dūtaḿ ca prāhiṇon mandaḥ
kṛṣṇāyāvyakta-vartmane
dvārakāyāḿ yathā bālo
nṛpo bāla-kṛto 'budhaḥ
dutam -- a messenger; ca -- and; prahinot -- he sent; mandah -- slow-witted; krishnaya -- to Lord Krishna; avyakta -- inscrutable; vartmane -- whose path; dvarakayam -- at Dvaraka; yatha -- as; balah -- a boy; nripah -- king; bala -- by children; kritah -- made; abudhah -- unintelligent.
Thus slow-witted King Paundraka sent a messenger to the inscrutable Lord Krishna at Dvaraka. Paundraka was acting just like an unintelligent child whom other children are pretending is a king.
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the reason Sukadeva Gosvami here mentions for the second time that Paundraka sent a message to Lord Krishna is that the great sage is astonished at Paundraka's extreme foolishness.
