Shloka 9
(अर्कप्रमाणौ तौ वृक्षौ यद्यनेन निपातितौ । नागश्न पातितो$नेन तत्र को विस्मय: कृत: ।।) आकके पौधोंके बराबर दो अर्जुन वृक्षोंको यदि श्रीकृष्णने गिरा दिया अथवा एक नागको ही मार गिराया तो कौन बड़े आश्वर्यका काम कर डाला?। वल्मीकमात्र: सप्ताहं यद्यनेन धृतो5चल: । तदा गोवर्धनो भीष्म न तच्चित्रं मतं मम,भीष्म! यदि इसने गोवर्धनपर्वतको सात दिनतक अपने हाथपर उठाये रखा तो उसमें भी मुझे कोई आश्वर्यकी बात नहीं जान पड़ती; क्योंकि गोवर्धन तो दीमकोंकी खोदी हुई मिट्टीका ढेरमात्र है
arkapramāṇau tau vṛkṣau yady anena nipātitau | nāgaś ca pātito 'nena tatra ko vismayaḥ kṛtaḥ || valmīkamātraḥ saptāhaṃ yady anena dhṛto 'calaḥ | tadā govardhano bhīṣma na tac citraṃ mataṃ mama ||
Śiśupāla said: “If he has felled those two trees that were only as big as arka-plants, or if he has merely brought down a serpent, what great marvel has he really accomplished? And if he held up a mountain for seven days—Bhīṣma—then even that seems no wonder to me; for Govardhana is, in my view, nothing more than a heap like an anthill.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how envy and hostility can distort moral perception: Śiśupāla dismisses celebrated deeds by reframing them as trivial, showing that ethical judgment in a public forum can be driven by bias rather than truth or reverence.
In the royal assembly context, Śiśupāla attacks Kṛṣṇa’s reputation by mocking famous exploits (toppling trees, killing a serpent, lifting Govardhana) and addresses Bhīṣma directly, attempting to undermine the honor being accorded to Kṛṣṇa.