Shloka 6
अथ वा मन्यसे कृष्णं स्थविरं कुरुपुड्रव । वसुदेवे स्थिते वृद्धे कथमर्हति तत्सुत:,कुरुपुंगव! अथवा यदि तुम श्रीकृष्णको बड़ा-बूढ़ा समझते हो तो इसके पिता वृद्ध वसुदेवजीके रहते हुए उनका यह पुत्र कैसे पूजाका पात्र हो सकता है?
atha vā manyase kṛṣṇaṃ sthaviraṃ kuru-puṅgava | vasudeve sthite vṛddhe katham arhati tat-sutaḥ ||
«Ô taureau parmi les Kurus, peut-être tiens-tu Kṛṣṇa pour un aîné digne de préséance. Mais tant que l’âgé Vasudeva—son père—vit et se tient ici, comment ce fils pourrait-il être le juste récipiendaire du culte ?»
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between social-ethical norms (seniority, lineage-based precedence) and the recognition of exceptional spiritual or political worth. Śiśupāla weaponizes conventional dharma of honoring elders to deny Kṛṣṇa special honor, illustrating how ethical language can be used rhetorically in court politics.
In Yudhiṣṭhira’s assembly during the Rājasūya context, Śiśupāla objects to honoring Kṛṣṇa. Here he argues that if Kṛṣṇa is to be treated as an elder, then the living elder Vasudeva should be honored first; therefore Kṛṣṇa, as a son, is not a proper recipient of the foremost worship.