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Texts:
Paundraka,
the False Vasudeva
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'With
Balarâma gone to Nanda's cowherd village sent the ruler
of Karûsha [Paundraka], o King, foolishly
thinking 'I am Vâsudeva', a messenger to
Krishna.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: O King, while Lord Balarâma
was away visiting Nanda's village of Vraja, the ruler of
Karûsha, foolishly thinking "I am the Supreme Lord,
Vâsudeva," sent a messenger to Lord Krishna.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
Childishly
people had alluded: 'You are Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord
who has descended as the Master of the Universe!', and so he
imagined himself to be the Infallible One.
Paundraka
was emboldened by the flattery of childish men, who told
him, "You are Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord and master of
the universe, who have now descended to the earth." Thus he
imagined himself to be the infallible Personality of
Godhead. (Vedabase)
Text
3
Like
a boy of little intelligence who by kids was appointed king
sent he, being silly, a messenger to Krishna, He whose ways are
inscrutable, who resided in Dvârakâ.
Thus
slow-witted King Paundraka sent a messenger to the
inscrutable Lord Krishna at Dvârakâ. Paundraka
was acting just like an unintelligent child whom other
children are pretending is a king. (Vedabase)
Text
4
The
envoy arriving in Dvârakâ then in the royal
assembly relayed to Krishna Almighty with the Lotuspetal Eyes
the message of his king:
Arriving
in Dvârakâ, the messenger found lotus-eyed
Krishna in His royal assembly and relayed the King's message
to that almighty Lord. (Vedabase)
Text
5
'I
Vâsudeva, the one and only without a second, have
descended to this world with the purpose of showing mercy to
the living beings. You however, have to give up Your false
title!
[On
Paundraka's behalf, the messenger said:] I am the one
and only Lord Vâsudeva, and there is no other. It is I
who have descended to this world to show mercy to the living
beings. Therefore give up Your false name. (Vedabase)
Text
6
O
Sâtvata, give up my symbols. You carry them out of
delusion. You better come to me for shelter; if not so, give me
battle instead.'
O
Sâtvata, give up my personal symbols, which out of
foolishness You now carry, and come to me for shelter. If
You do not, then You must give me battle. (Vedabase)
Text
7
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Hearing that boasting of Paundraka so poor of
intelligence, laughed the members of the assembly headed by
Ugrasena loudly.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: King Ugrasena and the other
members of the assembly laughed loudly when they heard this
vain boasting of unintelligent Paundraka. (Vedabase)
Text
8
The
Supreme Lord, after the joking was done, said to the messenger:
'I'll hurl you, o fool, the symbols you so boast
about.
The
Personality of Godhead, after enjoying the jokes of the
assembly, told the messenger [to relay a message to his
master:] "You fool, I will indeed let loose the weapons
you boast of in this way. (Vedabase)
Text
9
The
shelter of dogs you'll be, o ignoramus, lying dead with that
face of yours covered by herons, vultures and vathas all
around.'
"When
you lie dead, O fool, your face covered by vultures, herons
and vatha birds, you will become the shelter of dogs."
(Vedabase)
Text
10
Thus addressed
carried the messenger that insulting reply in full detail over
to his master and went Krishna, riding His chariot, to
Kâs'î [Vârânasî].
When
the Lord had thus spoken, the messenger conveyed His
insulting reply to his master in its entirety. Lord Krishna
then mounted His chariot and went to the vicinity of
Kâs'î. (Vedabase)
Text
11
As
soon as the mighty warrior Paundraka saw that He was preparing
for battle, appeared he from the city joined by two
akshauhinîs.
Upon
observing Lord Krishna's preparations for battle, the mighty
warrior Paundraka quickly went out of the city with two full
military divisions. (Vedabase)
Text
12-14
The
Lord saw Paundraka within his wake his friend, the master of
Kâs'î, with three akshauhinîs more, o
King. He presented himself complete with a conch, a disc, a
sword and a club, a S'ârnga and the mark of a
S'rîvatsa and other symbols, including a Kaustubha-gem
and the decoration of a forest flower garland. Wearing a pair
of fine silken yellow garments and in his banner Garuda wore he
a valuable crown and had he ornamented himself with gleaming
shark-shaped earrings.
