22. THE FIRST HONOR :

THE practice of staging a walkout from
an assembly in protest against something
is nothing new. We learn from the
Mahabharata that walkout was resorted to
even in ancient times.

The India of those days consisted of a
number of independent states. Though
there was one dharma and one culture
throughout the land, the autonomy of each
state was scrupulosly respected.

Occasionally, some strong and ambitious
monarch would seek the assent of his
fellow kings to his overlordship, which
would sometimes be given without
question.

After receiving this assent he would
perform a grand Rajasuya sacrifice, which
all the acquiescing kings would attend in
token of acknowledgement of his
supremacy.

In accordance with this custom, the
Pandavas invited the other kings after the
slaying of Jarasandha and performed the
Rajasuya.

The time came for doing the honors of the
occasion. The custom was to render first
honor to the guest who was considered
most worthy of taking precedence over all
others.

The question arose as to who should be
honored first. The grandsire was
emphatically of the opinion that Sri
Krishna, the king of Dwaraka, should be
honored first, which was also
Yudhishthira's own opinion.

Yudhishthira followed the advice and
under his instructions Sahadeva offered to
Sri Krishna the honors enjoined by
tradition. Sisupala, the king of Chedi, who
hated Krishna as wickedness alone can
hate goodness, could not tolerate it.
He laughed aloud in derision and said:
"How ridiculous and unjust, but I am not
surprised. The man who sought advice
was born in illegitimacy. (This was an
insulting allusion to the sons of Kunti)
The man who gave advice was born of
one who ever declines from high to low.

(This is in reference to the fact that
Bhishma was born of Ganga, the river
naturally flowing from higher to lower
levels.) And he who did the honors was
also born illegitimately. And what shall I
say of the man honored! He is a fool by
birth and a cowherd by breeding. Dumb
indeed must be the members of this
assembly if they have not a word to say to
this! This is no place for worthy men."
Some of the assembled princes applauded
Sisupala. Encouraged by their applause he
addressed Yudhishthira:
"When there are so many kings gathered
here, it is a shame that you paid the first
honor to Krishna. Not to render respect
where it is rightly due and to render it
where it is not merited are both equally
grave offences. It is a pity that, for all
your imperial pretensions you are ignorant
of this."


Getting more and more angry as he spoke,
he continued: "Ignoring the many kings
and heroes who are here at your own
invitation and in malicious despise of
them, you have paid royal honors to a
cowherd boor, a mere nobody. Vasudeva,
the father of Krishna, was but a servant of
Ugrasena. He is not even of royal blood.
Is this the place and the occasion to show
your vulgar partiality for Krishna, the son
of Devaki? Is this worthy of the children
of Pandu? O sons of Pandu, you are raw,
untaught youths, altogether ignorant of the
way to conduct a royal assembly. This
dotard Bhishma guided you foolishly and
thus made fools of you. Krishna, why,
Krishna is no ruler at all! O Yudhishthira,
why did you dare to do this wretch first
honor in this illustrious assemblage of
kings? He has not even the merit of age
and if you admire grey hair, is not his
father alive? You could not have honored
him as your preceptor surely, for your
preceptor is Drona who is here in this
assembly. Is it as an expert in performing
sacrifices that you have honored him? It
cannot be, for Vyasa, the great master, is
present. It would have been better even if
you had paid the first honor to Bhishma,
for dotard as he be, he has still the merit
of being the oldest man of your house.
Your family teacher, Kripacharya, is also
present in this assembly. How could you
then pay the first honor to this cowherd?
Ashwatthama, the hero who is expert in
all sastras, is here. How did you choose
Krishna, forgetting him? Among the
princes assembled here, there is
Duryodhana. And there is also Karna, the
disciple of Parasurama. Leaving him
aside, out of childish partiality, you chose
Krishna for the first honor Krishna who is
neither royal, nor heroic, nor learned, nor
holy, nor even hoary, who is nothing but a
low cowherd! Thus you have dishonored
us all, whom you have invited here. O
kings, it is not out of fear that we assented
to Yudhishthira's assuming the title of
emperor. We personally do not much care
whether he is friend or foe. But, having
heard much prate of his righteousness, we
wanted to see him uphold the flag of
dharma. He has now wantonly dishonored
us, after all that talk of virtue and dharma.
What virtue or dharma was there in his
giving priority of honor to this villain
Krishna who killed Jarasandha in an
unjust manner? You should henceforth
call Yudhishthira an unrighteous person.
O Krishna, what impudence on your part
to accept the undeserved honor which
these misguided Pandavas did you! Did
you forget yourself? Or did you forget
decent tradition? Or was it just a case of a
dog snatching at a remnant of food which
nobody cared to claim or guard? Do you
not really see that this farce is a ghastly
mockery and disgrace to yourself? It is
like the mockery of showing beautiful
things to a blind man or offering a maiden
in marriage to a eunuch. Likewise, these
kingly honors are really an affront to you.
It is now evident that the would-be
emperor Yudhishthira, the senile
Bhishma, and this fellow Krishna are all
made of the same stuff."

After Sisupala had spoken these harsh
words, he rose from his seat and walked
out calling upon the other kings to join
him in resenting the insult. Many of them
followed him.

Yudhishthira ran after them and tried to
appease them with sweet words of peace
but in vain, for they were too angry to be
appeased.

Sisupala's aggressive vanity waxed to
fighting pitch, and there ensued a terrible
fight between Krishna and Sisupala, in
which the latter was slain by his discus.

The Rajasuya was duly celebrated and
Yudhishthira recognised emperor.