Shloka 6
पौण्ड्रक-वधः, कृत्या-प्रशमनम्, वाराणसी-दाहः
दूतं च प्रेषयाम् आस कृष्णाय सुमहात्मने त्यक्त्वा चक्रादिकं चिह्नं मदीयं नाम चात्मनः
dūtaṃ ca preṣayām āsa kṛṣṇāya sumahātmane tyaktvā cakrādikaṃ cihnaṃ madīyaṃ nāma cātmanaḥ
Then he dispatched a messenger to Kṛṣṇa, that great-souled one; and, setting aside the royal insignia marked with the discus and the rest, he also relinquished the very name by which he had identified himself.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreyā)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa acts to expose imposture and protect the world from adharmic arrogance that mimics divinity.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Reassertion of true divine authority and rightful kingship under dharma
Concept: Outer emblems and self-bestowed titles do not confer divinity; dharma requires discernment between authentic authority and counterfeit display.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Evaluate spiritual and social leadership by character and truth, not branding, titles, or external signs.
Vishishtadvaita: Divine attributes are intrinsic to Bhagavān and not transferable by human appropriation; the jīva remains dependent.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
It signals political and spiritual submission: the ruler recognizes Krishna as the decisive authority and seeks resolution through him rather than through mere royal power.
Through narrative action: the character abandons external markers of rule (insignia) and even personal identity (name), implying that true refuge is taken in Krishna beyond ego and status.
Krishna is portrayed as the supreme center of order—before whom worldly sovereignty and self-identification are secondary—reflecting Vaishnava theology where the Lord is the final ground of authority and refuge.