(This parva describes how the unruly and inebriated Yaadavas killed one another and perished as a whole.'Musala' means a pestle, 'mousala' means 'of or pertaining to a pestle. )
Just like Karna-parva, this parva too has no sub parvas in it.
Sootha continued his narration to the sages in the Nymisha forest.
"Vyshampaayana continued relating the epic of Mahaabhaaratham to Janamejaya.
" Janamejaya! Yudhishthira was thus continuing his rule, sad due to the loss of all his young and old kins. In the thirty-sixth year of his rule, there were many severe sinister omens. Hard winds blew all over all the while. Lightnings struck again and again. Sand rains occurred several times. Birds were seen flying in circular lines leftwardly. Many great rivers flowed astray. All the directions were covered with mist everywhere. Numerous comets fell down from the sky. The rising sun was seen dull and obscured by dust with trunks around the orb. Halos in unpleasant colours of red,ash and green were seen around the sun and the moon. Many more such frightening omens were experienced. All this made Yudhishthira more sadder.
After some short period of time, Yudhishthira received the news about the internal strife among Yaadavas that originated from a pestle. Hearing that Balaraama and Krishna too left this world, he called his brothers and asked them asto what their further course should be. The Paandavas at first did not believe the news of death of Balaraama and Krishna , as improbable as the drying out of an ocean. They were all bewildered and felt exremely bereft, losing their senses for a while."
Then Janamejaya asked Vyshampaayana. " Sir, How was it that the invincible Yaadavas,Vrishnis,Bhojas and Andhakas destroyed themselves right before Krishna himself ? "
Vyshampaayana answered. " In the thirty-sixth year after the war, there was a disturbance among the Yaadavas and they killed one another provoked by the destiny. "
Janamejaya curiously asked. " Sage, Why did they go that way? What was the reason for the destruction of the great Vrishnis,Bhojas and Andhakas? Were they cursed by someone? Please tell me in detail."
Vyshampaayana elaborated. " In that year, once the sages Vishvaamithra, Kanva and Naarada went to Dvaaraka who were accosted by Saarana and some other Yaadava youth. The unruly youth were urged by their bad stars and they wanted to play a trick on the respectable sages. They made-up Saarmba as a woman and took him to the sages. They mockingly prayed to them, ' Sirs, This is Babhru's wife desirous of begetting a son. Can you predict which baby this woman will give birth to, male or female?.'
Infuriated by their irreverence to sages, the sages uttered, " You idiots! This Saarmba, Krishna's son,begets a metal pestle that will see the end of entire Vrishnis, Bhojas and Andhakas. That pestle makes you mad vilians of killing temperment forcing you all to destroy your own clans. Only Krishna and Balaraama are exception to this. Balaraama abandons his body and absorbs into the ocean while Krishna, when lying on the ground, will be shot by a hunter named Jara."
Thus cursing them due to their severe anger caused by their rouguish behaviour, the sages looked at one another and mentally appologised to Krishna for what they did. And in a moment, they all went to Krishna, told him all that occured and left off. The young batch were frightened at what resulted from their practical joke aimed at the honourable sages and they too soon reported everything to Krishna.
Krishna heard the words of the erring youth . As he knew the when and how of everything, he understood that the end of his race neared, but he only told them that the occurance was simply the future course which would essentially happen and left for his palace. He didn't wish to interfere with the course of things and time.
The next morning, an iron pestle fell out from Saarmba's womb. The people reported to the king Ugrasena that a pestle was born as was cursed by the sages. Ugrasena was very sad about that and ordered the soldiers to pulverize the pestle . The soldiers accordingly rubbed it on a stone to make it into a fine dust and threw the dust into the ocean. ( A small piece of the pestle that could not be further rubbed due its minute size, was thrown into the sea. The powder and the piece were carried back to the shore by the waves. Whereever the powder was deposited, a grass of bulrush - Eraka- grew densely and the small piece was found by a hunter who fixed it as tip to his arrow. ) And the king commanded the soldiers to proclaim his orders, as also of Krishna, Balaraama and Babhru, which the soldiers did as, ' May all hear the orders of our king! From this day onwards, there should not be brewing of wine anywhere in the houses of the entire population of this city of Dvaaraka, either they be Vrishnis,Bhojas or Andhakas. If anyone is found guilty of making wine against these orders, he and his kins will be impaled alive on the spike.'
