Shloka 20
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
येषामर्च्यतम: कृष्णस्त्वं च येषां प्रदर्शक: । धर्मवांस्त्वमधर्मज्ञ: सतां मार्गादवप्लुत:
yeṣām arcyatamaḥ kṛṣṇas tvaṃ ca yeṣāṃ pradarśakaḥ | dharmavāṃs tvam adharmājñaḥ satāṃ mārgād avaplutaḥ ||
„Für jene, deren höchstverehrungswürdiges Ziel Kṛṣṇa ist — und für die du, vom Pfad der Rechtschaffenen abgefallen, als Führer vorgezeigt wirst — wie könnte es anders sein? Man stellt dich als ‚tugendhaft‘ zur Schau, obwohl du das Adharma nicht erkennst; du bist von dem Weg abgerutscht, den die Guten gehen.“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse dramatizes how claims of moral authority can be weaponized: Śiśupāla attacks the legitimacy of honoring Kṛṣṇa by portraying the ‘guide’ (the addressee) as one who has deviated from the path of the good. Ethically, it highlights the contested nature of dharma in public life—who is deemed worthy of worship and who is accepted as a moral exemplar.
In the royal assembly during Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya context, Śiśupāla delivers a hostile speech objecting to the special honor shown to Kṛṣṇa. Here he mocks the assembly’s judgment, insinuating that those who revere Kṛṣṇa must also accept a misguided ‘teacher’ and thus have strayed from the righteous path.