Mahabharata — Sabha Parva, Shloka 4
Adhyāya 45 — Duryodhana’s Distress, Śakuni’s Counsel, and the Summons for Dyūta
ये त्वां दासमराजानं बाल्यादर्चन्ति दुर्मतिम् अनर्हमर्हवत् कृष्ण वध्यास्त इति मे मति:
ye tvāṁ dāsam arājānaṁ bālyād arcanti durmatim | anarham arhavat kṛṣṇa vadhyās ta iti me matiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Kṛṣṇa, ceux qui, depuis ton enfance, t’ont traité —toi qui fus serviteur de Kaṃsa et non roi— comme si tu étais digne des honneurs royaux, alors que tu n’y es pas apte, sont, selon mon jugement, dignes d’être mis à mort. Telle est ma conviction.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse dramatizes a distorted ethic: judging worth solely by birth/status and treating reverence as a punishable offense. It highlights how pride and social prejudice can invert dharma—turning honor into ‘crime’ and violence into ‘justice’—thereby setting the stage for moral reckoning.
In the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva, a hostile speaker attacks Kṛṣṇa’s legitimacy and condemns those who honor him, declaring them ‘worthy of death.’ The line functions as a provocation, escalating tension around Kṛṣṇa’s reception and the politics of honor in the court.