Shloka 17
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
स वै कृत्वा मन: शुद्धि प्रत्ययार्थ शरीरिणाम् । करोमि धर्ममित्याह सर्वानिव शरीरिण:
sa vai kṛtvā manaḥ-śuddhiṃ pratyayārthaṃ śarīriṇām | karomi dharmam ity āha sarvān eva śarīriṇaḥ ||
它佯装修净其心，为的是博取一切有身众生的信任；于是对众生都说道：“我在修行达摩。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the language of inner purification and dharma with the motive of gaining others’ trust, warning that ethical claims can be used instrumentally; true dharma is measured by sincerity and conduct, not merely by public declarations.
Sanjaya reports that a certain person, aiming to inspire confidence among living beings, repeatedly told everyone that he had purified his mind and was now practicing dharma—suggesting a calculated presentation of righteousness within the broader tensions of the Udyoga Parva.