After Kurukshetra – Section 6: Krishna's Departure and Dwaraka's Fall
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The Shadow of the Curse
When Gandhari cursed Krishna after the Kurukshetra War, her words burned with the grief of a mother:
> "Just as my sons were destroyed through your will, so too shall your clan—the mighty Yadavas—be destroyed through strife among themselves. You will see your loved ones perish, O Krishna, before you leave this earth."
Krishna had bowed before her, accepting the curse silently. For he knew it was not merely Gandhari's wrath, but destiny itself speaking through her.
Years passed after the war. The Pandavas ruled Hastinapura, and peace returned to much of the land. But in Dwaraka, the prosperous city built by Krishna on the western coast, a dark fate was ripening.
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The Yadavas in Prosperity
The Yadava clan had flourished under Krishna's leadership. Warriors, nobles, and princes filled the city of Dwaraka, which shone with wealth, art, and strength. None could challenge them, for Krishna's presence was protection enough.
Yet prosperity bred arrogance. The younger generation of Yadavas, raised in comfort and victory, grew reckless. They mocked sages, boasted of their might, and indulged in pleasures without restraint.
Krishna, who foresaw their doom, grew increasingly silent. He no longer tried to restrain them, for he knew Gandhari's curse would not be averted.
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The Sages and the Mockery
One day, a group of Yadava youths, mischievous and proud, saw some visiting sages. Among them were Samba, son of Krishna and Jambavati, and other princes. In jest, they dressed Samba as a pregnant woman, tying cloth around his belly, and mockingly asked the sages:
> "O holy ones, you are wise. Tell us, what child will this lady bear?"
The sages, angered by the insult, cursed:
> "This mocker will give birth to a terrible iron mace, and by that mace shall your entire race be destroyed!"
The princes laughed, but when they removed the cloth, to their horror, a lump of iron had indeed formed. Terrified, they took it to King Ugrasena, who ordered it ground to powder and cast into the sea.
But fate cannot be undone. The powder was carried by waves to the shore, where it grew into reeds of iron. One small piece, unground, was swallowed by a fish, caught later by a hunter. Thus, the seeds of destruction lay waiting.
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The Curse Ripens
Years passed, and the Yadavas fell deeper into arrogance. Quarrels grew among them, fueled by drink and pride. Krishna, seeing the time near, withdrew more and more into meditation.
He confided only in a few, saying:
> "The wheel of time turns, and even the greatest clans must perish. The Yadavas' end approaches, and none can halt it—not even I."
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The Drunken Brawl
One fateful day, the Yadavas gathered on the seashore for festivities. Wine flowed freely, and soon the warriors, intoxicated, began to boast of their victories. Old rivalries surfaced, and taunts turned into anger.
From the shore, the iron reeds that had grown from the cursed powder were pulled out and used as weapons. What began as jest became slaughter. Brothers struck brothers, fathers clashed with sons, friends turned upon each other.
The mighty warriors who once stood united under Krishna now butchered one another in blind rage. Blood soaked the sands of Dwaraka, and cries of death filled the air.
Pradyumna, Kritavarma, Satyaki—all perished. None was spared. The Yadava clan annihilated itself in a frenzy, just as the sages' curse had foretold.
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The Last Moments of Balarama
Amidst this carnage, Balarama, Krishna's elder brother, withdrew. He sat in meditation beneath a tree, his face serene. As Krishna approached, he saw a great white serpent—Balarama's true form, for he was an incarnation of Shesha, the cosmic serpent—emerge from his body and glide toward the sea.
Balarama's soul returned to its eternal abode, leaving his mortal shell behind. Krishna bowed his head, for he knew his own time was near.
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The Death of Krishna
After the destruction, Krishna wandered alone on the shore, silent and calm. His heart was free of attachment, for he had fulfilled his earthly purpose.
He sat beneath a tree in meditation, his leg stretched out. At that moment, the hunter Jara, who had fashioned an arrowhead from the iron piece once swallowed by a fish, mistook Krishna's foot for a deer's ear in the twilight. He shot, and the arrow pierced Krishna's heel.
The hunter rushed forward in horror when he saw whom he had struck. Falling at Krishna's feet, he begged forgiveness.
Krishna consoled him with a gentle smile:
> "Do not fear, Jara. You are but an instrument of fate. Long ago, in my incarnation as Rama, I killed Vali with an arrow. In this life, you are Vali reborn, and now the cycle is complete. Be at peace."
With these words, Krishna withdrew his life force. His body shone with divine light, and as he closed his eyes, he returned to his eternal form—Vishnu, the Supreme Being.
Thus ended the earthly journey of Krishna, the guide, the friend, the God who walked as man.
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The Fall of Dwaraka
Soon after Krishna's departure, the sea rose in mighty waves and swallowed the golden city of Dwaraka. Palaces, temples, and gardens disappeared beneath the ocean, as if the very earth wished to erase the memory of the Yadavas' arrogance.
Only a few survivors escaped, guided by Krishna's great-grandson Vajra, who was later installed by the Pandavas as ruler of the remnants of the Yadava line.
The once-glorious city became a legend, remembered only in stories and submerged ruins.
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News Reaches the Pandavas
When the tidings of Krishna's departure reached Hastinapura, the Pandavas were struck with grief deeper than ever before. Krishna had been more than kin—he was their guide, their protector, their very heartbeat in times of despair.
Yudhishthira wept:
> "Without Madhava, what is this throne to me? Without his counsel, how shall I rule? The earth is empty, the skies are silent. Our friend is gone."
Arjuna, who had shared the closest bond with Krishna, was shattered. When he attempted to wield his bow, Gandiva, he found his strength and skill gone. The power he once held had departed with Krishna.
The brothers knew then that their time, too, was drawing near. The age of the Pandavas was ending.
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