Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
राष्ट्रन्निवॉसनक्लेशं वनवासं च पाण्डव । कृष्णायाश्व परिक्लेश संस्मरन् पुरुषो भव
rāṣṭrān nivāsana-kleśaṁ vanavāsaṁ ca pāṇḍava | kṛṣṇāyāś ca parikleśaṁ saṁsmaran puruṣo bhava ||
“હે પાંડવ! રાજ્યમાંથી હાંકી કાઢવાના ક્લેશ, વનવાસ અને કૃષ્ણા (દ્રૌપદી) પર થયેલા અપમાનના દુઃખને સ્મરીને પુરુષાર્થ બતાવ—દૃઢ રહો.”
संजय उवाच
The verse urges moral resolve: recalling endured injustices—banishment, forest exile, and Draupadī’s humiliation—one should act with courage and steadiness to uphold justice and kṣatriya-duty, rather than lapse into weakness or indecision.
In the Udyoga Parva’s war-prelude context, Sañjaya frames the Pāṇḍavas’ past sufferings as a call to firmness. By invoking their expulsion, years of forest life, and Draupadī’s torment, he presses a Pāṇḍava to adopt a decisive stance as the conflict approaches.