oe inal
‘As Be |
11 / Deliverance of Paundraka
and the King of Kasi

The story of King Paundraka is very interesting because there have
always been many rascals and fools who have considered themselves to be
God. Even in the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
there was such a foolish person. His name was Paundraka, and He wanted
to declare himself to be God. While Lord Balarama was absent in
Vrndavana, this King Paundraka, the King of the Kariisa province, being
foolish and puffed up, sent a messenger to Lord Krsna. Lord Krsna is
accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and King Paundraka di-
rectly challenged Krsna through the messenger, who stated that Paundraka,
and not Krsna, was Vasudeva. In the present day there are many foolish
followers of such rascals. Similarly, in his day, many foolish men accepted
Paundraka as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because he could not
estimate his own position, Paundraka falsely thought himself to be Lord
Vasudeva. Thus the messenger declared to Krsna that out of his causeless
mercy, King Paundraka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had
descended on the earth just to deliver all distressed persons.

Surrounded by many other foolish persons, this rascal Paundraka had
actually concluded that he was Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. This kind of conclusion is certainly childish. When children are
playing, they sometimes create a king amongst themselves, and the child
who is so selected thinks that he is the king. Similarly, many foolish
persons, due to ignorance, select another fool as God, and then the rascal
considers himself God, as if God could be created by childish play or by
the votes of men. Under this false impression, thinking himself the Su-
preme Lord, Paundraka sent his messenger to Dvaraka to challenge the
position of Krsna. The messenger reached the royal assembly of Krsna in
Dvaraka and conveyed the message given by his master, Paundraka. The
message contained the following statements.

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