Shloka 26
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
जानामि ते वासुदेव॑ सहायं॑ जानामि ते गाण्डिवं तालमात्रम् । जानाम्येतत् त्वादृशो नास्ति योद्धा जानानस्ते राज्यमेतद्धरामि
jānāmi te vāsudevaṁ sahāyaṁ jānāmi te gāṇḍīvaṁ tālamātram | jānāmy etat tvādṛśo nāsti yoddhā jānānas te rājyam etad dharāmi ||
Wika ni Ulūka: “Alam ko na si Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) ang iyong kakampi. Alam ko rin ang iyong busog na Gāṇḍīva, na kasinghaba ng isang punong tāla. Alam ko ring walang mandirigmang kapantay mo. Ngunit kahit batid ko ang lahat ng ito, aagawin ko pa rin ang kahariang ito na sa iyo.”
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights deliberate wrongdoing: even with full knowledge of the opponent’s strength and rightful claim, Ulūka declares the intent to seize the kingdom. Ethically, it underscores adharma as willful injustice, not mere ignorance, and shows how arrogance and provocation are used to inflame war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war exchanges, Ulūka speaks as a messenger aligned with the Kauravas, addressing Arjuna (implicitly). He acknowledges Arjuna’s unmatched prowess, Kṛṣṇa’s support, and the famed Gāṇḍīva, yet defiantly proclaims the Kaurava resolve to take the kingdom anyway—functioning as a taunt and a tool of psychological pressure before battle.