Shloka 18
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
अथ वाभ्यर्चनीयो<यं युष्माकं॑ मधुसूदन: । कि राजभिरिहानीतैरवमानाय भारत,भारत! अथवा यदि यह मधुसूदन ही तुमलोगोंका पूजनीय देवता है, इसलिये इसकी ही पूजा तुम्हें करनी थी तो इन राजाओंको केवल अपमानित करनेके लिये बुलानेकी क्या आवश्यकता थी?
atha vābhyarcanīyo ’yaṁ yuṣmākaṁ madhusūdanaḥ | kiṁ rājabhir ihānītair avamānāya bhārata ||
Śiśupāla said: “If, after all, this Madhusūdana is the one worthy of worship for you, then why were these kings brought here at all, O Bhārata—only to be insulted?”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethics of public honor: in a royal assembly, conferring supreme worship on one figure can be perceived as diminishing others. It highlights how ritual precedence and political dignity must be handled carefully, since perceived disrespect can ignite conflict.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya in the Sabha, the question of who deserves the foremost honor arises. Śiśupāla objects to honoring Kṛṣṇa, arguing that if Kṛṣṇa alone was to be worshiped, summoning many kings becomes pointless except to humiliate them—thus escalating the confrontation.