Pauṇḍraka

Pauṇḍraka, also called Pauṇḍraka Vāsudeva, was a king who falsely claimed to be Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is the true name of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Pauṇḍraka took all the signs of Bhagavān Viṣṇu’s form for himself and asked to be honoured as the supreme Parameśvara. Nārada Maharṣi warned him that this claim would bring swift ruin. He ignored the warning. He gathered a great army and marched on Dvārakā, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa himself slew him.

The false claim

Pauṇḍraka was a king of great power. He claimed that he, and not Kṛṣṇa, was the true Vāsudeva. He collected all the outer signs of Bhagavān Viṣṇu’s form and wore them in public:

• the śaṅkha (conch)
• the cakra (discus)
• the gadā (mace)
• the Śrīvatsa mark
• the Kaustubha gem
• the Vaijayantī garland
• yellow silk

He asked people to recognise him and to worship him.

Nārada Maharṣi came to Pauṇḍraka and warned him directly. The claim was false, and a challenge to the identity of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa would end in destruction. Pauṇḍraka refused the advice. The Bhaviṣya Parva says that to claim Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s identity falsely is to invite his own action against the claimant.

The attack on Dvārakā

Pauṇḍraka did not heed Nārada. He gathered his forces and marched on Dvārakā, the divine city of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Allied kings and warriors joined him, among them Ekalavya and others who backed his cause. When news of the attack reached Dvārakā, the Yādavas got ready to meet it.

Sātyaki, one of the foremost Yādava warriors, fought Pauṇḍraka’s forces. Balarāma fought Ekalavya. The battle was fierce, as the size of the armies required. In the end, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa himself faced Pauṇḍraka.

Death

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa slew Pauṇḍraka with his own hand. The Bhaviṣya Parva presents the death as the end of a false claim, with Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa himself removing the one who took his name and form.

Sources

• Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Bhaviṣya Parva, Chapters 92–103