We all are familiar with the pastimes of Shri Krishna – from stealing butter, killing Kansa, dancing with Gopis and even the miracle of birth. But when it comes to his death, this incident is still considered full of mystery and thrill.
Was Krishna cursed? Did someone kill them? Or was it the death wish of God himself? Let us know the series of events that happened after Mahabharata which led to the end of both Yaduvansh and Shri Krishna.
Curse of Gandhari…and destruction of Yaduvansh
After the end of the Mahabharata war, Shri Krishna along with the Pandavas came to meet Gandhari and Dhritarashtra. Distressed after seeing the dead body of her son Duryodhana, Gandhari held Shri Krishna responsible for this destruction. He said that if Krishna had wanted, he could have stopped this tragic incident with his power. Gandhari, immersed in anger and pain, cursed Krishna – just as her clan was destroyed, in the same way Krishna’s Yaduvansh will also be destroyed after exactly 36 years. Time passed… and surprisingly the same thing happened after 36 years of the curse.
Samb’s mischief which created destruction
According to the stories, one day sages Durvasa, Vishwamitra, Vashishtha and Narad came to Dwarka. Then Krishna’s son Samb disguised himself as a woman and pretended to be pregnant and asked the sages about the gender of the child in the womb. Seeing the insult of the sages, one of them got angry and cursed – Samba will give birth to an iron arrow, which will cause the destruction of the Yadu dynasty. In an attempt to escape the curse, the iron was ground into powder and thrown into the sea, but destiny had taken its course.
Sin increasing in Dwarka…and the end of Yaduvansh
After the curse, inauspicious signs started appearing in Dwarka-
- disappearance of Sudarshan Chakra
- Krishna’s conch, chariot and Balram’s plow disappear
- Increase in crime, hatred and discord in the city
Krishna directed his people to take him to Prabhas area for atonement of sins, but there the Yadavas, blinded by alcohol and anger, fought among themselves. The same iron dust took the form of deadly straws growing in the ground and became weapons and the Yaduvanshis killed each other with them. In this way the entire Yadav clan came to an end.
Krishna’s death – result of previous birth
After the destruction of Yaduvansh, Krishna sat in Yoganidra under a tree. Then a hunter named Jara mistakes them for a deer and shoots an arrow at them. Realizing his mistake he apologizes. Krishna says smilingly, ‘This was bound to happen.’ He told that in Tretayuga, he had secretly killed Bali in the form of Ram. Jara was the reincarnation of the same earring, and this arrow was the result of that karma. Shri Krishna sacrificed his body peacefully.