Shloka 9
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अमर्ष राज्यहरणं वनवासं च पाण्डव । द्रौपद्याश्न परिक्लेशं संस्मरन् पुरुषो भव,'पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम अपने अमर्षको, राज्यके अपहरणको, वनवासको और द्रौपदीको दिये गये क्लेशको भी याद करके मर्द बनो
amarṣaṁ rājyaharaṇaṁ vanavāsaṁ ca pāṇḍava | draupadyāś ca parikleśaṁ saṁsmaran puruṣo bhava ||
Nang-uyam si Ulūka sa Pāṇḍava at hinamon siyang gawing panlalaking pasya ang mga sugat ng alaala: “Alalahanin ang nagbabagang poot—kung paanong inagaw ang iyong kaharian, kung paanong itinapon ka sa gubat, at kung paanong pinahirapan si Draupadī. Sa paggunita niyan, maging lalaki ka.”
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how remembrance of injustice can be weaponized: Ulūka frames past wrongs as a test of manliness, pushing the Pāṇḍava toward anger and violent retaliation. Ethically, it highlights the tension between righteous restraint and kṣatriya honor, and how provocations can distort dharma by inflaming passion.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana’s envoy Ulūka delivers a taunting message to the Pāṇḍavas. He lists their grievances—loss of kingdom, exile, and Draupadī’s suffering—to provoke them, undermine peace efforts, and hasten the outbreak of war.