Yadhavabhyudhaya- chapter21

August 31, 2007

Chapter21- The episodes of Poundrakavasudeva Salva and others

The king of Poundraka called himself Vasudeva and made for himself the panchayuDha of the Lord, srivatsa and kousthubha and two extra arms like Krishna and through the gimmicks of magic, disguise etc. proclaimed that he himself is the real Vasudeva and the exploits of Hari belonged to his early lives. Thus like an actor wearing a costume he dressed and acted like Krishna and was praised by his courtiers as such became an object of ridicule and pity for the wise.

He became drunk with his own importance and sent a messenger to Krishna who went to Dvaraka and spoke in the court of Krishna in a brazen manner.

The commentary for the four slokas which the messenger had spoken is given by Sri Srinivasagopalacharya as the original commentary of Appayyadhikshitha was available only for the subsequent slokas.

The messenger advised Krishna on his own first, before conveying the command of Poundraka Vasudeva. He said that Krishna should listen to him for his own benefit. Poundrka Vasudeva is the supreme purusha and the lord of the earth.

The messenger said, `niSchaleekrthahithAhithaseemnAjishNunA yadhukulasya vibhoothyai' which means "by you who wishes victory to the yadus and responsible for maintaining the boundary of dharma." The very words which were said to indicate the importance of accepting the supremacy of Poundraka seems to imply that Krishna should win him to guard the limits of dharma through the chamatkara of the kavi.

Then the messenger conveyed the command of Poundraka to Krishna. He said that Krishna could not be the Supreme Lord but only a vassal of Poundraka. There are so many deities described in the Vedas but no one is considered as the supreme Lord. Hence there is no valid authority for holding Krishna as the Supreme Lord. He is also bound by merit and sin like the ordinary individuals and also the one who was bound by the gopis for his misdeeds cannot be the one who secures release from bondage. Poundraka proclaimed that he alone was the supreme purusha and Krishna should accept his sovereignty and give up his paraphernalia of shanka, chakra etc.

As devil quoting the scripture Poundraka by four slokas advises Krishna as follows:

Considering that these are the words of Desika it seems to refer to Poundraka himself.

The idea outlined in the slokas are as follows:

One who forgets that he is dependent on the Lord and considers himself as the Lord will be punished like a servant who acts as the king.

The theft of the self is the worst kind of sin that is, to consider that the self belongs to you when it is the property of the Lord.

One who wishes for power not due to him will come to harm.

Even though one commits sin due to destiny with discrimination he can get out of it.

Saying thus Poundraka demanded Krishna should surrender in order to save himself.

Krishna laughed and replied sarcastically saying `paThyam adhya vachanam thava manye yadhbraveeshi chiralipsitham ethath,' which means that the words of Poundraka is beneficial and desired for a long time. As the Lord knows everything He welcomes the opportunity provided by POundraka for his own punishment.

ugrasenabhrathakAayam ethe

na eeSithAra ithi vibhramanthah

samprathi thvadhupadheSa mahimnA

bhAvayemahi thava eeSvarabhAvam

The literal meaning of this sloka is,

"we do not consider ourselves as masters, being the servants of Ugrasena. Now hearing your advise we look upon you as our lord and master." But the actual meaning is "since all individual selves, who have the fierce army(ugrasena) of sense organs, are our (meaning I) dependents we(I) do not have a mistaken notion that we are (Iam) the eesvara because I know that I am the eesvara. Now due to your offense in the form of advice I will show my status as eesvara to you."

Krishna said that Poundraka is superior to the Supreme, `parasmAth parah' which really means that he is the enemy of the Supreme Lord as the word para also means an enemy. Further Krishna said that it is indeed the great fortune that he sent word to them like this, meaning, it is good that he created an opportunity for the world to know the real worth of Krishna and the insignificance of Poundraka. Krishna then sent word through the messenger that they will themselves come to see Poundraka.

Krishna advanced against Poundraka and the king of Kasi who was his associate and destroyed them and they both fell beside him like the twin trees that Krishna uprooted in his childhood.

Desika says that Poundraka was only imitating the appearance of Krishna earlier but now also got his gait, `anvabhooth kila gathim cha thadheeyAm.' There is pun on the word gathi which means both gait and the status attained after death.

After this Krshna went back to Dvaraka and once when he was playing dice game, which Desika mentions as `bhAvibhArathamahAhava siddheh soochanam,' being the sign of the Mahabharatha war later, the son of the king of Kasi sent a demon produced from a yajna. Krishna was playing unperturbed and his sudharsana chakra drovethe demon away and it went and destroyed those who sent it and the sudarsana burnt th whole city of Kasi. Desika says that it looked as though the Lord wanted to purify the city and make it fit for securing mukthi for the devotees.

There were two monkeys among those who helped Rama in the previous yuga and one of them called Dhvividha (the other was Maindha) became corrupted and started causing destruction to the world and came to fight with Balarama and entering the place where he was enjoying himself it started irritating him. Balarama hit the monkey with his plough with which he once dragged the whole city of Hasthinapura into the Ganges and killed it. ( Once Sambha the son of Jamabhavathi won the daughter of Duryodhana in svayamvara and Duryodhana arrested him and Balarama, to punish Duryodhana, when he did not listen to the conciliatory words and insulted them, dragged the city with his plough and it started falling in the Ganges. The elders intervened and Samba was married to the daughter of Duryodhana)

Desika briefly mentions the destruction of Dhanthavakra, king of Salvas and who was the other dvarapalaka of vaikunta cursed by the sages Sanaka etc. and was born for three births to be killed by the Lord. In this birth the two were born as Sisupala and Dhanthavakra.

Krishna then induced Ugrasena to arrange for dhikvijaya and the next chapter describes the dhikvijaya of the yadhavas.