THE AFTERMATH OF KURUKSHETRA: GANDHARI'S CURSE AND KRISHNA'S FINAL DAYS

After the Great War that nearly annihilated humankind, Kurukshetra lay silent. The battle had ended, but the war-torn field was strewn with the bodies of royals and commoners alike. The Pandavas, though victorious, were far from jubilant. The devastation wrought by the war left them shattered, and they began searching the battlefield for any survivors in need of help.

Amidst the ruins, Gandhari was bent over the lifeless body of her eldest son, Duryodhana, her tears flowing endlessly. Her husband, the blind King Dhritarashtra, stood beside her, helpless and grieving. As the Pandavas and Lord Krishna approached to pay their respects and offer condolences, Sanjaya, the king’s escort, gently informed Gandhari of their arrival.

Upon hearing this, Gandhari stood up, her grief swiftly turning into fury. Ignoring the Pandavas entirely, she, with Sanjaya’s aid, approached Krishna. Her voice, laced with anger and sorrow, questioned Krishna's divine will. "Could you not have averted this war with your divine power?" she demanded. "Despite my unwavering devotion, you did not save my 100 sons."

Gandhari's Curse on Lord Krishna

Krishna responded with a gentle smile, which only fueled Gandhari’s anger. "And you smile after all this? How can you be so indifferent?" she cried out. In her wrath, she cursed Krishna, saying, "If my years of Vishnu Bhakti have been true, and if I have been a faithful wife, then may you die in 36 years from today. Let Dwaraka be submerged by the sea, and may your Yadava kin perish, killing each other, just as you made the Kuru kin destroy one another."

After pronouncing the curse, Gandhari broke down, her anger dissipating as she fell to Krishna’s feet. Krishna, still smiling, gently lifted her up. "Mother," he said, "your curse will come to pass, not only because of your true devotion but also due to the inevitable passage of time. But for now, let us attend to the rites for the fallen."

Krishna's calm acceptance of Gandhari's curse left the Pandavas bewildered. Time moved on, and after Yudhishthira's coronation as the king of Hastinapur, Krishna returned to rule over the magnificent island kingdom of Dwaraka. With the Goddess of Wealth, Rukmini, by his side, the people of Dwaraka enjoyed a life of luxury. However, Gandhari's curse began to take shape. The Yadavas, once virtuous and disciplined, became arrogant and lost their sense of morals and humility.

The Rishis' Curse on Samba, Krishna’s Son

One day, great sages like Vishwamitra, Durvasa, Vashista, Narada, and others were on a pilgrimage and visited Dwaraka to meet Krishna and Balarama. The Yadavas, now intoxicated with pride, decided to play a prank on the sages. They disguised Krishna's son, Samba, as a pregnant woman, and mockingly asked the sages to predict whether 'she' would give birth to a boy or a girl. The sages, seeing through the deception, cursed them in anger. They proclaimed that Samba would give birth to a lump of iron, which would bring about the destruction of the entire Yadava race.

Though initially dismissive of the curse, the Yadavas were soon gripped by fear when Samba indeed delivered a mace. They quickly brought the mace to Krishna, who, with a knowing smile, instructed them to grind it into powder and cast it into the sea. However, a single triangular piece remained unbroken, and it, along with the powdered mace, was thrown into the sea.

In time, the triangular piece was swallowed by a fish, which was later caught by a hunter. The hunter, finding the piece, fashioned it into a deadly arrow. Meanwhile, the powder washed ashore and caused a particular type of grass to grow in abundance, setting the stage for the fulfillment of Gandhari's curse.

The Death of Lord Krishna

As the days passed, Krishna began to contemplate his departure from the mortal world. He recalled a prophecy made by the sage Durvasa, who had once remarked that Krishna’s death would come from his feet, the only part of his body not covered in protective Payasam during a ritual.

One day, as Krishna lay in meditation under a tree, a hunter named Jara mistook his moving foot for a deer and shot a lethal arrow, crafted from the cursed triangular piece of the mace, into Krishna’s foot. Realizing his mistake, the hunter rushed to Krishna, pleading for forgiveness. Krishna consoled him, explaining that his death was predestined and inevitable. With this, Lord Krishna left the mortal world, marking the beginning of the Kaliyuga.

This tale of Krishna's end reminds us of the cyclical nature of time and the inevitable consequences of karma. As we celebrate Janmashtami, donning our favorite Krishna T-shirts or Hanuman T-shirts, let us reflect on the divine play that unfolds through these ancient stories. To buy a variety of hindu t shirts like shivji t shirt, hanuman t shirt, ganesh t shirt, Krishna t shirt, ram t shirt, bajrang bali t shirt etc. click here! Whether it's a Ganesh T-shirt, Anjaneya T-shirt, or a Hindu T-shirt featuring Lord Krishna, these symbols connect us to the timeless narratives of our rich heritage.

[The images used in this blog post are not owned by Anime Devta, they are just for entertainment purposes]

| JANMASHTAMI | LORD KRISHNA | HINDU T SHIRT | SHIVJI T SHIRT | HANUMAN T SHIRT | GANESH T SHIRT | KRISHNA T SHIRT | RAM T SHIRT | BAJRANG BALI T SHIRT | HINDU |

~Mimansa Sharma