Shloka 19
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
आत्मानं प्रतिजानाति लोके5स्मिन् पुरुषोत्तमम् | आदत्ते सततं मोहाद् यः स चिह्ल॑ च मामकम्
ātmānaṃ pratijānāti loke 'smin puruṣottamam | ādatte satataṃ mohād yaḥ sa cihnaṃ ca māmakam ||
He proclaims himself, in this world, to be the Supreme Person; and, deluded, he continually adopts even my own distinctive emblems.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that claiming supreme spiritual status and adopting holy insignia without true realization is driven by moha (delusion) and becomes an ethical fault: it misleads others, inflates ego, and profanes sacred symbols.
Kṛṣṇa identifies a person who publicly styles himself as ‘Puruṣottama’ and bears Kṛṣṇa’s own distinguishing marks. In the broader episode (as reflected in the accompanying Gītā Press gloss), this points toward the figure of Pauṇḍraka who imitates Vāsudeva and aligns with Jarāsandha.