Shloka 10
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अशक्तेन च यच्छप्तं भीमसेनेन पाण्डव । दुःशासनस्य रुधिरं पीयतां यदि शक््यते
aśaktena ca yacchaptaṃ bhīmasenena pāṇḍava | duḥśāsanasya rudhiraṃ pīyatāṃ yadi śakyate ||
Ulūka berkata: “Wahai Pāṇḍava, ingatlah sumpah garang yang pernah diucapkan Bhīmasena ketika dia tidak berdaya untuk bertindak. Biarkan dia datang sekarang—dan jika benar dia punya kekuatan—biarlah dia meminum darah Duḥśāsana.”
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how vows and remembered humiliation can be weaponized as provocation. Ethically, it highlights the danger of letting rage and retaliatory oaths drive conduct, pushing conflict toward extreme violence rather than restraint and dharmic resolution.
Ulūka, speaking for the Kaurava side, taunts the Pāṇḍavas by invoking Bhīma’s earlier vow connected with Duḥśāsana. The aim is to challenge Bhīma’s honor and incite immediate, ruthless action, escalating the atmosphere toward inevitable war.