Shloka 9
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
भीष्मका युधिष्ठटिरको श्रीकृष्णकी महिमा बताना 5 है 22 + 64 ॥/ ५ शिशुपालका युद्धके लिये उद्योग ऋत्विजं मन्यसे कृष्णमथ वा कुरुनन्दन । द्वैपायने स्थिते वृद्धे कं कृष्णो<र्चितस्त्वया
ṛtvijaṁ manyase kṛṣṇam atha vā kurunandana | dvaipāyane sthite vṛddhe kaṁ kṛṣṇo 'rcitas tvayā ||
Śiśupāla berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, kegembiraan keturunan Kuru—jika engkau mendakwa bahawa Kṛṣṇa harus dianggap sebagai ṛtvij (pendeta upacara)mu, maka bagaimana mungkin, ketika Dvaipāyana yang tua dan mulia (Vyāsa) hadir, engkau memberikan penghormatan terulung kepada Kṛṣṇa? Maka sebagai apakah Kṛṣṇa engkau sembah—hingga mengatasi sang resi yang lebih tua itu?”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic tension between ritual hierarchy (honoring the elder sage and proper priestly roles) and exceptional honor granted to a figure deemed supremely worthy. It raises the ethical question of when established precedence may be overridden by perceived merit or divinity.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s royal sacrifice/assembly where Kṛṣṇa receives the foremost honor (agrāpūjā), Śiśupāla publicly challenges the decision. He argues that if a priestly rationale is offered, it is inconsistent because Vyāsa—an elder and authoritative sage—is present, yet Kṛṣṇa was honored first.