Shloka 42
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
शिखण्डी तु ततो वाक्यमुलूकमिदमत्रवीत् । वक्तव्यो भवता राजा पापेष्वभिरत: सदा,तत्पश्चात् शिखण्डीने उलूकसे इस प्रकार कहा--'उलूक! सदा पापमें ही तत्पर रहनेवाले अपने राजाके पास जाकर तू इस प्रकार कहना--
śikhaṇḍī tu tato vākyam ulūkam idam abravīt | vaktavyo bhavatā rājā pāpeṣv abhirataḥ sadā ||
Sanjaya berkata: Lalu Śikhaṇḍī berkata kepada Uluka: “Pergilah dan sampaikan kepada rajamu—dia yang senantiasa tenggelam dalam jalan dosa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical evaluation in political speech: a ruler persistently devoted to wrongdoing is explicitly named as such, implying that adharma in leadership warrants direct censure and shapes the moral framing of subsequent actions.
Sañjaya narrates that Śikhaṇḍī speaks to Ulūka, instructing him to deliver a message to his king. This sets up a formal messenger exchange in the lead-up to conflict, with a pointed moral characterization of the recipient.