Shloka 42
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
शस्त्रौघमक्षय्यमतिप्रवृद्धं यदावगाहा श्रमनष्टचेता: । भविष्यसि त्वं हतसर्वबान्धव- स््तदा मनस्ते परितापमेष्यति,'भाँति-भाँतिके शस्त्र इस सैन्यसागरके जलप्रवाह हैं। यह अक्षय होनेके साथ ही खूब बढ़ा हुआ है। इसमें प्रवेश करनेपर अधिक श्रमके कारण जब तुम्हारी चेतना नष्ट हो जायगी, तुम्हारे समस्त बन्धु मार दिये जायूँगे, उस समय तुम्हारे मनको बड़ा संताप होगा
śastraugham akṣayyam atipravṛddhaṃ yadāvagāhāḥ śrama-naṣṭa-cetāḥ | bhaviṣyasi tvaṃ hata-sarva-bāndhavaḥ tadā manas te paritāpam eṣyati ||
乌卢迦警告道：俱卢大军犹如兵刃汇成的洪涛，汹涌膨胀，且似无穷无尽。你若投身其中，疲惫将摧毁你的清明；待你亲族尽被诛戮之时，你的心必为灼热的悔恨所攫。此言旨在恐吓——把战争描绘成压倒一切的洪力，并将对手的决意说成通往悲恸与道义煎熬之路。
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war’s momentum can overwhelm judgment: entering the 'flood' of violence leads to mental collapse and, after the loss of one’s own people, to intense remorse. It implicitly warns that victory-talk and martial pride often end in grief, making ethical foresight crucial.
Ulūka, speaking on behalf of the Kauravas, delivers a taunting warning to the opposing side. He portrays the Kaurava forces as an inexhaustible torrent of weapons and predicts that the enemy will be exhausted, lose composure, and later suffer anguish when their relatives are killed.