Shloka 18
Rājasūya: Agrapūjā for Kṛṣṇa and the Slaying (and Liberation) of Śiśupāla
सदस्याग्र्यार्हणार्हं वै विमृशन्त: सभासद: । नाध्यगच्छन्ननैकान्त्यात् सहदेवस्तदाब्रवीत् ॥ १८ ॥
sadasyāgryārhaṇārhaṁ vai vimṛśantaḥ sabhā-sadaḥ nādhyagacchann anaikāntyāt sahadevas tadābravīt
The assembly members pondered who should be honored first, but because many were worthy of that distinction, they could not decide. Then Sahadeva spoke up.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Another important procedure is that the most exalted personality in the assembly of such a sacrificial ceremony is first offered worship.… This particular ceremony is called agra-pūjā. Agra means ‘first,’ and pūjā means ‘worship.’ This agra-pūjā is similar to the election of a president. In the sacrificial assembly, all the members were very exalted. Some proposed to elect one person as the perfect candidate for accepting agra-pūjā, and others proposed someone else.
FAQs
In this verse, the assembly is shown deliberating but failing to reach a unanimous conclusion; this sets the stage for Sahadeva to identify the truly worthy recipient of foremost honor.
Because the gathered kings and elders could not decide definitively who was most worthy of the highest honor, Sahadeva intervened to offer a clear conclusion.
When opinions are divided, seek clarity by grounding decisions in sound principles and higher purpose—especially in matters of values, worship, and leadership.