Shloka 32
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अवोचं यत् षण्ढतिलानहं वस्तथ्यमेव तत् | धृता हि वेणी पार्थेन विराटनगरे तदा
avocaṁ yat ṣaṇḍhatilān ahaṁ vaḥ tathyam eva tat | dhṛtā hi veṇī pārthena virāṭanagare tadā |
Ulūka berkata: “Apa yang pernah aku katakan—memanggil kamu ‘banci’—ternyata benar. Kerana pada waktu penyamaran di kota Virāṭa, Pārtha (Arjuna) terpaksa mengikat rambutnya dalam tocang seperti seorang perempuan.”
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage illustrates how speech can be weaponized: Ulūka uses a past episode of enforced disguise to shame the Pāṇḍavas. Ethically, it highlights the contrast between malicious taunting and steadfast endurance—Arjuna’s temporary outward change does not diminish inner valor or dharma.
Ulūka, acting as a messenger, delivers a provocative message meant to inflame and demoralize the Pāṇḍavas. He points to Arjuna’s time in Virāṭa’s city during the incognito year, when Arjuna lived in a feminine guise and wore a braid, claiming this ‘proves’ his earlier insult.