Shloka 80
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
एवमुक्त्वा ततो राजा प्रहस्योलूकमब्रवीत् । धनंजयं पुनर्ब्रूहि वासुदेवस्य शृण्वत:,ऐसा कहते-कहते राजा दुर्योधन खिलखिलाकर हँस पड़ा। तत्पश्चात् उलूकसे पुनः इस प्रकार बोला--'उलूक! तुम वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णके सामने ही अर्जुनसे पुनः इस प्रकार कहना--
evam uktvā tato rājā prahasyolūkam abravīt | dhanañjayaṁ punar brūhi vāsudevasya śṛṇvataḥ ||
Ayant parlé ainsi, le roi (Duryodhana) éclata d’un rire moqueur et s’adressa à Ulūka : «Va, et transmets encore une fois mon message à Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) — dis-le tandis que Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) lui-même écoute».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how arrogance and mockery can become instruments of adharma: Duryodhana seeks to shame and provoke Arjuna openly, even before Kṛṣṇa, showing a will to escalate conflict rather than pursue restraint or reconciliation.
Sañjaya narrates that Duryodhana, after speaking, laughs and instructs his messenger Ulūka to repeat a message to Arjuna, explicitly to be spoken in Kṛṣṇa’s hearing—framing the message as a public challenge and intensifying the prelude to war.