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21.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."
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