Shloka 117
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
“इसी प्रकार सदासे ही क्षत्रियोंने अपने विरोधी क्षत्रियको दण्ड दिया है। इसीलिये तुम्हें भी सिरपर वेणी रखाकर और हिजड़ोंका वेष बनाकर राजाके अन्तःपुरमें लड़कियोंको नचानेका काम करना पड़ा ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
iti prakāraṃ sadāsa eva kṣatriyair ātmavirodhi-kṣatriyo daṇḍitaḥ | tasmād tvam api śirasi veṇīṃ kṛtvā klība-veṣaṃ dhṛtvā rājāntaḥpure kanyānāṃ nartana-karmāṇi kartum avāpsyatha | na bhayād vāsudevasya na cāpi tava phālguna | rājyaṃ pratipradāsyāmi yudhyasva saha-keśavaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“自古以来，刹帝利惩治敌对的刹帝利。故而你也被迫将发辫束于头顶，假作阉人之形，在王的内宫之中担任使宫中少女起舞之职。法尔古那啊，我并非畏惧婆苏提婆，也并非畏惧你，才会归还王国；我决不归还。你与凯沙婆同来，来战吧！”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames conflict in terms of kṣatriya-dharma: rival rulers are traditionally met with daṇḍa (punitive force), and political claims are not surrendered out of fear. It also highlights how dishonor and enforced humiliation can be used rhetorically to justify escalation toward war.
A defiant speaker (reported by Sañjaya) taunts Phālguna (Arjuna) by recalling his period of concealment in the royal inner apartments in a klība-veṣa, then declares he will not restore the kingdom out of fear of Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva/Keśava) or Arjuna, challenging them to come and fight.