Shloka 6
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
अथ वा मन्यसे कृष्णं स्थविरं कुरुपुड्रव । वसुदेवे स्थिते वृद्धे कथमर्हति तत्सुत:
atha vā manyase kṛṣṇaṃ sthaviraṃ kuru-puṅgava | vasudeve sthite vṛddhe katham arhati tat-sutaḥ ||
„Oder meinst du, o Stier unter den Kurus, Kṛṣṇa sei ein Ältester, dem der Vorrang gebührt? Doch solange der betagte Vasudeva—sein Vater—noch lebt und hier zugegen ist, wie kann dann der Sohn der rechte Empfänger der Verehrung sein?“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between social-ethical norms (seniority, lineage-based precedence) and the recognition of exceptional spiritual or political worth. Śiśupāla weaponizes conventional dharma of honoring elders to deny Kṛṣṇa special honor, illustrating how ethical language can be used rhetorically in court politics.
In Yudhiṣṭhira’s assembly during the Rājasūya context, Śiśupāla objects to honoring Kṛṣṇa. Here he argues that if Kṛṣṇa is to be treated as an elder, then the living elder Vasudeva should be honored first; therefore Kṛṣṇa, as a son, is not a proper recipient of the foremost worship.