Mahabharata — Sabha Parva, Shloka 25
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
यदि भीताश्न कौन्तेया: कृपणाश्न॒ तपस्विन: । ननु त्वयापि बोद्धव्यं यां पूजां माधवाहसि
yadi bhītāś ca kaunteyāḥ kṛpaṇāś ca tapasvinaḥ | nanu tvayāpi boddhavyaṃ yāṃ pūjāṃ mādhavāharasi ||
Śiśupāla sagte: „Wenn die Söhne Kuntīs furchtsam, kleinmütig und der Askese zugetan sind, so hättest doch auch du, o Mādhava, erkennen müssen, welche Art von Verehrung dir wahrhaft gebührt. Wenn sie dich, ohne dich recht zu kennen, geehrt haben, so lag es an dir zu unterscheiden, ob solche Ehre angemessen war.“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a polemical ethical claim about honor: Śiśupāla argues that worship should match the recipient’s true worth and that a discerning person should not accept misplaced honor. In context, it functions as an example of how pride and hostility can distort moral reasoning, turning ‘discernment’ into a weapon of insult.
During the royal assembly connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya, Kṛṣṇa is honored. Śiśupāla, enraged, publicly attacks Kṛṣṇa and derides the Pāṇḍavas as fearful and weak, claiming their worship is ignorant and that Kṛṣṇa should have recognized he was not worthy of such honor.