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 ||
“Dẫu vậy, con trai ta—kẻ tinh ranh trong mưu trá và đắm chìm trong cờ bạc xấu xa—ta không thể kiềm chế nó, cũng không thể làm điều thực sự lợi ích cho chính mình.”
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.