Mausala Parva

About thirty-six years after that peaceful end of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti's, in the city of Dwarka, many exceedingly inauspicious, worrying signs gradually began appearing, which spread a profound unrest and fear through the entire Yadu dynasty.

Unusual meteor showers in the sky, strange, irregular behavior among animals and birds, and many other ill omens began occurring continuously, seeing which even Krishna and Balarama themselves sank into profound worry.

Krishna, who himself knew well that the time of Gandhari's curse had now drawn near, began awaiting these coming events within himself with a feeling of profound, unavoidable acceptance.

Many young princes of the Yadu dynasty, intoxicated by this long-sustained prosperity and power, had gradually begun moving toward arrogance and unruliness, and in their conduct, a decline in humility and self-restraint had begun appearing clearly.

Against this very backdrop, an event was about to occur, which was finally to set the direct, immediate stage for this destruction of the entire Yadu dynasty.

One day, some unruly young princes of the Yadu dynasty, among whom was Krishna's own son Samba, dared to commit an exceedingly improper, unseemly mockery upon some great sages such as Vishwamitra, Kanva, and Narada.

These unruly princes, dressing Samba in women's clothing and making him appear pregnant, asked these sages what offspring — a son or a daughter — this "woman" would bear; this was an exceedingly reprehensible, insulting mockery.

The sages, exceedingly angered by this improper, insulting mockery, gave them the terrible curse that from Samba's womb an iron pestle (mausala) would be born, which would finally become the cause of the destruction of the entire Yadu dynasty.

Hearing this curse, exceeding fear and worry spread through the entire Yadu dynasty, and soon, in truth, from Samba's belly a terrible iron pestle did appear, which directly proved the truth of this curse.

This event became an exceedingly firm, direct backdrop for the fulfillment of that earlier curse of Gandhari's, which finally began pushing the entire Yadu dynasty toward an unavoidable, ruinous end.

The principal, elder members of the Yadu dynasty, exceedingly frightened by this terrible curse and the appearance of this iron pestle, at once resolved to grind this pestle into powder and cast it into the sea, hoping that this would render the curse ineffective.

This iron pestle was exceedingly carefully ground and turned into fine powder, and this powder was thrown far out into the deep waters of the sea, in the belief that this curse would now never be fulfilled.

But it was the irony of destiny that one exceedingly minute portion of that powder, which could not be completely destroyed, mixed into a particular grass called "eraka" growing on the seashore, and that grass, over time, became exceedingly hard, as strong as iron.

In the same way, another portion of that powder was swallowed by a fish in the sea, which was later caught by a hunter, and that hunter kept the iron fragment obtained from that fish's belly to make the tip of his arrow.

Thus, despite this utmost effort of the Yadu dynasty's, that terrible curse, in exceedingly minute, unexpected forms, still remained awaiting its complete, unavoidable fulfillment.

Krishna, understanding this entire course of events with his divine sight exceedingly deeply, knew well that it had now become unavoidable that this destruction of the Yadu dynasty would soon occur in some form or other.

Balarama too, even while holding profound affection for this vast lineage of his, accepting the inevitability of this impending destruction, in an exceedingly grave, worried state of mind, began awaiting the events to come.

Krishna counseled all the principal members of the Yadu dynasty that they should, for some time, journey to a sacred pilgrimage site called Prabhasa Kshetra, and there, through bathing and pilgrimage, atone for their sins.

The entire Yadu dynasty, following this counsel of Krishna's, set out toward Prabhasa Kshetra along with their families, not knowing that this very journey was to set the stage for the final, ruinous chapter of this entire lineage of theirs.

Krishna, even amid this entire course of events, remained in an exceedingly calm, steady state of mind, knowing that this was itself an unavoidable, predestined event, following the fulfillment of the purpose of his own descent upon this earth.

At Prabhasa Kshetra, all the members of the Yadu dynasty remained occupied for some time in pilgrimage and religious rites, but soon, many young princes, indulging excessively in drinking, began losing their discernment and self-restraint.

Under this excessive influence of drink, among many members of the Yadu dynasty, old enmities and disputes based on trivial matters gradually began taking a violent form, and a profound tension began pervading the atmosphere.

In the midst of this, between Satyaki and Kritavarma, over some old events that had occurred during the war — particularly Kritavarma's involvement in that terrible slaughter of the sleeping warriors — an exceedingly bitter exchange of words began.

This dispute soon took an exceedingly violent form, and Satyaki, in the excess of his anger, cut off Kritavarma's head, seeing which the other members present throughout the entire Yadu dynasty too were filled with anger and a feeling of revenge.

This one terrible event soon gave birth, among the entire Yadu dynasty, to an uncontrolled, all-destroying strife, which finally set that terrible curse on its way toward complete fulfillment.

After this end of Kritavarma's at Satyaki's hands, the entire Yadu dynasty, dividing into two opposing groups, fell upon each other with exceeding fury, and since they had no traditional weapons at hand, they began uprooting that very "eraka" grass growing on the shore and striking each other with it.

That eraka grass, by the effect of Gandhari's curse, had become exceedingly hard, as powerful as iron, and it took the form of an exceedingly deadly, destructive weapon in this terrible, uncontrolled conflict.

Krishna kept making his utmost effort to calm this terrible, uncontrolled strife, but in this blind excess of drink and anger, many other principal members of the Yadu dynasty, including his own son Pradyumna, too became caught up in this terrible conflict.

This terrible mutual destruction spread with such intensity and scope that within a few hours, nearly all the male members of the Yadu dynasty were killed at each other's hands in this terrible strife — this was an exceedingly tragic, unprecedented collective destruction.

