Mahabharata · 2.34.10–11
॥
Devanāgarī
नैव ऋत्विङ् न चाचार्यो न राजा मधुसूदनः ॥
अर्चितश् च कुरुश्रेष्ठ किम् अन्यत् प्रियकाम्यया ॥
अथ वाप्य् अर्चनीयो ऽयं युष्माकं मधुसूदनः ॥
किं राजभिर् इहानीतैर् अवमानाय भारत ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
naiva ṛtviṅ na cācāryo na rājā madhusūdanaḥ ||
arcitaś ca kuruśreṣṭha kim anyat priyakāmyayā ||
atha vāpy arcanīyo 'yaṃ yuṣmākaṃ madhusūdanaḥ ||
kiṃ rājabhir ihānītair avamānāya bhārata ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
न एव ऋत्विङ् न च आचार्योna eva ṛtviṅ na ca ācāryo«neither officiating priest nor teacher,
न राजा मधुसूदनःna rājā madhusūdanaḥnor king is Madhusudana,
अर्चितश् च कुरु-श्रेष्ठarcitaś ca kuru-śreṣṭhaand [yet] he is honored, O best of the Kurus —
किम् अन्यत् प्रिय-काम्ययाkim anyat priya-kāmyayāwhat is that but obsequiousness?
अथ वा अपि अर्चनीयो अयंatha vā api arcanīyo ayaṃand if this one is indeed worthy of worship
युष्माकं मधुसूदनःyuṣmākaṃ madhusūdanaḥfor you, Madhusudana,
किं राजभिर् इह आनीतैर्kiṃ rājabhir iha ānītairthen why the kings brought here
अवमानाय भारतavamānāya bhāratafor humiliation, O Bharata?»
नैवnaivaoriginal form "naiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाचार्योcācāryooriginal form "cācāryo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुरुश्रेष्ठkuruśreṣṭhaoriginal form "kuruśreṣṭha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रियकाम्ययाpriyakāmyayāoriginal form "priyakāmyayā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाप्य्vāpyoriginal form "vāpy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽयं'yaṃoriginal form "'yaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इहानीतैर्ihānītairoriginal form "ihānītair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Madhusudana is neither officiating priest, nor teacher, nor king, and yet he is honored, O best of the Kurus: what is this but obsequiousness? And if he is indeed worthy of honor among you, then why were kings brought here — for humiliation, O Bharata?"
Version
b4098d7c4949 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:40:27 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Shishupala sees in the honoring of Krishna a "humiliation" for the other kings — but this humiliation exists only in his own wounded heart. It is telling that the exaltation of the Lord diminishes no one: the sun, rising, does not insult the stars, though it outshines them. Only pride, unable to bear anyone's superiority, experiences another's glory as a personal offense. The verse teaches that primacy given to the Highest is not a taking-away from others but the establishment of a right order in which everyone finds their own place. Whoever is offended by the honoring of God is offended not by the deed, but by his own unwillingness to be lower than Him.