Shloka 47
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
पज्च ग्रामा वृता यत्नान्नास्माभिरपवर्जिता: । युध्यामहे कथं संख्ये कोपयेम च पाण्डवान्
pañca grāmā vṛtā yatnān nāsmābhir apavarjitāḥ | yudhyāmahe kathaṃ saṅkhye kopayema ca pāṇḍavān ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Engkau hanya memohon lima desa; namun kami dengan sengaja—bahkan dengan upaya yang sungguh—menolak permintaan itu. Tujuannya ialah membangkitkan amarah para Pāṇḍava, agar kami memperoleh kesempatan bertemu mereka dalam pertempuran di medan perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when negotiation is rejected not for justice but to manufacture anger and justify violence; it portrays deliberate provocation as a mark of adharma and a catalyst for war.
Sañjaya reports that the side opposing the Pāṇḍavas refused even the minimal request of five villages, intentionally aiming to enrage the Pāṇḍavas so that a full-scale battle would become inevitable.