Mausala Parva
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Mausala Parva denotes the tragical incidents related to the death of Shri Krishna and the destruction of Yadavas through an internal strife. This Parva is the third last Parva preceded by Ashramavasika Parva and Ashvamedhika Parva Parva and preceding the last two Parvas Mahaprasthanika Parva and Svargarohana Parva. It contains approximately 250 verses of the complete Mahabharata which is seven times Illiad and Oddyssey.
Introduction
The Parva starts with the Pandavas weeping for Krishna and his men. Yudhishtira sends Arjuna to Dwaraka in order to enquire the well being of the rest of the survivors of the Yadava clan. Arjuna brings the news.[1]
Various curses on Krishna and the Yadava clan
The Yadava clan get cursed on three ocassions:-
"Firstly, Gandhari curses Krishna and his clan to get destroyed towards the end of the Mahabharata war. Secondly various sages such as Vishwamitra, Brigumuni, Vashista, Narada and others curse Yadava clan when Samba and his friends play a Boyish prank with these Rishis. Thirdly, lord Krishna curses his wives that the robbers will kidnap them soon after his death; He further curses his son Sambha to suffer from Leprosy when Krishna's wives attempts to have incest relationship with Sambha".
Gandhari's curse on Krishna
During the end of the Mahabharata war, Gandhari lost all of her sons except Duryodana. Krishna comes to visit Gandhari. While Gandhari realised that almost all her sons were killed by Bhima in the Mahabharata war. Further, she could hear the widows of various soldiers weeping a lot over their husbands being dead. She could not find ways to console them over they lamenting for the dead. Thus, Gandhari blames Krishna to be the cause for this total destruction of the Kuru race. Gandhari believed that Krishna though had the power to prevent the war, he did not do enough inspite of having such a power. So, if Krishna had really willed, then he could have stopped the war from happening. So, Gandhari cursed Krishna that his entire Yadava race will also get destroyed through an internal strife in the same way as the Pandava and Kauravas were destroyed after fighting with each other. All the wives of the Yadava clan will lament over their dead husbands in the same way as the widows of the Kuru race lament over their dead husbands now. Further, Krishna will be a mute witness of this entire carnage. Krishna will meet a cheap death like an animal after being the only person of his race.
Krishna's reply to Gandhari
On hearing the curse, Krishna replied that the Mahabharata war was a necessity and yet it occured after being inevitable. He reminds Gandhari as how he came as a messenger of peace between Pandavas and Kauravas and how her son Duryodana adamantly said that he cannot even offer even a small piece of land occupied by a small needle, when the Pandavas were content even if Duryodana offered atleast five villages. He reminded her again as how Duryodana with the help of Shakuni attempted to destroy the Pandavas on various occasions. So, he said that his duty was to protect Dharma and not to prevent the war. He reiterated to her that although he controls the entire Universe, yet he does not interfere. He allowed the people to choose their own actions.
The Burden of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna used to think for a long time as how can his race be destroyed. The Yadavas were very powerful under the protection of lord Krishna. So, no outside force on the earth can defeat the Yadavas in a war. If the Yadavas themselves are left unchecked, at some point of time in future, they themselves will be a burden to the Earth. So, lord Krishna realised the importance of bringing the destruction of his own race, but was indeed clueless as how to trigger such a collapse inspite of being lord vishnu himself. So, when Gandhari uttered a curse on lord Krishna and his race, then he thanked Gandhari for having solved his problem that used to haunt him for a long time. He thanked Gandhari who made Krishna to realise that a quarrel among his own men will trigger their own destruction leading to a fracticide (brothers killing brothers). Krishna further said to Gandhari that as for as his death was concerned, he will take her curse as a blessing.
The Curse of sages on Yadavas
Once great sages like Vishwamitra, Durvasa, Vashista, Narada among others were on their way to a piligrimage. After visiting various places, they visited Dwaraka on their way to see lord Krishna and Balarama. Over a period of time, the Yadavas which included Bhodakas, Vrishnis, Kekeyas and Andakas who used to the great devotees of lord Krishna once upon a time, had now lost their discipline, culture and have become very wicked. A group of Yadava boys who saw the great sages decided to mock the sages by playing a boyish pranck. They dressed up a boy named Samba (son of Krishna and Jambavai) as a woman and tied many robes to his belly in order to appear like a pregnant woman. They approached those sages and told that this lady was pregnant and asked them predict whether he will give birth to a boy or a girl. The Rishis soon foresaw the truth through their divine vision and realised that the boys were mocking at them. In anger, the sages cursed them that the disguised boy will give birth to a lump of Iron which will bring the destruction of the entire Yadava race. [2]
Samba gives birth to an Ironbolt
The Yadava boys who laughed at hearing the Rishi's curse, were now amazed to note that Samba has indeed gave birth to an Iron bolt. They get panicked. They all go to the king Ugrasena and narrate the whole incident. Then, the king tells them to grind the iron piece into powder and throw them in Sea. They all do as instructed, but they do not grind the entire piece into powder completely. Still, a small piece of Iron was left out. The boys threw the powder and the iron piece into the Seacoast named Prabasha. All, these happens without the knowledge of lord Krishna. The boys feel that they all are now out of danger. But, only the time knew the truth. The powder get deposited on the sea coast and grew like a bamboo stick (these were later equivalent to clubs of mace).[3]
Krishna curses his wives and his son Samba
Samba was the son of Krishna and Jambavati. He used to be very handsome. He was the cause for the third curse. Once Narada visited Dwaraka. But, Samba did not pay any respect to him. In order to teach a lesson to him, Narada offered alchohol to various wives of Krishna and Samba. After drinking too much of alchohol, the wives of Krishna lost control. They got sexually attrated towards Samba. When the wives of Krishna who were related to Samba as mother, ventured to have sexual relationship with their son Samba incest, then lord Krishna came to know these wrong intentions of his wives. He cursed them that robbers will kidnap them after his death. He further cursed Samba to suffer from leprosy in order to loose his handsomeness. So, Samba suffers from Leprosy later.