Krishna kept watching this terrible, unavoidable destruction of this entire lineage of his with profound grief, yet with complete divine acceptance, knowing that this was itself the final, unavoidable, complete fulfillment of Gandhari's curse.

After this terrible, all-destroying devastation, Balarama, experiencing profound grief and exhaustion at this immense loss of this entire lineage of his, sat down in an exceedingly grave posture of meditation at a secluded spot on the seashore.

Balarama, who was himself considered to be a portion of Sheshanaga, in this profound state of meditation of his, gradually began being freed from his physical body, and in a wondrous, divine sight, a vast, white serpent emerged from his mouth and began gliding toward the sea.

This was that very Sheshanaga, a portion of whom had descended upon this earth in the form of Balarama, and now, following the fulfillment of the purpose of his own descent upon this earth, he dissolved once again into the sea, in his true, divine form.

This end of Balarama's occurred not as the result of any violence or war, but as an exceedingly peaceful, yogic, divine departure, which was a final, dignified confirmation of this extraordinary, divine nature of his.

Krishna, hearing the news of this end of his elder brother Balarama's, sank into profound grief, and experienced that now his own time to depart from this earth too had drawn exceedingly near.

After this departure of Balarama's, Krishna, alone, sat down under a tree in a secluded forest, in an exceedingly calm, meditative state, knowing that the purpose of his own descent upon this earth had now been completely fulfilled.

At this very time, a hunter named Jara, who was wandering the forest hunting deer, seeing from a distance that foot of Krishna's, seated beneath the tree, on which was a particular, red-colored mark, mistaking it for the face of some deer, unknowingly shot his arrow in that direction.

This was that very arrow whose tip was made from that minute remnant of that iron pestle, which had reached this hunter by way of a fish, and this arrow struck directly into that very foot of Krishna's, which was considered the sole vulnerable spot of his body.

Jara, when he came near and was left stunned to see that he had unknowingly shot an arrow at the Lord Krishna himself, fell at his feet in exceeding fear and remorse, and began repeatedly begging forgiveness.

Krishna, with his boundless compassion, at once granting Jara forgiveness, assured him that this event was merely an unavoidable, divine means of his own predestined departure, and, exceedingly peacefully, giving up this body of his earthly realm, departed to his abode of Vaikuntha.

The news of this extraordinary, heart-rending departure of Krishna's soon reached Hastinapur, and Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas sank into profound grief and stupefaction at this immense, unimaginable loss; it was exceedingly difficult even for them to believe it.

Arjuna, sinking into exceedingly profound grief at this departure of his supreme friend and companion Krishna's, and at this news of that terrible, complete destruction of the Yadu dynasty, set out at once toward Dwarka, to see what the situation there was.

Arriving at Dwarka, Arjuna saw there an exceedingly terrible, heart-rending sight — all the male members of the entire Yadu dynasty had perished in that terrible mutual destruction, and only the women, the elderly, and the children remained.

Arjuna, seeing this immense, unimaginable devastation, broke down under profound grief and unbearable pain, and, in accordance with this final command of his supreme friend Krishna's, accepted the responsibility of taking these remaining residents of Dwarka — the women, the elderly, and the children — to a safe place.

Arjuna had the final rites performed in the proper manner for all the dead members of the Yadu dynasty, including Krishna and Balarama, and after this, taking the remaining residents of Dwarka with him, began the journey of return toward Hastinapur.

Arjuna, while returning toward Hastinapur with these remaining residents of Dwarka, on the way, some uncivilized, marauding tribes attacked this vast crowd of people, attempting to rob many of the women and their wealth.

Arjuna, who had once been considered the most invincible warrior of all India by the strength of his extraordinary Gandiva bow and his divine weapons, on this occasion, took up that very Gandiva bow of his and tried to confront these marauders.

But Arjuna, exceedingly astonishingly, on this occasion, could not display even the slightest proper measure of that extraordinary, divine valor and skill with weapons of his, and he proved comparatively helpless even before these ordinary marauders.

Arjuna himself began experiencing profound astonishment and profound grief at this extraordinary, unexpected failure, beginning to understand that with this departure of Krishna's from this earthly realm, that divine power of his own too had now been weakened forever.

This event taught Arjuna the profound, poignant lesson that his entire extraordinary valor had, in truth, always been founded upon Krishna's own divine grace and presence, and that without him, he himself had remained but an ordinary human being.

Arjuna, with an exceedingly heavy, grief-stricken heart, somehow bringing these remaining residents of Dwarka safely to Hastinapur, presented before Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas a detailed account of this entire, heart-rending course of events.

Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas sank into profound grief and profound self-reflection at this news of this extraordinary departure of Krishna's, this entire destruction of the Yadu dynasty, and this waning valor of Arjuna's.

This entire course of events proved to the Pandavas an exceedingly clear, unavoidable sign that now their own time upon this earth too was gradually advancing toward its conclusion, and that they too should soon move toward the final chapter of this worldly life of theirs.

Yudhishthira, now finding Parikshit, the future heir of this empire of his, sufficiently capable and ready, began resolving to hand over his kingdom to him, and, himself giving up this worldly life, to begin his final, great journey of departure toward the Himalayas.

Thus the Mausala Parva reaches its conclusion with this final, unavoidable fulfillment of Gandhari's curse, that entire mutual destruction of the Yadu dynasty, and the departure of Krishna and Balarama themselves from this earthly realm. In the next parva, the Mahaprasthanika Parva, the story of the Pandavas' final, great journey toward the Himalayas will be told.