Mahabharatha is a story that can be described as life. It has love, sorrow, adventure, comedy, mystery, warfare, and whatnot. There are a lot of unresolved questions a reader is filled with after he/she reads the great Mahabharatha. While Mahabharatha is considered the greatest epic in Hindu mythology, historians and archaeologists are left with the burden of proving the tale with solid shreds of evidence and unwrapping the mysteries this great tale has left behind.
Krishna is being considered one of the most loved deities in the Hindu religion to date. Several devotees wanted to know how the ultimate God reincarnated into a mortal form and what he left to the world after his death.
What happened after Krishna’s death remains one of the most critical questions in the Hindu religion, as they consider it part of the learning to attain Moksha or salvation. There are a lot of myths surrounding the facts about what happened after the death of Krishna.
This article explores the stories and mentions related to Krishna’s death and what happened after Krishna’s death. Here are some mysteries unraveled about the great tale and its consequences.
Related link:https://www.icytales.com/ten-lesser-known-facts-of-mahabharata/
Aftermath
The greatest war of all times, the Mahabharatha, ended after 18 long days. The fight itself led to a drastic turn of events in the world. The 100 Kauravas, who were the sons of King Dhritarashtra, were killed in the war as pledged by the Pandavas.
Millions of people died in the war, and their wives and families were left to suffer. Merely 18 people survived the war. The families of the deceased suffered from significant trauma on their tremendous loss. The parents of the Kauravas, King Dhritarashtra, and Queen Gandhari, who lost their 100 sons, sunk in sadness, anger, and depression.
When Krishna approached the palace in Hastinapur, Gandhari’s rage increased multiple folds. She was a great devotee of Krishna, and she solely believed that he was the supreme. She was devastated as Lord Krishna did not do anything to save her 100 sons in the war.
Gandhari disregarded the Pandavas and approached Krishna with the help of Sanjaya. She yelled at him, questioning whether he should have used his divine will and power to prevent the conflict. She further said that despite her regular prayers, He did not protect her 100 boys.
The Curse of Gandhari on Krishna Krishna laughed gently at this. Gandhari, stunned, expresses her rage by insulting Krishna and exclaiming, “And you grin after all this?” You have a lot of guts. Oh, mocking God, listen to this! May you die in 36 years if my years of Lord Vishnu Bhakti have been real, and if I have been faithful to my spouse.
She furiously stopped him and cursed him to suffer the most significant loss of all times. Gandhari’s curse led to Krishna’s death. She cursed him that in 36 years, Krishna’s city Dwarka would get submerged under the sea, and the entire Yadava clan would perish just the way her sons died.
Knowing that the Yadava clan was powerful and couldn’t be defeated by any other, she cursed that the family would be destroyed by petty fights within themselves. Gandhari’s rage decreased after she cursed the worst to Krishna.
Krishna lovingly smiled and accepted her curse without complaining. Krishna explained to her why the Kauravas had a fatal death and why all the incidents happened. He consoled her by emphasizing the importance of accepting the truth and moving on.
After Krishna’s explanation, Gandhari realized her folly and fell on Krishna’s feet. She begged for his forgiveness. Krishna consoled her saying she did nothing wrong and it was all part of destiny. Gandhari’s curse led to Krishna’s death.
How Did Krishna Die?
The details of Krishna’s death and what happened after Lord Krishna left is mentioned in Mausala Parva. Gandhari’s curse is marked as the beginning of Krishna’s death.
The 36 years following the war were sheer bliss for the Pandavas and the Yadava clan. It is from the 36th year; things started deteriorating. The Yadava clan forgot the importance and values. They were immersed in the bliss that they ignored values, morals, conduct, and humility. They became arrogant and spoilt by wealth.
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Samba’s Prank
Upon this time, the Sapta rishis (seven sages) visited Dwarka. Krishna’s son Samba and his friends decided to test their powers with a prank. Samba dressed himself as a pregnant lady, and one of his friends approached the rishis and asked if they could predict the gender of the child.
The Rishis knew that it was a hoax using their divine powers and were angry upon the mischief shown. One of the Rishi, Kanva Maharishi, grabbed his Kamandala (Little water pot) and sprinkled water on the youth cursing him that whatever he bore in his stomach would be born to him.
Samba and his friends, although quite baffled, they laughed at the Rishi and walked away believing that it won’t come true. But the next morning, Samba experienced labor pains and delivered a mace. The Yadavas became frightful and rushed to Akroora and Ugrasena along with the stick.
