Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
पज्च ग्रामा वृता यत्नान्नास्माभिरपवर्जिता: । युध्यामहे कथं संख्ये कोपयेम च पाण्डवान्
pañca grāmā vṛtā yatnān nāsmābhir apavarjitāḥ | yudhyāmahe kathaṃ saṅkhye kopayema ca pāṇḍavān ||
三阇耶说道:“你只求五村;然而我们却刻意、费尽心机地拒绝了此请。我们的用意,是设法激怒般度五子,使我们得以在战场上与他们交锋。”
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when negotiation is rejected not for justice but to manufacture anger and justify violence; it portrays deliberate provocation as a mark of adharma and a catalyst for war.
Sañjaya reports that the side opposing the Pāṇḍavas refused even the minimal request of five villages, intentionally aiming to enrage the Pāṇḍavas so that a full-scale battle would become inevitable.