Shloka 38

Devanagari script

उलूकश्नच न ते वाच्य: परुषं पुरुषोत्तम,दूता: किमपराध्यन्ते यथोक्तस्यानुभाषिण: । “पुरुषोत्तम! आपको इस उलूकसे कोई कठोर बात नहीं कहनी चाहिये। बेचारे दूतोंका क्या अपराध है? वे तो कही हुई बातका अनुवादमात्र करनेवाले हैं”

Transliteration

ulūkaś ca na te vācyaḥ paruṣaṃ puruṣottama | dūtāḥ kim aparādhyante yathoktasya anubhāṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Ô Puruṣottama, ne t’adresse pas à Ulūka avec des paroles dures. Quelle faute les messagers peuvent-ils avoir ? Ils ne font que répéter ce qu’on leur a dit.»

Word by Word

उलूकश्चUluka (as subject: ‘Uluka too’)

नnot

तेto you

वाच्यःto be spoken / should be addressed

परुषम्harsh (words)

पुरुषोत्तमO best of men

दूताःmessengers

किम्what

अपराध्यन्तेdo they offend / commit a fault?

यथोक्तस्यof what has been said / as stated

अनुभाषिणःrepeaters / those who merely convey (another’s words)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Uluka

Puruṣottama

Dūta (messengers/envoys)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical restraint in speech and judgment: an envoy is not morally responsible for the content he delivers; therefore, harshness should be directed neither at the messenger nor at the mere act of transmission.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the tense pre-war setting of the Udyoga Parva, Ulūka appears as a messenger. Sanjaya advises the addressed leader (called Puruṣottama) not to speak harshly to Ulūka, emphasizing that messengers only convey another’s words.