Shloka 13
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
द्रुमं किम्पुरुषाचार्यमतिक्रम्य तथार्चित: । भीष्मके चैव दुर्धर्षे पाण्डुवत् कृतलक्षणे
drumaṁ kimpuruṣācāryam atikramya tathārcitaḥ | bhīṣmake caiva durdharṣe pāṇḍuvat kṛtalakṣaṇe ||
Śiśupāla sprach: „Wie konntest du es für recht halten, Kṛṣṇa mit der höchsten Verehrung auszuzeichnen und dabei Druma, den Lehrer der Kiṁpuruṣas, zu übergehen? Und da der unbezwingbare Bhīṣmaka—mit glückverheißenden königlichen Zeichen wie Pāṇḍu—anwesend war: aus welchem Grund wurde diese Verehrung Kṛṣṇas vollzogen?“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between worldly hierarchies (seniority, rank, renowned kings) and the claim of exceptional worthiness. It shows how disputes over honor can become moral arguments about what counts as legitimate authority—birth, power, reputation, or intrinsic excellence.
During the assembly context where Kṛṣṇa is being accorded special honor, Śiśupāla objects. He challenges the decision to worship Kṛṣṇa first, arguing that other venerable or formidable figures (such as Druma and Bhīṣmaka) were present and should not have been bypassed.