Shloka 41
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
विराटद्रुपदौ वृद्धावुलूकमिदमूचतु: । दासभावं नियच्छेव साधोरिति मति: सदा । तौ च दासावदासौ वा पौरुषं यस्य यादृशम्,तदनन्तर बूढ़े राजा विराट और द्रुपदने उलूकसे इस प्रकार कहा--'उलूक! तू दुर्योधनसे कहना, राजन्! हम दोनोंका विचार सदा यही रहता है कि हम साधु पुरुषोंके दास हो जायूँ। वे दोनों हम विराट और द्रुपद दास हैं या अदास; इसका निर्णय युद्धमें जिसका जैसा पुरुषार्थ होगा, उसे देखकर किया जायगा”
sañjaya uvāca | virāṭa-drupadau vṛddhāv ulūkam idam ūcatuḥ | dāsabhāvaṃ niyaccheva sādhōr iti matiḥ sadā | tau ca dāsāv adāsau vā pauruṣaṃ yasya yādṛśam, tad anantaram |
三阇耶说道：年迈的毗罗吒王与德鲁帕陀王对优卢迦如此说道：“我们一向的定志便是——甘愿作正义之人的仆从。至于我们究竟算作仆从还是不算仆从，将在其后见分晓：待到战场之上，人们看清各自真正具备何等男子英勇之时。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
True status—whether one deserves to command or to serve—is grounded in dharmic character and proven capability, not in boastful claims. Virata and Drupada express humility toward the righteous, yet insist that honor and standing will ultimately be determined by demonstrated valor and conduct in the coming conflict.
Uluka, acting as Duryodhana’s envoy, is addressed by the elder kings Virata and Drupada. They send back a pointed reply: they are willing to be ‘servants of the virtuous,’ but the question of who truly merits superiority will be settled after the battlefield reveals each side’s real prowess.