"The information about such proscription of wine-making was passed on to every corner of the city. The people of the city abided by the declaration out of their fear towards their king and the terrible Balaraama.
Even as the chiefs of the Vrishnis were very careful in avoiding trouble to their race, the god of death Yama was making trips in their houses everyday. A male form with tonsured head,terrible looks and horrendous physique, once visible and once not, was peeping into the houses of the Yaadavas. The best bow-men of the Yaadavas shot innumerable arrows at him but the terminator was never hit. Horrid gales blew everyday in all directions. Rats infested the streets. Pots were broken seemingly due to nothing. Mice were biting the hair and nails of the sleeping people during night. The pet mynas were shrieking , day in and day out, with unbearably harsh voices. Cranes howled like mongooses and goats bleated like foxes. White pigeons with scarlet coloured legs flew over the Yaadavas' houses, as if sent by the death god himself. Cows delivered asses, zebras delivered camels, dogs delivered cats and mongooses delivered mice.
The Yaadavas resorted to do indecent things without feeling ashamed of themselves. Gods, ancestors and Braahmanas were hated and disregarded. Barring Balaraama and Krishna, the other Yaadavas were insulting their elders and nobles . Wives and husbands were violating each other. While rites were performed, the fire flames rose up in dark red and black colours, moving in left-ward circles . The people of the city often saw the rising and sinking sun flanked with trunks. In the kitchens, the best cooked delicious foods were swarmed by insects just as they were about to be eaten. When the priests were doing the consecratory rites, or when they were chanting their prayers to the gods, sounds of running feet were heard but none was seen around. There were seen many clashes between planets and stars. But none was able to see his native ( birth )star. Whenever the conch Paanchajanya of Krishna was blown, its sound was followed by brayings of asses all around their houses in the city. The thirteenth lunar day covered the fourteenth and fifteenth days too,, thus causing a three-day-spread lunar date. "
Seeing all those sinister omens, Krishna called for all the chiefs and spoke out to them aloud. " Such an astronomical disastrous occurance as that appeared just before the great war , occured again today. Raahu caused the moon's thirteenth day to be the fourteenth and fifteenth as well, making three lunar days touching a single solar day. This is a very bad signal. Similar confluence of three dates occured before the war when Yudhishthira observed it as the two armies were standing with their arms held in their hands. This omen now is to portend our destruction, it seems. It looks like the arrival of what the lamenting Gaandhaari,bereft of her sons, cursed us with. "
Telling them thus, he felt within himself that Gaandhaari's words are about to come true. And he wanted to let them become so,too. He ordered his men to declare that an excursion to the sea shore was to be taken up the next day. And the men proclaimed his orders out to the people in the city.
During those omenous days, the women folk in Dvaaraka were dreaming that a black coloured hag of white teeth, snarling and laughing aloud, entered their houses during night time, stole their valubles and ran away in the city. The people also dreamt that terrible vultures were eating out the bodies of the people lying in the centre of their fire rooms and halls. They had nightmares that horrendous demons were trying to grab the ornaments, flags, parasols and armours from their houses.
Things going that way, Krishna's disc, made of iron and with a centred diamond, took a flight to the heaven, right in the full view of all the Yaadavas. And his divine golden chariot, as splendorous as the sun, was pulled off in to the sky over the ocean by its four wind-swift horses, even as Daaruka was staring. The two banners,one wth the palm tree and the other with the Garuthmaan, used by Balaraama and Krishna respectively, were taken away by the divine damsels, who repeatedly shouted day and night, 'go on for a pilgrimage.'
The following morning, as was ordered by Krishna, the mighty Yaadavas got ready to go on the declared trip. They all moved out with their women folk. Many varaities of meat, drinks, eatables, wine and milk products were prepared in huge quantities. Then the people and their armed forces too set out on carts, chariots, horses and elephants. They reached the place Prabhaasa and camped there with their wives in beautifully set-up tents alloted to them, where abundant foods and wines were stored for celebration.
At that time, one of their respectable prominent chiefs and a staunch devotee, Uddhava, wanted to take leave from them and bowed to Krishna seeking permission for his going. Krishna, as he knew that the end was befalling onto the Yaadavas, did not stop him. All the Yaadavas, about at their end, saw Uddhava going with his halo occupying the entire gap between the earth and the sky.
