न हि केवलम् अस्माकम् अयम् अर्च्यतमो ऽच्युतः ॥
त्रयाणाम् अपि लोकानाम् अर्चनीयो जनार्दनः ॥
कृष्णेन हि जिता युद्धे बहवः क्षत्रियर्षभाः ॥
जगत् सर्वं च वार्ष्णेये निखिलेन प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥
तस्मात् सत्स्व् अपि वृद्धेषु कृष्णम् अर्चाम नेतरान् ॥
एवं वक्तुं न चार्हस् त्वं मा भूत् ते बुद्धिर् ईदृशी ॥
na hi kevalam asmākam ayam arcyatamo 'cyutaḥ ||
trayāṇām api lokānām arcanīyo janārdanaḥ ||
kṛṣṇena hi jitā yuddhe bahavaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhāḥ ||
jagat sarvaṃ ca vārṣṇeye nikhilena pratiṣṭhitam ||
tasmāt satsv api vṛddheṣu kṛṣṇam arcāma netarān ||
evaṃ vaktuṃ na cārhas tvaṃ mā bhūt te buddhir īdṛśī ||
"For not only to us is this Achyuta most worthy of worship — Janardana is worthy of worship by the three worlds as well. By Krishna many bull-like kshatriyas have been conquered in battle, and the whole world rests entirely upon the Vrishni scion. Therefore, even in the presence of other good elders, we worship Krishna and no other; you ought not to speak so — let no such thought be in you."
4235cb5fc7f2 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:40:27 PM UTC
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Bhishma extends the honor beyond this assembly: Krishna is worthy not "only for us" but for the "three worlds." It is telling that the honor paid to him here is merely a local reflection of the universal: "the whole world is entirely established" upon the Vrishni scion. The verse teaches that worship of the Lord is not the custom of one people or one gathering, but the duty of all that exists; those who honor him on earth echo what unfolds in all the worlds. And so the precedence given to Krishna "even in the presence of good elders" is not a slight to elders, but recognition of the One upon whom the world itself rests, the One who grants seniority to all others.