Shloka 110
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
त्रयोदश समा भुक्त राज्यं विलपतस्तव । भूयश्चैव प्रशासिष्ये त्वां निहत्य सबान्धवम्
trayodaśa samā bhuktaṁ rājyaṁ vilapatastava | bhūyaś caiva praśāsiṣye tvāṁ nihatya sabāndhavam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Ketika kalian dibiarkan meratap dan menangis, aku menikmati kerajaanmu selama tiga belas tahun. Dan kini, setelah membunuh kalian beserta sanak-kerabatmu, akulah seorang diri yang akan terus memerintah negeri ini.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ugliness of triumphalism in conflict: boasting over another’s suffering and claiming legitimacy through violence. In the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, such speech signals adharma—rule sought by force and cruelty rather than by rightful conduct, restraint, and justice.
Sañjaya reports a taunting declaration: the speaker claims to have enjoyed the other party’s kingdom for thirteen years while they lamented, and now threatens to kill them along with their relatives and continue ruling. It reflects escalating hostility and the hardening resolve that drives the story toward war.