Shloka 7

Ulūka’s Provocative Envoy-Speech in the Pāṇḍava Camp

Ulūka-dūta-vākya

Devanagari script

एवं गते वै यद्‌ भावि तद्‌ भविष्यति संजय । क्षत्रधर्म: किल रणे तनुत्यागो हि पूजित:,“संजय! ऐसी दशामें अब जो कुछ होनेवाला है, वह होकर ही रहेगा। कहते हैं, युद्धमें शरीरका त्याग करना निश्चय ही सबके द्वारा सम्मानित क्षत्रियधर्म है”

Transliteration

evaṃ gate vai yad bhāvi tad bhaviṣyati saṃjaya | kṣatradharmaḥ kila raṇe tanutyāgo hi pūjitaḥ ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“三阇耶啊，事已至此，命定之事必将发生。因为人们说，在战场上，刹帝利的法正是如此：献出自身之躯——在交锋中坦然受死——此乃众所尊崇的荣誉。”

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this way

गतेwhen (things) have gone/come to (this state)

वैindeed, surely

यत्whatever (that which)

भाविto be, future, impending

तत्that

भविष्यतिwill be, will happen

संजयO Sañjaya

क्षत्रधर्मःthe duty of a kṣatriya

किलit is said, indeed

रणेin battle

तनुत्यागःabandoning the body; giving up one's life

हिindeed, for

पूजितःhonored, revered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Saṃjaya

kṣatriya (as a social-ethical role)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a moral-ethical stance typical of epic kṣatriya ideology: once events have reached an irreversible crisis, what is fated will unfold, and for a warrior the honored duty in battle is readiness to sacrifice one’s life rather than abandon the field or one’s obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Saṃjaya, interpreting the situation as having reached a decisive point. He emphasizes inevitability (bhāvi/bhaviṣyati) and invokes the traditional norm that a kṣatriya’s proper conduct in war includes accepting death as an honored outcome.