Shloka 73
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
विराटद्रुपदौ चोभौ ब्रूयास्त्वं वचनान्मम । न दृष्टपूर्वा भर्तारो भृत्यैरपि महागुणै:
virāṭa-drupadau cobhau brūyās tvaṁ vacanān mama | na dṛṣṭa-pūrvā bhartāro bhṛtyair api mahā-guṇaiḥ ||
桑阇耶说道：“把我的话转告毗罗吒与德鲁帕陀二王：‘自造物主开辟众生以来，从未见过——即便是德行卓绝的臣仆，也能彻底洞察其主，清楚辨明其德与过；同样，君主也未必能准确了解其臣仆。因此，即使坚战并非值得信赖之人，你们二位仍奉他为王，并依其号令来此参战。’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical and political problem: mutual misjudgment between rulers and retainers. Even highly capable servants may fail to assess a master’s true merits and faults, and masters likewise may not understand their servants. This cautions against blind allegiance and urges careful discernment in choosing whom to serve and trust.
Sañjaya reports (or frames) a message to be delivered to King Virāṭa and King Drupada. The message comments on the difficulty of accurately judging leaders and followers, and uses that observation to explain (and subtly critique) why allies may still accept Yudhiṣṭhira as their king and come to the war under his authority.