Shloka 15
सभा पर्व, अध्याय ३७ — युधिष्ठिरस्य भीष्मोपदेशः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Consultation and Bhīṣma’s Counsel in the Assembly
अयं च सर्वराज्ञां वै बलश्लाघी महाबल: । जामदग्न्यस्य दयित: शिष्यो विप्रस्थ भारत
ayaṁ ca sarvarājñāṁ vai balaślāghī mahābalaḥ | jāmadagnyasya dayitaḥ śiṣyo viprastha bhārata ||
“E aqui está Karṇa—poderoso de fato, orgulhoso de sua força e sempre a desafiar todos os reis; é o discípulo querido do filho de Jamadagni (Paraśurāma). Ó Bhārata, como pudeste deixar de lado um guerreiro tão formidável, célebre por derrotar muitos soberanos em batalha confiando apenas no próprio vigor, e em vez disso prestar culto e honra a Kṛṣṇa?”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a clash of value-systems: Śiśupāla measures worth by martial power and worldly prestige, questioning why Kṛṣṇa is honored over a famed warrior like Karṇa. Ethically, it frames the tension between devotion/recognition of inner greatness and the outward metrics of strength and conquest.
During the royal assembly connected with Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya, Śiśupāla attacks the decision to honor Kṛṣṇa. He points to Karṇa—renowned for defeating kings and known as Paraśurāma’s dear disciple—as a supposedly more fitting recipient of honor, using this comparison to provoke and delegitimize Kṛṣṇa’s preeminence.