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 ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「おおクリシュナよ。幼き頃より汝を——かつてカンサの僕であり、王でもない者を——王者の栄誉に値するかのように、値せぬのに値する者として崇め奉る者どもは、我が判断では討たれるべきだ。これが我が確信である。」
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.