Shloka 48
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
त्वत्कृते दुष्टभावस्य संत्यागो विदुरस्य च । जातुषे च गृहे दाहं समर तं पुरुषो भव
tvatkṛte duṣṭabhāvasya saṃtyāgo vidurasya ca | jātūṣe ca gṛhe dāhaṃ smara taṃ puruṣo bhava ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Demi engkau, aku telah menyingkirkan Vidura yang berhati jahat terhadap pihak kita. Ingatlah pembakaran di rumah lak itu, dan mulai sekarang—jadilah seorang lelaki di medan perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse shows how political loyalty and wounded pride can override ethical counsel: recalling past violence (the lac-house plot) is used to justify hardening one’s stance and rejecting a voice of dharmic prudence (Vidura).
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war tensions, Sañjaya reports a statement that the speaker had cast off Vidura’s advice and urges the addressee to remember the lac-house burning episode and act with aggressive resolve.