Shloka 14

Śiśupāla-vākya: Bhīṣma-nindā and the ‘Haṃsa’ Exemplum (शिशुपालवाक्यम् — भीष्मनिन्दा, हंसदृष्टान्तः)

Devanagari script

न केवल वयं कामाच्चेदिराज जनार्दनम्‌

Transliteration

na kevalaṁ vayaṁ kāmāc cedīrāja janārdanam; cedīrāja! na vayaṁ kāmanayā, svajanatvena vā, asmad-upakāra-kṛtatvād vā śrīkṛṣṇasya pūjāṁ kurmaḥ. asmākaṁ dṛṣṭiḥ tv eṣā—ete bhūmaṇḍalasya sarva-prāṇināṁ sukha-pradāḥ, mahadbhir mahadbhis ca santa-mahātmabhiḥ pūjitāḥ.

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai raja Cedi! Kami tidak memuliakan Janārdana semata-mata kerana keinginan. Kami juga tidak menyembah Śrī Kṛṣṇa kerana menganggap baginda sebagai kerabat, atau kerana baginda pernah memberi kami suatu jasa peribadi. Pandangan kami ialah: baginda membawa kesejahteraan kepada semua makhluk di muka bumi ini, dan telah pun dihormati oleh para resi agung serta jiwa-jiwa suci yang mulia.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'na kevalam', 'meaning': 'not merely

• not only'}, {'term': 'vayam', 'meaning': 'we'}, {'term': 'kāmāt / kāmāc', 'meaning': 'from desire

• out of self-interest'}, {'term': 'cedīrāja', 'meaning': 'king of Cedi (address to Śiśupāla)'}, {'term': 'janārdana', 'meaning': 'Janārdana (an epithet of Krishna

• ‘one who removes afflictions of people’)'}, {'term': 'kāmanā', 'meaning': 'wish

• personal motive'}, {'term': 'svajana(tva)', 'meaning': 'kinsman

• being one’s own relative'}, {'term': 'upakāra', 'meaning': 'benefit

• help rendered'}, {'term': 'pūjā', 'meaning': 'worship

• reverential offering'}, {'term': 'dṛṣṭi', 'meaning': 'viewpoint

• understanding'}, {'term': 'bhūmaṇḍala', 'meaning': 'the earth

• terrestrial sphere'}, {'term': 'sarva-prāṇin', 'meaning': 'all living beings'}, {'term': 'sukha-prada', 'meaning': 'giver of happiness/welfare

• beneficent'}, {'term': 'santa-mahātmānaḥ', 'meaning': 'saints and great-souled persons'}, {'term': 'pūjita', 'meaning': 'revered

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Janardana (Krishna)
• Cedi-raja (Shishupala)
• Bhūmaṇḍala (the earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma distinguishes self-interested praise from principled reverence: Krishna is honored not for personal gain, kinship, or repayment of favors, but because he is universally beneficent and recognized as worthy by sages. Ethical worship is grounded in discernment of virtue and the common good.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the royal consecration context in the Sabha, Bhishma addresses the king of Cedi (Śiśupāla), defending the decision to honor Krishna. He explains that the assembly’s worship is not motivated by desire or personal ties, but by Krishna’s universally acknowledged greatness and beneficence.