And in no time, the drinking festival started and soon it reached its peak stage. People were out of their senses and shouts and whistles rose high. They desecrated the cooked foods meant for offers to the gods and Braahmanas. Unruly and drunken, they sprinkled wine on the sacred foods and threw it to the monkeys. Several hundreds of drums and trimpets were played and dances and songs joined with them. Even as Krishna was watching them, Balaraama, Krithavarma, Saathyaki, Gada and Babhru drank their wines to the fullest. Everybody immursed in drinking and became as senseless as a rogue.
At that moment, a fully inebriated Saathyaki taunted Krithavarma amidst all and insultingly jeered at him saying, " Krithavarma! Will any Kshathriya ever kill the ones sleeping like dead, even in the face of a grave attack on himself ? The manly clans of Yaadavas do not bear that henious act of you."
Pradyumna approved Saathyaki's words and he too jeered at Krithavarma. Krithavarma became indignant and said to Saathyaki reprovingly pointing him with his left hand, " Oh, you great manly valourous hero! How could you shamelessly kill Bhoorishravas in the battle, whose hand was already cut off by Arjuna and who himself sunk into meditation ? "
Krishna heard that rebuke and looked at him, with his eyes reddened with anger. Saathyaki talked to Krishna, further censuring Krithavarma, quoting the episode of the gem Shyamanthaka of Sathraajith and its getting stolen etc. Hearing the mention of her father Sathraajith, Krishna's dear wife Sathya grew angry and she fell weeping into Krishna's lap , making him more angrier than before. Saathyaki became blind with anger at the sight of Sathya's weeping in public. He shouted aloud, " You all hear me . This shameless rougue Krithavarma took the aid of Asvaththaama and resorted to kill the five sons of Droupadi and her brothers Shikhandi and Dhrishtadyumna too, attacking them while they were hard asleep. Please listen to my words Sathya, I am truly vowing to avenge their murders, right now. Today is the end of the fame and life of this scoundrel."
Shouting that way, Saathyaki ran near Krithavarma, pulling his sword off the scabbard, and chopped his head off, right in the full view of Krishna, as well as Krithavarma's kinsmen. Still he was not out of his rage and began to hit at others too.
Krishna then rushed towards him to stop him from further attacks. But in the meantime, all Krithavarma's relatives from the Bhojas and Andhakas surrounded Saathyaki in a unified attack. Krishna saw them swarming angrily around Saathyaki but did not get annoyed, as he new the course of the great time which provoked them that much. And the Bhojas and Andhakas, out of their senses due to drink and disaster, attacked Saathyaki and hit him with their eating-plates and goblets. Seeing Saathyaki cornered, Pradyumna ran there to extricate him out of the attack. Pradyumna took up with the Bhojas and Saathyaki took up with the Andhakas and both the strong heroes put up a stiff fight against their attackers. But, due to the huge numbers of the attackers, both of them gave way and finally fell killed in clear view of Krishna's eye. Krishna then became angry at the sight of the murder of Saathyaki and his own dear son. He pulled off a fist-full of the rush grass that grew there to hit the attackers with. The rush in his hands soon turned into a deadly iron pestle, as strong as the thunder-bolt. He then hit with it, whoever came into his reach.
In that confused and unruly mob-attack by every one against every one, all of them plucked the rush and hit their opponents with it. The mysterious rush that anybody plucked out became a pestle in his hands. All that was due to the power of the curse of the sages, king Janamejaya! Thus, with those rush-turned pestles, all the Vrishnis, Andhakas, Bhojakas and Shyneyas hit one another, not minding who hit whom. Fathers killed sons, sons killed fathers, brothers killed brothers and friends killed friends. None had ever the thought of taking aback from the attack. All clans ran against one another and perished like locusts falling in the fire. Krishna, fully aware of the turns of the time, held a pestle in his hands and was simply watching them kill one another. He saw with his own eyes the fall of his dear ones, Saarmba, Chaarudeshna,Aniruddha,and Gada. That made him burn with rage and he dashed towards the survivors wielding his pestle. And he killed all of them with that fatal weapon. Only Daaruka and Babhru remained alive and they both pacified Krishna, " Sir, All are killed, alas!. Willl you not trace Balaraama's course? Let us go find where he is. " Krishna became normal at those words and he started from that place in search of his elder brother Balaraama.
