Shloka 3
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
बाला यूयं न जानीध्वं धर्म: सूक्ष्मो हि पाण्डवा: । अयं च स्मृत्यतिक्रान्तो ह्वापगेयो5ल्पदर्शन:,महात्मा पाण्डवोंके लिये यह विपरीत आचार कभी उचित नहीं है। पाण्डुकुमार! तुमने स्वार्थवश कमलनयन श्रीकृष्णका पूजन किया है। पाण्डवो! अभी तुमलोग बालक हो। तुम्हें धर्मका पता नहीं है, क्योंकि धर्मका स्वरूप अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म है। ये गंगानन्दन भीष्म बहुत बूढ़े हो गये हैं। अब इनकी स्मरणशक्ति जवाब दे चुकी है। इनकी सूझ और समझ भी बहुत कम हो गयी है (तभी इन्होंने श्रीकृष्णपूजाकी सम्मति दी है)
bālā yūyaṁ na jānīdhvaṁ dharmaḥ sūkṣmo hi pāṇḍavāḥ | ayaṁ ca smṛtyatikrānto hy āpageyo 'lpadarśanaḥ ||
Śiśupāla said: “You are still like children; you do not understand. Dharma is indeed subtle, O Pāṇḍavas. And this man here—his memory has failed with age; his discernment has grown dim.” (By this insult he implies that the elders’ approval of honoring Kṛṣṇa is not grounded in clear judgment.)
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that dharma is subtle and easily misunderstood; it also shows how claims about “dharma” can be weaponized rhetorically to discredit opponents and elders in a political assembly.
In the royal assembly during Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya context, Śiśupāla attacks the Pāṇḍavas’ judgment and derides the elders’ counsel, implying that honoring Kṛṣṇa is a mistake born of immaturity and senility.