Shloka 163
Śiśupāla’s Protest Against the Arghya to Kṛṣṇa (शिशुपाल-आक्षेपः)
वृष्णयो निखिलाश्चान्ये समाजम्मुर्महारथा: । भारत! पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिरके उस यज्ञमें रणदुर्मद महापराक्रमी राजा शिशुपाल भी अपने पुत्रके साथ आया था। इसके सिवा बलराम
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vṛṣṇayo nikhilāś cānye samājam ūru-mahārathāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Seluruh Vṛṣṇi beserta mahāratha lainnya berkumpul di sana. Wahai keturunan Bharata, ke yajña Yudhiṣṭhira putra Pāṇḍu datang pula raja Śiśupāla yang congkak dalam perang namun sangat perkasa, bersama putranya. Selain itu hadir Balarāma, Aniruddha, Kaṅka, Sāraṇa, Gada, Pradyumna, Sāmba, Cārudeṣṇa yang gagah, Ulmuka, Niśaṭha, Aṅgāvaha yang kesatria, serta banyak mahāratha lain dari wangsa Vṛṣṇi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights that dharma in a royal context is publicly enacted: a yajña gathers allies and rivals alike, making questions of rightful honor, precedence, and conduct visible. Such assemblies test restraint, etiquette, and political wisdom as much as ritual correctness.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s great sacrifice, prominent warriors arrive in large numbers. Śiśupāla comes with his son, and many leading Vṛṣṇi heroes (including Balarāma, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and others) attend, setting the stage for later tensions around honor and recognition in the sacrificial hall.