Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.66 Summary

This chapter relates how Lord Krishna went to Kasi (present-day Benares) and killed Paundraka and Kasiraja, and how the Lord's Sudarsana disc defeated a demon, incinerated the city of Kasi and killed Sudakshina.

While Lord Baladeva was visiting Vraja, King Paundraka of Karusha, encouraged by fools, announced that he was the real Vasudeva. Thus he challenged Lord Krishna with the following message: "Since I alone am the true Personality of Godhead, You should give up Your false claim to this position, as well as my divine symbols, and take shelter of me. If You do not, then prepare for battle."

When Ugrasena and the members of his royal assembly heard Paundraka's foolish boast, they all laughed heartily. Sri Krishna then told Paundraka's messenger to convey a message to his master: "O fool, I will force you to give up the so-called Sudarsana disc and the other divine symbols of Mine you have dared to assume. And when you lie down on the battlefield, you will become the shelter of dogs."

Lord Krishna then went to Kasi. Paundraka, seeing the Lord preparing for battle, quickly came out of the city to confront Him with his army. His friend Kasiraja followed him, leading the rear guard. Just as the fire of universal devastation destroys every living being in all directions, so Lord Krishna annihilated the armies of Paundraka and Kasiraja. Then, after chastising Paundraka, the Lord beheaded both him and Kasiraja with His Sudarsana disc. Thereafter, He returned to Dvaraka. Because Paundraka had constantly meditated on the Supreme Lord, even dressing like Him, he gained liberation.

When Krishna beheaded Kasiraja, the King's head flew into his city, and when his queens, sons and other relatives saw it, they all began to lament. At that time a son of Kasiraja's named Sudakshina, wanting to avenge his father' s death, began worshiping Lord Siva with the intention of destroying his father's killer. Gratified by Sudakshina's worship, Lord Siva offered him a choice of benedictions, and Sudakshina asked for a means to kill the one who had slain his father. Lord Siva advised him to worship the Dakshinagni fire with black magic rituals. This Sudakshina did, with the result that a fearsome demon with a body of flames appeared from the pit of the sacrificial fire. The demon rose up carrying a fiery trident and at once set off for Dvaraka.

The residents of Lord Krishna's capital became terrified as the demon approached the city, but Lord Krishna assured them of protection and dispatched His Sudarsana cakra to oppose the magic creation of Lord Siva. The Sudarsana overpowered the demon, who then returned to Varanasi and burned Sudakshina to ashes, together with his priests. The Sudarsana disc, following the demon, entered Varanasi and burned the entire city to the ground. Then the Lord's disc returned to His side in Dvaraka.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari