Shloka 25
दुर्योधनस्य बलिवर्णनम् — Duryodhana’s Description of Tribute at the Rājasūya
पश्य सात्वतमुख्येन शिशुपालो निपातित: । न च तत्र पुमानासीत् कश्चित् तस्य पदानुग:
paśya sātvata-mukhyena śiśupālo nipātitaḥ | na ca tatra pumān āsīt kaścit tasya padānugaḥ ||
都利约陀那说道：“看吧——尸修波罗被萨特瓦塔族中最卓绝者、圣克里希纳击倒。然而在场竟无一人追随其步——无人愿为他出头，也无人敢求报复。”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming authority and moral-political dominance can suppress even the normal code of retaliation: when Kṛṣṇa acts, opponents may lack the courage or legitimacy to respond, revealing the gap between boastful hostility and actual resolve.
In the royal assembly context, Duryodhana points to the earlier episode where Kṛṣṇa slew Śiśupāla, emphasizing that none of Śiśupāla’s supporters dared to avenge him—using this as a political observation (and warning) about Kṛṣṇa’s formidable influence.