The Destruction of the Yadavas
The Yadavas soon forgot all about their curses. Consuming of alcohol was banned in the entire kingdom of Dwaraka. However, after 36 years of Mahabharat war, lots of omen used to appear in the Dwaraka city. This created lot of panic among the Yadava men about their destruction. So, all the men approached Krishna. Lord Krishna suggested them to visit various holy places and to take bath in holy water at each of such places. So, the Yadavas were on piligrimage to various places. They all soon came to a place named Prabasha. After taking bath in the sea, the Yadavas started to drink and spent their time cheerfully in the night. So all the Yadava men become intoxicated by alcohol. On such a occasion, a group of Yadava men included Krishna, Balarama, Pradyumna, Satyaki and Kritavarma.
In the past, Sayaki and Kritavarma fought on the side of Pandavas and Kauravas respectively. They were one of the few survivors of Mahabharata war. Their battle exploits in the Mahabharata war becomes the starting point to trigger the conflict among the Yadava men themselves. When, these people begin to chat, the chat used to develop into an argument and the argument into a conflict. Satyaki said to Kritavarma that he was not a Kshatriya and strongly criticized him for his involvement in the killing of Upapandavas (sons of Draupadi), and for launching an ambush attack on the Pandava camp along with Kripacharya and Ashwatthama during midnight. Kritvarma in turn tells how Satyaki killed an unarmed Bhurisravas's on the 14th day of Mahabharata war. This irritates Satyaki further who says to Krishna how Kritavarma was involved in the Shamantaka mani episode and that he will not spare his life. So, a conflict errupts between Satyaki and Kritavarma. Pradyumna tries to stop the fight, but invain. Satyaki killed Kritavarma. Now, the Yadava man start dividing themselves into two groups. One group supporting Satyaki and the other supporting Kritavarma. All start fighting with each other. Each one of them takes the mace clubs that were grown nearby Prabasha and hit on each other. It was like as though they were hit by an Iron mace. So, they get killed by these. Within a single night, the entire clan of the Yadavas including sons of Krishna, grand sons of Krishna and great grand sons of Krishna and his other relatives perish by killing each other. Both Krishna and Balarama along with a few people witness the entire carnage of their kinsman [4].
The passing away of Krishna, Balarama, Daruka and Babrua
After witnessing the fracticide of his kinsman, lord Krishna and Balarama get depressed. Balarama goes to the forest immediately. But, lord Krishna asked Daruka and Babaru to go to Hastinapur and bring Arjuna so that he can take all the ladies safely to Hastinapur. But, both of them get killed by the blade of grass that falls on them. Hence, Krishna resorts this responsibility on his father Vasudeva. Vasudeva sends one of his left out kinsman to inform the entire proceedings of the Yadava destruction to Arjuna and make him to come to Hastinapur immediately. Krishna meets all the ladies and tells that Arjuna will come to take all of them to Hastinapur and that he will now retire to forest in order to do meditation. All the ladies cry for Krishna. Lord Krishna consoles them and leaves for the forest. Lord Krishna foresaw that Dwaraka will soon sink into the Sea. On his way, he sees a serpant emerging from Balarama and reaching ocean. By this way, Balarama gives up his life and reaches Vaikunta.
In the past, the small unpowdered piece of Iron that was dropped inside the seacoast in Prabasha will be swallowed by a fish. An hunter by name Jara caught the fish and got the Iron piece from it's stomach. He makes them sharp, adds poison to it and fixes them as the edge of his arrows. After witnessing the death of Balarama, lord Krishna sat on a tree with his head downward and his leg upwards. Lord Krishna thought about his past. He recollected the killing of Kamsa, the killing of various demons, the destruction of the Kuru race in the Kurukshetra war, Gandhari's curse on him and his kinsman. He soon realised that the destruction of all his kinsman was in accordance with Gandari's curse and the curse of great Sages. He also realised that the entire purpose of his birth on earth is now fully served, and that now the time has come for his own departure from Earth. In the meantime, the hunter cum fisherman was passing by. The Hunter looks at Krishna's feet. He mistakes it as the face of a deer. So, he aims his arrow at this and Shoots an arrow. Lord Krishna gets killed immediately [5].
The Left Over People
The rest follow Arjuna. Arjuna plans to take them to Indraprastha. Vasudeva, Krishna's father leave for heavenly abode while being in meditation. The wives of Krishna and Balarama pounce into pyre as a Sati. Dwaraka sinks into sea when large Tsunami waves hit the city. On their way, some thieves try to rob them. Arjuna couldn't save the people. The thieves kill many of them and kidnap wives of Krishna. Some of them fall into water in the nearby river. Some burn themselves alive. Arjuna arrives with a very few people to Hastinapur in crestfallen condition. Thus, Krishna's curse on his wives getting kidnapped after his death becomes operational now [6].
Notes and references
All the references below are from two books:
- Bharatam (Dviteeya Bhagam) by Ushasri in Telugu. 2001 Edition by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's Religious Publication Series. No.: 111
- Mahabharata by C Rajagopalachari. 2008 (52nd) Edition by Bhavan's Book University. ISBN 81-7276-368-9
The reference from the:
- Bharatam book is prefixed by "Bharatam''.
- Mahabharata book is prefixed by ''Mahabharata''