Shloka 108
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
जानामि ते वासुदेव॑ सहायं जानामि ते गाण्डिवं तालमात्रम् | जानाम्यहं त्वादृशो नास्ति योद्धा जानानस्ते राज्यमेतद्धरामि
sañjaya uvāca |
janāmi te vāsudevaṁ sahāyaṁ janāmi te gāṇḍīvaṁ tālamātram |
janāmy ahaṁ tvādṛśo nāsti yoddhā jānānas te rājyam etad dharāmi ||
三阇耶说道：“我知道婆苏提婆（奎师那）为你助力；我也知道你的甘狄婆神弓，长达一塔罗；我更知道世间无有与你相等的战士。即便知晓这一切，我仍要从你手中夺取这王国。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights deliberate wrongdoing: even with full awareness of the opponent’s strength and righteousness-support (Kṛṣṇa as ally), the speaker admits to usurping the kingdom. It underscores how greed and power can override knowledge, conscience, and dharma—making the act ethically culpable precisely because it is done knowingly.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war context, Sañjaya reports a blunt confession: despite recognizing Arjuna’s unmatched prowess, his divine ally Kṛṣṇa, and the famed Gāṇḍīva bow, the speaker still proceeds to take the kingdom. The statement intensifies the moral tension leading into the Kurukṣetra war by framing the conflict as a conscious act of usurpation.