Shloka 24
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
अद्य धर्मात्मता चैव व्यपकृष्टा युधिष्ठिरात् । दर्शितं कृपणत्वं च कृष्णे<र्घ्यस्य निवेदनात्,आज युधिष्ठिरका धर्मात्मापन दूर निकल गया, क्योंकि इन्होंने कृष्णको अर्घ्य निवेदन करके अपनी कायरता ही दिखायी है
adya dharmātmatā caiva vyapakṛṣṭā yudhiṣṭhirāt | darśitaṁ kṛpaṇatvaṁ ca kṛṣṇe 'rghyasya nivedanāt ||
ശിശുപാലൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇന്ന് യുധിഷ്ഠിരന്റെ ധർമ്മാത്മത അകന്നുപോയി; കാരണം കൃഷ്ണനു അർഘ്യം സമർപ്പിച്ച് അവൻ തന്റെ കൃപണതയും ഭീരുത്വവും വെളിപ്പെടുത്തി.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma and public honor can be contested in political settings: a righteous act (honoring Kṛṣṇa) is rhetorically reframed by an opponent as weakness. It shows how ethical language can be weaponized to challenge legitimacy and provoke conflict.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s grand assembly (in the Rājasūya setting), Kṛṣṇa is offered the foremost honor (arghya). Śiśupāla, hostile to Kṛṣṇa, denounces this choice and attacks Yudhiṣṭhira’s reputation for righteousness, calling the act a display of cowardly abasement.