Shloka 3
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
बाला यूयं न जानीध्वं धर्म: सूक्ष्मो हि पाण्डवा: । अयं च स्मृत्यतिक्रान्तो ह्वापगेयो5ल्पदर्शन:
bālā yūyaṁ na jānīdhvaṁ dharmaḥ sūkṣmo hi pāṇḍavāḥ | ayaṁ ca smṛtyatikrānto hy āpageyo 'lpadarśanaḥ ||
Śiśupāla sprach: „Ihr seid noch wie Kinder; ihr versteht es nicht. Dharma ist wahrlich fein und schwer zu fassen, o Pāṇḍavas. Und dieser Mann hier—das Alter hat sein Gedächtnis gebrochen; sein Urteilsvermögen ist verdunkelt.“ (Mit dieser Schmähung deutet er an, die Zustimmung der Ältesten zur Ehrung Kṛṣṇas beruhe nicht auf klarem Urteil.)
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that dharma is subtle and easily misunderstood; it also shows how claims about “dharma” can be weaponized rhetorically to discredit opponents and elders in a political assembly.
In the royal assembly during Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya context, Śiśupāla attacks the Pāṇḍavas’ judgment and derides the elders’ counsel, implying that honoring Kṛṣṇa is a mistake born of immaturity and senility.