Shloka 7
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
अथ वा वासुदेवो5पि प्रियकामो<नुवृत्तवान् । द्रपदे तिष्ठति कथं माधवो5हति पूजनम्
atha vā vāsudevo 'pi priyakāmo 'nuvṛttavān | drupade tiṣṭhati kathaṁ mādhavo 'rhati pūjanam ||
Śiśupāla sagte: „Oder nehmen wir an, Vāsudeva suche tatsächlich eure Gunst und folge euren Wünschen—selbst das rechtfertigt diese Verehrung nicht. Denn solange König Drupada, euer größter Wohlgesinnter, zugegen ist, wie könnte Mādhava Anspruch auf die höchste Ehre haben? Und wenn ihr behauptet, ihr betrachtet Kṛṣṇa als einen ācārya, warum ehrt ihr dann diesen Yadu-Prinzen, da doch ältere Lehrer—wie Droṇa—noch hier sind?“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharmic idea of precedence in public honor: in assemblies, respect is expected to follow recognized hierarchies—seniority, benefaction, and established roles (friend, elder, teacher). Śiśupāla uses this norm to argue that honoring Kṛṣṇa over figures like Drupada (as chief ally) or Droṇa (as senior teacher) violates accepted protocol.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya-related assembly, the question of who should receive the foremost honor becomes contentious. Śiśupāla publicly attacks the decision to honor Kṛṣṇa, offering alternative justifications (Kṛṣṇa as a pleasing follower or as an ācārya) and rejecting them by citing Drupada’s friendship and Droṇa’s seniority as reasons Kṛṣṇa should not receive the highest worship.