Shloka 95
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
सूतपुत्र॑ सदुर्धर्ष शल्यं च बलिनां बरम्
Sañjaya uvāca: Sūtaputraḥ sa-durdharṣaḥ Śalyaṃ ca balināṃ varam, Pārtha! atyanta-durjayo vīraḥ sūtaputraḥ Karṇaḥ, balavānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ Śalyaḥ tathā yuddhe Indra-samāna-parākramī ca balavānām agragaṇyo Droṇācāryaṃ yuddhe parājitya vinā tvaṃ iha rājyaṃ kathaṃ grahītuṃ icchasi?
三阇耶说道：“噢，帕尔塔！若不先在战场上击败迦尔那——那位御者之子，英勇无比、几乎不可征服、难以攻逼——又不击败强者之冠沙利耶，以及在强者中最为卓绝、战威如因陀罗的德罗纳阿阇黎，你怎能在此夺取王国？”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sovereignty in the kshatriya ethic is not merely inherited or demanded; it is validated by confronting and overcoming the foremost defenders. Sanjaya frames political claim as inseparable from the moral and practical test of battle against the greatest warriors.
Sanjaya addresses Partha, stressing that the Pandavas cannot realistically or rightly expect to seize the kingdom unless they defeat the key Kaurava champions—Karna, Shalya, and Drona—whose strength and battlefield prowess are portrayed as exceptional.