Shloka 6
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
यत्र कुत्सा प्रयोक्तव्या भीष्म बालतरैनरै: | तमिमं ज्ञानवृद्धः सन् गोपं संस्तोतुमिच्छसि,भीष्म! जिसके प्रति मूर्ख-से-मूर्ख मनुष्योंको भी घृणा करनी चाहिये, उसी ग्वालियेकी तुम ज्ञानवृद्ध होकर भी स्तुति करना चाहते हो (यह आश्चर्य है!)
yatra kutsā prayoktavyā bhīṣma bālatarair naraiḥ | tam imaṁ jñāna-vṛddhaḥ san gopaṁ saṁstotum icchasi bhīṣma ||
Śiśupāla said: “O Bhīṣma, one toward whom even the most childish and foolish men ought to direct only contempt—him, that cowherd—you, though mature in knowledge, wish to praise. This is astonishing.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ethical judgment can be distorted by envy and status-pride: Śiśupāla frames contempt as ‘proper’ and attacks Bhīṣma’s discernment, illustrating the Mahābhārata theme that true worth is not determined by birth or occupation, and that speech used to demean others becomes a moral failing.
In the royal assembly during Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya context, Bhīṣma supports honoring Kṛṣṇa; Śiśupāla, hostile to Kṛṣṇa, publicly rebukes Bhīṣma and derides Kṛṣṇa as a mere cowherd, escalating the confrontation that leads to further denunciations.