Krishna was also informed about the incident. Akoora ordered them to grind the mace into a fine powder and throw it in the sea. The Yadavas followed his order. However, they could not grind a triangular portion of the mace and threw it as it is in the sea.
The triangular piece was swallowed by a fish, meanwhile. This fish was caught by a hunter named Jara. Upon finding the piece inside the fish, he crafted a poisonous arrow out of it.
The fine powder did not dissolve in the sea and washed on the shores of Dwarka. A type of grass called Eraka started growing in abundance along the shore.
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Krishna’s Death
Krishna ordered the Yadava clan to perform prayers at the sacred Prabhas sea. But the Yadavas started drinking and being in merry instead of praying. They lost their minds and started fighting with each other.
They used the blades of the Eraka grass to kill each other. Meanwhile, Krishna heard the news and asked Arjuna to take the survived Yadavas to Hastinapur. He left for the forest, knowing his fast-approaching death. He went for a penance into the woods when the hunter Jara mistook Krishna to be a deer, hunter reached Krishna and shot the poisonous arrow.
Later, when Jara realized the blunder he did, his eyes were filled with tears. He apologized to Krishna while Krishna consoled and blessed him. There’s a myth that Jara is the reincarnation of Vali from Ramayana.
What Happened After Krishna’s Death?
When Arjuna took the survivors of the Yadava clan to Hastinapur through the woods, they were attacked by bandits. Arjuna, being a mighty warrior, could not save the people from the bandits. He became depressed about losing his powers and sought Rishi Ved Vyas for guidance.
Rishi Ved Vyas advised Arjuna that it is time for Arjuna and the other Pandavas to retire from the mortal world form. Pandavas, then crown Parikshit as the king of Hastinapur (Son of Abhimanyu and Grandson of Arjuna). They, along with their wife Draupadi, leave to the Himalayas in search of the heavenly abode.
What happened after Lord Krishna died is that the world slowly evolved out of Dharma. The Pandavas, one by one, killed during the journey to the Himalayas, starting from Draupadi. Yudhishtir was the only Pandava to reach the gates of Heaven.
It is interesting to note what happened after Lord Krishna’s death because the Pandavas and Karna suffered in hell, and the Kauravas were sent to Heaven. This was because the Kauravas followed the Kshatriya dharma while the Pandavas were prideful of their skills, their looks, and Dharma.
What Srimad Bhagavatam says?
Srimad Bhagavatam says that history is merely the left-out Karma of past actions. The lord says that he desired to let the tragic events happen so that the world learns the lesson of Karma Karma. It is vital to follow Dharma throughout one’s life. The lord says that one has to take responsibility for his actions and accept the harvests with a full heart.
The Change in Yuga
Dwapara Yuga changed to Kali Yuga by the end of the battle at Kurukshetra. The start of the Kali Yuga, as mentioned in sacred texts, was miserable and tragic with the demolition of the Yadava clan and the death of Krishna.
The change in Yuga is one of the most important changes amongst what happened after Krishna’s death. The knowledge and usage of divine powers ceased to exist in this Yuga.
It is believed that Krishna taught a part of his divine knowledge to Janamejaya, son of Parikshit. He was asked to keep his knowledge confidential as Kali Yuga would be filled with people who misuse power and knowledge.
It is merely a turn of events that the world will undergo in Kali Yuga, as mentioned in sacred texts. Most of the characters mentioned in the great epic Mahabharatha die after Krishna’s death.
It cannot be defined as a start or end to something. Krishna’s death was a meager result of past events. It explains the relativity and connectivity in life and what we call Karma and destiny.
Watch this video on the remains of Krishna’s city Dwaraka: https://youtu.be/Y6HWls9jTOU
The important lesson we need to learn is that, as human beings who are mortal, we have to undergo situations that are consequences of our past actions. When the supreme God, in his human form, suffered a painful death because of works, we need to learn to take responsibility for our actions.
We need to be conscious of our Dharma. We should always remind ourselves that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Comment below on your perspective
-Edited by Steffy Michael|28/6/22
Last Updated on by Steffy Michael
Krishna is a great soul who died like a mortal. His death, as per Mahabharat, is the consequence of his Karma and curse.
God, according to Bhagvadgeeta, is ajonijana which means He has no birth or death. Sri Krisna was born to human parents Devaki and Vasudev. He was also killed by Jara who attacked him with an arrow made with remnant of musal delivered by Sambh.
God is Parambramh who has no physical form. It is the supreme spirit that is Omniscient, Omnipotent and need not be Omnipresent. If it is Omnipresent, there will be no need for reincarnation or avataran of great souls.
Very interesting Fact of life, hari om
Excellent mam👏👏