Shloka 5
Ulūka’s Provocative Envoy-Speech in the Pāṇḍava Camp
Ulūka-dūta-vākya
तथापि निकृतिप्रज्ं पुत्र दुर्दूतदेविनम् । न शवक््नोमि नियमन्तुं वा कर्तु वा हितमात्मन:
tathāpi nikṛtiprajñaṃ putra durdūtadevinam | na śaknomi niyamantuṃ vā kartuṃ vā hitam ātmanaḥ ||
“ਤਾਂ ਵੀ, ਛਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਿਪੁੰਨ ਅਤੇ ਦੁਸ਼ਟ ਜੂਏ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੀਨ ਆਪਣੇ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਨੂੰ ਮੈਂ ਨਾ ਰੋਕ ਸਕਦਾ ਹਾਂ, ਨਾ ਹੀ ਆਪਣਾ ਸੱਚਾ ਹਿਤ ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਹਾਂ।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral helplessness born of attachment: knowing what is right is insufficient if one lacks the will (or courage) to restrain wrongdoing—especially within one’s own family. It underscores the ethical demand for self-governance and responsible intervention when harm is foreseeable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker (as reported by Vaiśampāyana) conveys a ruler-father’s confession: despite understanding the disastrous consequences, he cannot control his son, who is skilled in deceit and addicted to wrongful gambling—an admission that foreshadows the slide toward war.