Paundraka Vasudeva

Not to be confused with Vasudeva Krishna.

Fictional character

Paundraka Vāsudēva

Bhagavata Purana character
In-universe information
Affiliation| The king of Kasi,[1] The king of Pundra, False Vāsudēva Krishna
Weapon| False discus, false mace, false conch of Vishnu
Family| Vāsudēva (father) Sutana (mother)

Paundraka Vāsudēva was a king appearing in Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana. According to it, he was the king of Pundra Kingdom. Some sources state he was an ally of both Jarasandha, the king of Magadha and Shakuni, the king of the Gandhara Kingdom. He was a major enemy of Krishna. He imitated Krishna, believing himself to be Vāsudeva, or God. Later he was killed by Krishna in battle. According to some scriptures, Paundraka was Krishna's doppelganger. He is considered to be an incarnation of the demoniac King Vena as per some sources. There is also a reference that he was allies with king Kashiraja (king of Kashi)

## Declaration to be God

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Some versions of Srimad Bhagavatam, states that he was the son of Vasudeva and Sutanu, the princess of Kasi. As the son of Vasudeva, he was named Vāsudeva. He became the king of Kasi, because his maternal grandfather had no sons. Vāsudēva could not enjoy the childhood of Paundraka, being held captive by Kansa.[2] Paundraka collected taxes from several kings.[3] He foolishly believed the words of his friends, who said Paundraka was God. During the absence of Balarama in Dwarka (Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 65), Paundraka sent a message to Krishna, stating that the symbols used by the latter belonged to him, such as the flag of Garuda. He declared he was the real Vāsudēva (God) and not Krishna, who is considered the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He ordered Krishna to stop using "his" identity. Then, Krishna waged war against Paundraka and killed him.

## Death

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According to the 66th chapter of Canto 10 of Srimad Bhagavatam, when Paundraka sent a message to Dwaraka, stating that he was God, Krishna declared war against him. Paundraka's chariot was made similar to Krishna's, even with a flag of Garuda, after giving many warnings to leave his false claims of pretending. As Vāsudēva, Krishna killed Paundraka by beheading him with the Sudarshana Chakra. The son of the king of Kashi, Sudakshina, created an evil demonic spirit using black magic to destroy Dwaraka, with the help of some corrupt priests. However, Krishna's Sudarshana Chakra set fire around Kashi. The whole kingdom was burnt and Sudakshina and all his priests were killed.

## See also

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* History of India

## References

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1. ^ Vijaya-dhvaja's Bhagavata Purana, Chapter 69
2. ^ Bhagavata Purana Skandha X Chapter 66, Motilal Bansaridass Publishers Book 4 Appendix (66A) pages 1884- 1885, additional verses in Vijaya-dhvaja's Bhagavata Purana, Chapter 69
3. ^ "Srimad Bhagavatam: Canto 10 Chapter 66-". bhagavata.org. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2020.

## Further reading

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* Kakati, Banikanta (1952). Viṣṇuite Myths and Legends in Folklore Setting. Sri Tarini Das. p. 21.
* Sircar, Dineschandra (1971). Studies in the Religious Life of Ancient and Medieval India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 22–. ISBN 978-81-208-2790-5.
* Dandekar, Ramchandra Narayan (1979). Insights into Hinduism. Ajanta Publications. pp. 211–212.
* Goyala, Śrīrāma (1986). A Religious History of Ancient India, Upto C. 1200 A.D. Vol. 2: Smarta, epic-Pauranika and Tantrika Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Kusumanjali Prakashan. pp. 171, 188, 207.
* Sengupta, Nitish (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-81-8475-530-5.