Shloka 17
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
असोौ मतिमतां श्रेष्ठी य एब जगत: प्रभु: । सम्भावयति चाप्येवं त्वद्वाक्याच्च जनार्दन: । एवमेतत् सर्वमिति तत् सर्व वितथं ध्रुवम्
asau matimatāṁ śreṣṭhī ya eba jagataḥ prabhuḥ | sambhāvayati cāpy evaṁ tvadvākyāc ca janārdanaḥ | evam etat sarvam iti tat sarvaṁ vitathaṁ dhruvam |
Śiśupāla berkata: “Engkau mendakwa, ‘Dia yang terunggul dalam kalangan bijaksana; dialah Tuhan seluruh alam.’ Dan semata-mata kerana engkau berkata demikian, Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa) pun mula menerima dirinya begitu. Dia menganggap semua dakwaan itu benar belaka; namun pada pandanganku, segala yang engkau katakan tentang Kṛṣṇa itu pasti dusta.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical fault: rejecting genuine excellence out of envy and pride. Śiśupāla frames praise of Kṛṣṇa as mere flattery and self-delusion, illustrating how hostility can distort judgment and lead to adharma in speech (abusive, false accusation).
During the royal assembly context of the Rājasūya-related honors, Śiśupāla publicly challenges the acclaim given to Kṛṣṇa. He claims that others’ words have made Kṛṣṇa think himself ‘Lord of the world’ and declares those praises to be false.