent l’essor de la destruction pour tous les mondes. Ne vacille pas en l’entendant.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges disciplined listening and inner steadiness: when confronted with catastrophic or morally weighty news, one should remain composed and attend to the truth as it is, without agitation. Ethical clarity begins with a mind that can hear facts without being overwhelmed.
Sañjaya prepares a wise listener to receive a factual report of the great war’s events—so grave that they are described as heralding destruction on a universal scale. He frames the coming narration as truthful (yathābhūtam) and asks for one-pointed attention.