Paundraka's
friend, the King of Kâs'î, followed behind, O
King, leading the rear guard with three akshauhinî
divisions. Lord Krishna saw that Paundraka was carrying the
Lord's own insignia, such as the conchshell, disc, sword and
club, and also an imitation S'ârnga bow and
S'rîvatsa mark. He wore a mock Kaustubha gem, was
decorated with a garland of forest flowers and was dressed
in upper and lower garments of fine yellow silk. His banner
bore the image of Garuda, and he wore a valuable crown and
gleaming, shark- shaped earrings. (Vedabase)
Text
15
The
sight of him dressed up as His spitting image, like he was an
actor on a stage, made the Lord laugh heartily.
Lord
Hari laughed heartily when He saw how the King had dressed
up in exact imitation of His own appearance, just like an
actor on a stage. (Vedabase)
Text
16
With
tridents, clubs and bludgeons, pikes, blades, barbed missiles,
lances, swords, axes and arrows was the Lord attacked by the
enemies.
The
enemies of Lord Hari attacked Him with tridents, clubs,
bludgeons, pikes, rishtis, barbed darts, lances, swords,
axes and arrows. (Vedabase)
Text
17
Krishna however
with His club, sword, disc and arrows fiercely tormented that
military force of elephants, chariots, horses and infantry of
Paundraka and the king of Kâs'î, like He was the
fire at the end of the world to the different kinds of living
entities.
But
Lord Krishna fiercely struck back at the army of Paundraka
and Kâs'îrâja, which consisted of
elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. The Lord
tormented His enemies with His club, sword, Sudars'ana disc
and arrows, just as the fire of annihilation torments the
various kinds of creatures at the end of a cosmic age.
(Vedabase)
Text
18
That
battlefield, strewn with the by His disc cut to pieces
chariots, horses, elephants, bipeds, mules and camels, shone
like the horrible playground of the Lord of the Ghosts
[Bhûtapati, or S'iva], bringing pleasure to the
wise.
The
battlefield, strewn with the dismembered chariots, horses,
elephants, humans, mules and camels that had been cut to
pieces by the Lord's disc weapon, shone like the gruesome
playground of Lord Bhûtapati, giving pleasure to the
wise. (Vedabase)
Text
19
S'auri
then said to Paundraka: 'Those weapons you spoke of to Me
through the words of your messenger, I now discharge at
you.
Lord
Krishna then addressed Paundraka: My dear Paundraka, the
very weapons you spoke of through your messenger, I now
release unto you. (Vedabase)
Text
20
I'll
make you renounce My name and all, that you falsely assumed, o
fool; let Me today turn to you for shelter [as you
wanted], if not wishing the battle.'
O
fool, now I shall make you renounce My name, which you have
falsely assumed. And I will certainly take shelter of you if
I do not wish to fight you. (Vedabase)
Text
21
Thus deriding
him, drove He with His sharp arrows Paundraka out of his
chariot and lopped He with His disc his head off, just like
Indra with his thunderbolt would cut a mountain
top.
Having
thus derided Paundraka, Lord Krishna destroyed his chariot
with His sharp arrows. The Lord then cut off his head with
the Sudars'ana disc, just as Lord Indra lops off a mountain
peak with his thunderbolt weapon. (Vedabase)
Text
22
So too severed
He with His arrows the head of the king of Kâs'î
from his body, sending it flying into Kâs'î-puri
like the wind transporting a calyx of a lotus.
With
His arrows, Lord Krishna similarly severed
Kâs'îrâja's head from his body, sending it
flying into Kâs'î city like a lotus flower
thrown by the wind. (Vedabase)
Text
23
Thus
having killed as well the envious Paundraka as his friend,
entered the Lord Dvârakâ where He was honored by
the perfected who recited His nectarean stories.
