Shloka 7
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
संस्तवे च मनो भीष्म परेषां रमते यदि । तदा संस्तौषि राज्ञस्त्वमिमं हित्वा जनार्दनम्,भीष्म! यदि तुम्हारा मन सदा दूसरोंकी स्तुतिमें ही लगता है तो इस जनार्दनको छोड़कर इन राजाओंकी ही स्तुति करो
saṁstave ca mano bhīṣma pareṣāṁ ramate yadi | tadā saṁstauṣi rājñas tvam imaṁ hitvā janārdanam ||
Śiśupāla berkata: “Wahai Bhīṣma, jika hatimu benar-benar gemar memuji orang lain, maka pujilah raja-raja ini—ketepikan Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa).”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how praise and public honor can become contested moral territory: Shishupala frames devotion to Krishna as misplaced flattery and tries to subordinate spiritual worth to political status. It implicitly contrasts shallow, status-driven recognition with discerning honor grounded in true merit.
In the royal assembly during the Rajasuya context, Bhishma supports honoring Krishna. Shishupala, hostile to Krishna, mocks Bhishma and urges him to praise the other kings instead of Janardana, escalating the confrontation that will soon culminate in Shishupala’s downfall.