Shloka 15
Pauṇḍraka’s False Vāsudeva Claim, His Death, and the Burning of Vārāṇasī by Sudarśana
दृष्ट्वा तमात्मनस्तुल्यं वेषं कृत्रिममास्थितम् । यथा नटं रङ्गगतं विजहास भृशं हरि: ॥ १५ ॥
dṛṣṭvā tam ātmanas tulyaṁ veṣaṁ kṛtrimam āsthitam yathā naṭaṁ raṅga-gataṁ vijahāsa bhṛśaṁ harīḥ
Voyant ce roi revêtu d’un déguisement artificiel à l’exacte ressemblance de la sienne, le Seigneur Hari éclata de rire, comme devant un acteur sur scène.
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this scene as follows: “On the whole, however, [Pauṇḍraka’s] dress and makeup were clearly imitation. Anyone could understand that he was just like someone on stage playing the part of Vāsudeva in false dress. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw Pauṇḍraka imitating His posture and dress, He could not check His laughter, and thus He laughed with great satisfaction.”
FAQs
Because someone had assumed a contrived disguise resembling His own form, and Krishna—seeing the imitation as theatrical and powerless—laughed as one would at a stage-actor.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating to King Parīkṣit, describing Lord Hari’s reaction within the Śiśupāla-vadha narrative flow of Canto 10.
It cautions against superficial imitation—of spirituality, authority, or identity—and encourages sincerity: real greatness is not achieved by costume, but by genuine character and devotion.