Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तेषु धर्मानुपूर्वी तां प्रयुज्य मधुसूदन: । यथावय: समीयाय राजभि: सह माधव:,यदुकुलतिलक मधुसूदन उन सबकी धर्मानुकूल पूजा करके अवस्थाक्रमके अनुसार वहाँ आये हुए समस्त राजाओंसे मिले

Transliteration

teṣu dharmānupūrvīṁ tāṁ prayujya madhusūdanaḥ | yathāvayaḥ samīyāya rājabhiḥ saha mādhavaḥ ||

Translation

Then Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa), having rendered to them the honors and worship appropriate to dharma and in due order, greeted and met with the assembled kings according to their respective age and rank. Thus Mādhava, the ornament of the Yadu line, conducted himself with propriety, upholding social and ethical decorum even amid the tense political gathering.

Word by Word

तेषुamong them / in their case

धर्मानुपूर्वीम्the proper order according to dharma

ताम्that (order/sequence)

प्रयुज्यhaving applied / having performed

मधुसूदनःMadhusūdana (Krishna)

यथाas / according to

वयःage (seniority)

समीयायmet / approached

राजभिःwith kings

सहtogether with

माधवःMādhava (Krishna)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa)

Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)

rājānaḥ (kings/royal assembly)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in politically charged settings, dharma expresses itself through disciplined conduct—honoring people in the proper order, respecting seniority, and maintaining decorum. Right action is shown not only in grand decisions but also in correct, ethical social behavior.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana/Mādhava) performs the appropriate, dharma-aligned honors for those present and then formally meets the gathered kings, greeting them according to age and precedence within the royal assembly.