Shloka 1
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
शिशुपाल बोला--कौरव्य! यहाँ इन महात्मा भूमिपतियोंके रहते हुए यह वृष्णिवंशी कृष्ण राजाओंकी भाँति राजोचित पूजाका अधिकारी कदापि नहीं हो सकता
Śiśupāla uvāca—Kauravya! iha ime mahātmā bhūmipatayaḥ santi; teṣāṃ satām eva vṛṣṇivaṃśī Kṛṣṇaḥ rājavat rājocitāyāḥ pūjāyāḥ adhikārī kadācana na bhavitum arhati.
Disse Śiśupāla: “Ó descendente dos Kuru! Enquanto estes reis magnânimos, senhores da terra, estiverem aqui presentes, este Kṛṣṇa da linhagem dos Vṛṣṇi jamais poderá ter direito à honra e à veneração régias devidas aos reis.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic tension between worldly hierarchy (honoring reigning kings by protocol) and the claim that exceptional merit or divinity may warrant supreme honor. It shows how appeals to ‘proper entitlement’ can be used ethically (as fairness) or polemically (as envy and rivalry).
In the royal assembly connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s great rite, Shishupala publicly objects to granting Krishna the foremost royal honor, arguing that many eminent kings are present and that Krishna should not receive kingly worship over them.