Shloka 8
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
आचार्य मन्यसे कृष्णमथ वा कुरुनन्दन । द्रोणे तिष्ठति वाष्णेयं कस्मादर्चितवानसि
ācārya manyase kṛṣṇam atha vā kurunandana | droṇe tiṣṭhati vāṣṇeyaṃ kasmād arcitavān asi ||
Śiśupāla berkata: “Wahai Kurunandana, adakah engkau menganggap Kṛṣṇa sebagai gurumu? Atau jika engkau mendakwa bahawa baginda wajar dimuliakan sedangkan Droṇa masih berdiri dalam kalangan para ācārya, mengapa pula engkau menyembah Vāṣṇeya ini? Dengan memuliakan Kṛṣṇa di balairung diraja ini, engkau telah mengetepikan tertib keutamaan yang telah ditetapkan—suatu perbuatan yang pada pandanganku mencabul adab dharma, kerana para tua dan guru yang diakui sepatutnya dihormati terlebih dahulu.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharmic idea of social and ethical precedence: in public rites and assemblies, honor is expected to follow recognized hierarchies—especially toward elders and established teachers. Śiśupāla weaponizes this norm to argue that honoring Kṛṣṇa over Droṇa is improper, illustrating how dharma-language can be used both to uphold order and to attack rivals.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s great royal rite and assembly, Kṛṣṇa is offered special honor. Śiśupāla objects and challenges the legitimacy of that honor, asking why Kṛṣṇa is treated as an ācārya or worthy of worship when eminent figures like Droṇa are present.