Having
thus killed envious Paundraka and his ally, Lord Krishna
returned to Dvârakâ. As He entered the city, the
Siddhas of heaven chanted His immortal, nectarean glories.
(Vedabase)
Text
24
And
so did he [Paundraka] of whom by his constant
meditation upon Him in assuming the personal form of the Lord
all bondage was completely shattered, become fully absorbed in
Him [viz. Krishna conscious], o King [see
sârûpya].
By
constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Paundraka
shattered all his material bonds. Indeed, by imitating Lord
Krishna's appearance, O King, he ultimately became Krishna
conscious. (Vedabase)
Text
25
Seeing the head
with the earrings that had landed near the palace gate,
wondered the people: 'Whose head would this be?'
Seeing
a head decorated with earrings lying at the gate of the
royal palace, the people present were puzzled. Some of them
asked, "What is this?" and others said, "It is a head, but
whose is it?" (Vedabase)
Text
26
Recognizing it
as the head of the king, the ruler of Kâs'î, cried
his queens, his sons and other relatives and the citizens their
eyes out over it: 'Alas master, o master, o King, we're
killed!'
My
dear King, when they recognized it as the head of their King
- the lord of Kâs'î - his queens, sons and other
relatives, along with all the citizens of the city, began to
cry pitifully: "Alas, we are killed! O my lord, my lord!"
(Vedabase)
Text
27-28
His
son named Sudakshina for the father executing the funeral
rites, made up his mind and decided: 'In order to avenge my
father I'll kill my father's murderer', and for that reason
prayed he as su-dakshina, 'the excellence of the
reward', together with priests with great attention to
Mahes'vara [Lord S'iva].
After
the King's son Sudakshina had performed the obligatory
funeral rituals for his father, he resolved within his mind:
"Only by killing my father's murderer can I avenge his
death." Thus the charitable Sudakshina, together with his
priests, began worshiping Lord Mahes'vara with great
attention. (Vedabase)
Text
29
At
[the holy place of] Avimukta offered the great lord him
satisfied a choice of benedictions, upon which he as his
benediction from the mighty demigod chose for a means to slay
Him who had killed his father.
Satisfied
by the worship, the powerful Lord S'iva appeared in the
sacred precinct of Avimukta and offered Sudakshina his
choice of benedictions. The prince chose as his benediction
a means to slay his father's killer. (Vedabase)
Text
30-31
[S'iva
said: ] 'With brahmins and the original priest be of
service to the dakshina [southern] fire with an
abhicâra
['hurting'] ritual of use against an enemy of the
brahmins, so that surrounded by the Pramathas [see also
10.63:
6]
your
desire is fulfilled', and thus instructed observed he the vows
with the purpose of harming Krishna.
Lord
S'iva told him, "Accompanied by brâhmanas, serve the
Dakshinâgni fire - the original priest - following the
injunctions of the abhicâra ritual. Then the
Dakshinâgni fire, together with many Pramathas, will
fulfill your desire if you direct it against someone
inimical to the brâhmanas." So instructed, Sudakshina
strictly observed the ritualistic vows and invoked the
abhicâra against Lord Krishna.
(Vedabase)
Text
32-33
Thereupon
rose up from the fire of the altar pit, an impressive figure
most horrendous with a tuft of hair, beard and mustache like
molten copper, hot
radiating cinders of eyes, terrible teeth and a harsh face with
arched and furrowed eyebrows, who, with his tongue licking the
corners of his mouth, naked waved a blazing trident [see
also 4.5:
3 and
6.9:
12].
Thereupon
the fire rose up out of the altar pit, assuming the form of
an extremely fearsome, naked person. The fiery creature's
beard and tuft of hair were like molten copper, and his eyes
emitted blazing hot cinders. His face looked most frightful
with its fangs and terrible arched and furrowed brows. As he
licked the corners of his mouth with his tongue, the demon
shook his flaming trident. (Vedabase)
Text
34
With legs as
big as palm trees shaking the earth ran he accompanied by
ghosts to Dvârakâ burning the
directions.
