Chapter 1 - Sage’s Curse: Imprecating the Annihilation of Yadu’s Race

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Śuka (The Son of Bādarāyaṇa) said:

1. Accompanied by Balarāma and the Yādavas, Kṛṣṇa brought about the annihilation of the Daityas (some through Balarāma, some through Yādavas and the rest like Pūtanā, Kaṃsa, etc. himself). (In the case of near relatives whom he could not destroy personally) he (being the indwelling soul of all) instigated a fast-growing virulent feud (culminating in the war between Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas) and lightened the burden of the earth.

2. Using as his means (the cause of) Pāṇḍavas whose wrath was extremely (and frequently) provoked by their enemies (Kauravas) through fraudulent gambling, scornful insults, dragging (their queen Draupaḍī) by the locks of her hair and such other humiliating acts, the Lord removed the burden of the earth by causing the mutual destruction of the kings who assembled there (in Kurukṣetra) as allies on either side (as these were Daityas born as his relatives).

3. Having destroyed completely the kings and their armies which caused a burden to the earth through his Yādava clansmen who were protected by his arms, the Lord of incomprehensible nature (and boundless powers) pondered: “Though (apparently) the burden of the earth has been lightened, I do not consider it as really removed as long as the irresistible^[1] clan of Yadus still continues to exist. (It will not be proper for me to annihilate personally my own clansmen openly).

4. Being always under my protection, this clan which has become unrestrainable through ever-increasing power and prosperity, can never be defeated (and destroyed) by others (even by gods). Having instigated an internal discord leading to their total (mutual) destruction like a forest of bamboos consumed by fire (sparked by their mutual friction), I shall retire quietly to my abode (Vaikuṇṭha).”

5. Having made up his mind thus, the Almighty Omnipresent Lord of true, effective resolve, withdrew (to their respective places in the higher world) his own race, making the curse of Brāhmaṇas as the pretext (with a view to establish the greatness of Brāhmaṇas).

6-7. The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa retired to his abode after captivating the eyes of persons with his superb personality which surpassed the world in beauty^[2] (and made people’s eyes unwilling to see anything else), and by his words he fascinated the hearts of those who remembered them, by his foot-prints he suspended the movements and actions of those who espied them (and had thus concentrically attracted to himself all the propensities of the people who saw him), and after having spread his glory all over the earth—his glory which can be sung in beautiful verses and which if heard or recited, people would easily cross over the darkness of Nescience and Saṃsāra.

King Parīkṣit enquired:

8. How is it that the curse of Brāhmaṇas affected^[3] the Vṛṣṇis who were devoted and friendly to Brāhmaṇas: were extremely generous; always rendered services to elderly persons and had their minds devotedly attached to Kṛṣṇa.

9. What was the occasion of the curse? What was its nature? How could discord be sown among Yādavas who were of one mind? Be pleased to narrate to me in details everything about this.^[4]

Śrī Śuka explained:

10. Possessing a personality comprised of everything that is beautiful in the world, engaged in performing ideally auspicious acts even though he had all his desires accomplished, enjoying himself in his home at Dvārakā, the Lord of liberal wish-bestowing glory felt his mission still incomplete and desired to annihilate his own clan.

11-12. Having accomplished highly blissful and auspicious actions glorifying which bring merits and singing of which wipes out the dirt (sinfulness) of the Kali age, he stayed as Kāla (the God of destruction) in the house of Vasudeva, the Lord of Yadus. Sages such as Viśvāmitra, Asita, Kaṇva, Durvāsas, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Kāśyapa, Vāmadeva, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Nārada and others took leave of him and went to the (holy place) Piṇḍāraka.^[5]

13. Youths of the Yādava clan who were playing there approached those Sages and though really impudent, they feigned to pay respects to their feet in mock humility, and put a question to them.

14-15. They dressed Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī in the clothes of a woman and said, “This dark-eyed damsel is pregnant and desires to ask you, O Brāhmaṇas—She feels shy of asking you directly. But She is desirous of having a son and will deliver soon. You are of unfailing vision. Be pleased to tell whether she will have a male or a female issue”.

16.O King! The Sages who were thus being cheated (as a practical joke), got angry and replied, “O stupid fellows! She will give birth to a pestle which will exterminate your race”.

17.Hearing that (predictive curse), they became extremely terrified. They at once undressed the belly of Sāmba. And lo! They found a veritable iron pestle in it.

18.“What folly have we—unlucky fellows—committed? what will now people say to us?” In such a perplexed mood, they went home, taking the pestle with them.

19.With pale, withered faces, they took it to the royal assembly hall. And in the presence of all Yādavas, they reported the whole matter to King Ugrasena (and not to Śrī Kṛṣṇa).

20. Learning of the unfailing curse of Brāhmaṇas and seeing actually the pestle, the citizens of Dvārakā were shocked with astonishment and were quaking with terror.

21. Āhuka (Ugrasena), the king of Yadus got the pestle reduced to powder and caused it scattered over the high seas and did the same to the remaining piece of the iron pestle which could be so reduced.

22. Some fish swallowed up that iron piece while the particles of the powder were borne by the sea waves to the shore where they grew into a kind of reed called Erakā.

23. (As Fate would have it) the fish (that swallowed the irreducible iron piece of the pestle) was caught in a net along with other fish in the sea, by some fishermen. The piece of iron found in the bowels of the fish was fixed at the point of his arrow by a hunter.

24. The glorious Lord Kṛṣṇa knew all the facts. The Supreme Ruler as he was, (he could have but) he did not wish to counteract (and render ineffectual) the curse of the Brāhmaṇas. He, being the Destroyer himself, approved of it (as he desired to exterminate the Yādavas).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The existence of the powerful invincible, vast Yādava clan was intolerable to Lord Kṛṣṇa—EK.

[2]:

Or which imparted beauty to the world—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

[3]:

Nārada used to stay at Dvārakā so that he should not be affected by Dakṣa’s curse. If Dakṣa’s curse was ineffective due to the presence of Kṛṣṇa in the case of Nārada, how could the Brāhmaṇa Sages’ curse descend upon the Vṛṣṇis at all—EK. 1.280

[4]:

EK. explains that the Will of Lord Kṛṣṇa to annihilate the Yādava clan is the real cause of the Brahmanical Curse (1.284-85).

[5]:

This is near Golagar, sixteen miles to the east of Dvārakā (Saurāṣṭra)—GDAMI, P. 157.