Thus, Krishna, Daaruka and Babhru searched for Balaraama in the surrounding areas and they found him at a lonely place, thoughtfully sitting in the shade of a tree. On finding out Balaraama's place, Krishna ordered Daaruka, " You go to the Paandavas and inform them of the destruction of the Yaadavas due to the curse of the sages. Then, Arjuna will come here to take care of the people here. " Daaruka, thoroughly upset with the sad developments, accordingly set a chariot and left for Indraprastham. Then Krishna told Babhru standing near him, " You shall at once go back to the city with the women folk and keep guard of them. Lest, the plunderers should trouble them for their wealth." Babhru, half inebriated and half bereft with the fall of dear relatives, obeyed the orders but even as he was taking a few steps, still within Krishna's sight, the curse-struck fellow was hard hit by a hunter's club fitted with a pestle and fell dead on the spot.
Krishna saw Babhru fell dead and said to Balaraama, " Await me here itself. I will entrust the women folk to the kinsmen and return soon. " And he went to the city taking the women and vehicles with him. He saw his father Vasudeva in his palace. Vasudeva had already had the news of the mutual kilings at Prabhaasa. Krishna told his father, " Dear father! You should safeguard the entire women lot and the wealth, awaiting Arjuna's arrival. Balaraama is there waiting for me in the forest. I will join him and go for penance in the forests alongwith him. I have witnessed the destruction of the Kurus long back and now the extermination of our yaadaas too. I cannot behold Dvaaraka without the Yaadavas." Saying that, he touched his father's feet, bowed and strode off speedily. Then rose high, the sound of wailing women and children in the entire city. Krishna turned back hearing the loud noise and said to them, " Arjuna will come to this city. He will relieve and save you from your troubles." Saying that much to them, Krishna went back to the place where his brother Balaraama was still sitting alone in the lonely location.
On nearing Balaraama who was in a yogic trance, Krishna saw a long white serpent emanating from his face. And alongwith that large reptile, the great Balaraama too entered the sea, as Krishna stood watching. Thus Balaraama left his mortal body and reassumed his divine serpent form of numerous heads and hoods as huge as hills. His arrival was welcome by the Sea god, the river godesses and serpent lords such as Karkotaka,Vaasuki, Thakshaka, Prithushravas, Aruna, Kunjara, Mishri, Shankha, Kumuda<.a>, Pundareeka, Dhritharaashtra, Hraada, Kraatha, Shithikantha, Agrathejas, Chakramanda,Athishanda, Durmukha and Ambareesha. Besides, Lord Varuna himself came to greet him and honoured him with offerings. Balaraama absorbed with serpent lord Anantha , whence he originated.
After his brother reaching his permanant abode thus, Krishna roamed alone through the woods, reminiscing about all his past life. He that knew every course of everything, Krishna sat on the ground somewhere in the forest. Then he ruminated certain past incidents which had relation to the current happenings. He thought of Gaandhaari's curse to the Yaadavas and sage Durvaasas' words on the occasion of annointing him with the pudding, which both pertained to the annihilation of Yaadavas. He thought about the destruction of the Kouravas and that of the Yaadavas. He noticed that the time of his exit from the world too arrived.
Thus deciding to honour the time's turn to claim its duty, Krishna lay on the ground, subsided all his five senses into his mind and sunk into yogic trance. He withdrew his speech and mind into his within and lay calm and still, awaiting for the time to strike its move.
Just at that time, a hunter named Jara was prowling around in that area, looking for animals. He glimpsed at Krishna's foot and took it to be the ear of a black deer. Soon he aimed his arrow and shot at it. And he ran to catch his prey before it could run off. The hunter only saw the great soul of many hands, clad in yellow and sunk into his yogic mood. He felt sad about his mistake and fearing his own sin, he fell upon Krishna's feet appologising. But Krishna briefly consoled him and proceeded to his abode, covering the entire space with his machless resplendence.
As the great Lord, who himself is the source and end of the entire creation, he who is the master of yoga and he with terrible splendour, reached his abode that lies beyond words and thoughts, Indra, the gods Ashvis, vasus, rudras, aadithyas, Siddhas,Gandharvas,Chaaranas and apsaras greeted him with joy and respect. Indra admired him with pleasure, Gandharvas exalted his greatness, Apsaras danced and the sages sang his fame with hymns of rigveda. All the celestial beings were overwhelmed with joy seeing Lord Vishnu back at his unreachable abode above all.