On
legs as tall as palm trees, the monster raced toward
Dvârakâ in the company of ghostly spirits,
shaking the ground and burning the world in all directions.
(Vedabase)
Text
35
Seeing him,
created from the abhicâra fire, approaching were
all the residents of Dvârakâ, just like animals are
with a big forest fire, stricken with fear.
Seeing
the approach of the fiery demon created by the
abhicâra ritual, the residents of
Dvârakâ were all struck with fear, like animals
terrified by a forest fire. (Vedabase)
Text
36
Distraught went
they in panic to the Supreme Personality of Godhead who in the
royal court was playing a game of dice [and said to
Him]: 'Save us, save us from the fire burning down the
city, o Lord of the Three Worlds!'
Distraught
with fear, the people cried out to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, who was then playing at dice in the royal court:
"Save us! Save us, O Lord of the three worlds, from this
fire burning up the city!" (Vedabase)
Text
37
Hearing this
clamor of the people and seeing how upset His own men were,
laughed S'aranya, the Protector, loudly and said: 'Do not be
afraid of this, I'll protect you!'
When
Lord Krishna heard the people's agitation and saw that even
His own men were disturbed, that most worthy giver of
shelter simply laughed and told them, "Do not fear; I shall
protect you." (Vedabase)
Text
38
The Almighty
Lord, the Witness within and without of everyone, understood
the creature to be of Mahes'vara and aimed to put an end to him
the cakra He had always at His side.
The
almighty Lord, the internal and external witness of all,
understood that the monster had been produced by Lord S'iva
from the sacrificial fire. To defeat the demon, Krishna
dispatched His disc weapon, who was waiting at His side.
(Vedabase)
Text
39
That weapon,
the Sudars'ana cakra of Krishna, that like a million
suns was blazing with an effulgence like the fire at the end of
the universe, tormented with its heat the sky, the heavens and
the earth in the ten directions, affecting as well the fire
[of the demon; see also 9.4:
46].
That
Sudars'ana, the disc weapon of Lord Mukunda, blazed forth
like millions of suns. His effulgence blazed like the fire
of universal annihilation, and with his heat he pained the
sky, all the directions, heaven and earth, and also the
fiery demon. (Vedabase)
Text
40
He, the fire
that was created, frustrated by the power of the weapon of Him
with the Disc in His Hand turned around, o King, and in his
deference from all sides closed in on
Vârânasî and burned to death Sudakshina and
all his priests with the abhicâra he had called
for himself.
Frustrated
by the power of Lord Krishna's weapon, O King, the fiery
creature produced by black magic turned his face away and
retreated. Created for violence, the demon then returned to
Vârânasî, where he surrounded the city and
then burned Sudakshina and his priests to death, even though
Sudakshina was his creator. (Vedabase)
Text
41
So also did
the cakra of Vishnu in pursuit enter [and burn]
Vârânasî with its gateways and watchtowers
and its many raised porches, assembly halls, market places,
warehouses and the buildings housing the elephants, horses,
chariots and grains.
Lord
Vishnu's disc also entered Vârânasî, in
pursuit of the fiery demon, and proceeded to burn the city
to the ground, including all its assembly halls and
residential palaces with raised porches, its numerous
marketplaces, gateways, watchtowers, warehouses and
treasuries, and all the buildings housing elephants, horses,
chariots and grains. (Vedabase)
Text
42
Having laid in
ashes all of Vârânasî returned Vishnu's
Sudars'ana disc to the side of Krishna whose actions are
effortless.
After
burning down the entire city of Vârânasî,
Lord Vishnu's Sudars'ana cakra returned to the side
of S'rî Krishna, whose actions are effortless.
(Vedabase)
Text
43
Any mortal who
in full attention recounts or hears this heroic pastime of the
Supreme One who is praised in the verses will be released of
all sins.'
Any
mortal who recounts this heroic pastime of Lord
Uttamah-s'loka's, or who simply hears it attentively, will
become freed from all sins. (Vedabase)