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:
bālā yūyaṁ na jānīdhvaṁ dharmaḥ sūkṣmo hi pāṇḍavāḥ | ayaṁ ca smṛtyatikrānto hy āpageyo 'lpadarśanaḥ ||
Śiśupāla dijo: «Aún sois como niños; no entendéis. El dharma es, en verdad, sutil, oh Pāṇḍavas. Y este hombre—la edad le ha vencido la memoria; su discernimiento se ha oscurecido». (Con este insulto insinúa que la aprobación de los ancianos para honrar a Kṛṣṇa no nace de un juicio claro.)
शिशुपाल उवाच
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.