Shloka 53
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
ब्रूयास्त्वं वासुदेवं च पाण्डवानां समीपत: । आत्मार्थ पाण्डवार्थ च यत्ता मां प्रति योधय
brūyāstvaṃ vāsudevaṃ ca pāṇḍavānāṃ samīpataḥ | ātmārthaṃ pāṇḍavārthaṃ ca yattā māṃ prati yodhaya, ulūka ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Katakan pula kepada Vāsudeva di hadapan para Pāṇḍava: ‘Wahai Janārdana, kini dengan kesiapan penuh dan tekad yang teguh, berperanglah melawanku—demi kebaikanmu sendiri dan demi kebaikan para Pāṇḍava.’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how rhetoric can recast impending violence as ‘benefit’ (ātmārtha, pāṇḍavārtha), revealing the ethical tension between proclaimed welfare and the reality of war. It also highlights the moment when persuasion gives way to resolve and confrontation.
Sañjaya reports instructions for Ulūka to address Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva/Janārdana) in front of the Pāṇḍavas, delivering a provocative call to battle: be fully prepared and fight against the speaker, ostensibly for the good of all concerned.