Shloka 20
Samrāt-Lakṣaṇa and the Counsel to Check Jarāsandha (सम्राट्-लक्षणं जरासन्ध-प्रतिबाधा-परामर्शः)
वड़पुण्ड्रकिरातेषु राजा बलसमन्वित: । पौण्ड्को वासुदेवेति योडसौ लोकेडभिविश्रुत:
vaṅga-puṇḍra-kirāteṣu rājā balasamanvitaḥ | pauṇḍrako vāsudeveti yo 'sau loke 'bhiviśrutaḥ ||
In the lands of Vaṅga, Puṇḍra, and the Kirātas there is a king endowed with great strength—Pauṇḍraka—who is widely famed in the world by the name “Vāsudeva.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly fame and power can be joined with delusion: a ruler becomes renowned under a sacred name (“Vāsudeva”), implying mistaken self-identification and the ethical danger of appropriating divine identity for ego and prestige.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa identifies a powerful king ruling in the eastern regions (Vaṅga–Puṇḍra–Kirāta) who is publicly known as “Vāsudeva.” This functions as a narrative introduction to a rival claimant and sets up a future confrontation rooted in arrogance and confusion.