Shloka 5
Śiśupāla-vadha in the Rājasūya-sabhā (शिशुपालवधः — राजसूयसभायाम्)
भुज्यतामिति तेनोक्ता: कृष्णभीमधनंजया: । जरासंधेन कौरव्य कृष्णेन विकृतं कृतम्,कौरव्य भीष्म! तत्पश्चात् जब उन्होंने कृष्ण, भीम और अर्जुन तीनोंसे भोजन करनेका आग्रह किया, तब इस कृष्णने ही उसका निषेध किया था
bhujyatām iti tenoktāḥ kṛṣṇa-bhīma-dhanañjayāḥ | jarāsandhena kauravya kṛṣṇena vikṛtaṃ kṛtam, kauravya bhīṣma |
Śiśupāla berkata: “Wahai Bhīṣma dari wangsa Kuru! Ketika Jarāsandha mengundang Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma, dan Dhanañjaya dengan berkata, ‘Biarlah mereka makan,’ justru Kṛṣṇa-lah yang menghalangi tatanan itu. Wahai Kauravya Bhīṣma, apa yang sedang dilakukan itu dipelintir oleh Kṛṣṇa.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ethical judgments in a royal assembly can be shaped by rhetoric: an action framed as safeguarding dharma or strategy can be attacked as a breach of hospitality and proper procedure. It invites reflection on intention, context, and the reliability of accusatory speech.
Śiśupāla is criticizing Kṛṣṇa before the assembled elders, claiming that when Jarāsandha offered hospitality to Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma, and Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa prevented it and thereby ‘spoiled’ what Jarāsandha was doing. He addresses Bhīṣma to lend weight to his accusation.