There, Daaruka reached Hasthipuram and told the Paandavas about the annihilation of Yaadavas from their internal strife due to the fatal pestle resulting from the sages' curse. All the Paandavas were utterly dejected at the news of destruction of the clan of their dear one Krishna. Arjuna talked to his brothers and after obtaining Yudhishthira's permission, he left for Dvaaraka alongwith Daaruka, to see his uncle Vasudeva, time and again scolding such cruel course of the time that brougt them that disaster.
He reached Dvaaraka and entered the city that looked like a woman bereft of her husband. The huge women folk who were earlier protected by the protector of the worlds, now saw Arjuna as their only protector and they all wept seeing him arrive. Just at the pitiable sight of the weeping sixteen thousand queens of Krishna, Arjuna's eyes were filled with tears. He couldn't even look at those royal women in such a plight, bereft of Krishna and their sons too. He lifelessly gazed at the city which looked like a dried out river, that had once the Vrishnis and Andhakas as its water, the horses as its fish, the chariots as the rafts in it, the noise of trumpets as the noise of its flow, the mansions as its wharves, the gems as its weed, the diamond-studded protective walls as its floating flower-garlands, the strrets as its whirlpools, the sqares as its water-beds and Balaraama and Krishna as its alligators. For him, then Dvaaraka, deprived of its entire Yaadavas and without a trace of joyfulness, appeared like a lotus in winter.
Upon beholding such Dvaaraka and such state of Krishna's wives, Arjuna's eyes flushed out tears in a flow and he instantly fell down wailing. Sathya and Rukmini too ran to him and wept bitterly, twining around his neck. After some time, the queens got better and they helped Arjuna to a seat nearby. As they sat near him mornfully silent, he bewailed over the developements, talked about Krishna and consoled them to some extent. Then he slowly moved into the mansion of his uncle Vasudeva.
There he saw his uncle Vasudeva in his room, pensively lying and rolling in his bed, burning with grief about his sons. Arjuna, touched the feet of his afflicted uncle, he himself being more afflicted. Vasudeva made an effort to kiss him on his head but could not make to it at all. He could somehow embrace Arjuna with his trembling hands and bitterly wailed about his sons, grandchildren, brothers and friends. He said to his nephew, amidst his wailings. " My dear boy, Arjuna, I am made helplessly unlucky enough to forego all those of my kins,whom I have earlier seen win against the gods and demons. Yet,I am still alive! Am I not difficult to die? Those two, Saathyaki and Pradyumna, who were your dear disciples and whom you always quoted as the foremost chariot fighters among us, brought the end of the Yaadavas, with their unexpected indiscipline. It is sad and strange that the two favourite stalwarts of Krishna were the beginning of the Yaadavas' end. Why should I blame Saathyaki, Krithavarma,Akroora or Pradyumna? They behaved only so forced by the curse of the sages. But I wonder , Arjuna, why your dear cousin Krishna did not wish to prevent all that unhappy course of things. You and the sages like Naarada know him to be the Lord Vishnu himself. Didn't you yourself see how he vivified your graandson Pareekshith, who was born dead due to Ashvaththaama's missile ? He killed with his valour the demon Keshi, Kamsa, Poundraka and Shishupaala. He had comprehensively defeated such strong people as Ekalavya of the Nishaada sect, kings of Kalinga,Gaandhaara and Magadha provinces. Many a time, he tamed the rulers in the east,south and the hilly regions. Such a great son of mine, he himself remained witnessing the annihilation of our entire clan, allowing it as it went, without making an effort to stave it off and save his own men.
Maybe, he truly wished not to alter the power and course of the words of Gaandhaari and the sages.
" Arjuna! Seeing all his brothers,friends,sons,grandchildren and relatives fall killed by one another, Krishna came to me and told, ' Sire, the end of our clan is come. Arjuna will get the news about our destruction and soon come here fast, surely. Know Arjuna to be me myself and me to be Arjuna himself. Do as he would tell you. He will do what is to be done in case of the dead, the women and the children. He will perform your funeral rites too. Soon after his departure, the sea will inundate this city, overwhelming the mansions and edifices. Asto me, I will go with Balaraama to a holy place for penance and there meet my last moments.' Saying thus to me, he went off somewhere,leaving me with our helpless boys. Thus am I here, Arjuna, pining from the loss of sons and relatives, averse to food and sleep, neither dead nor alive. It is lucky for us that you have come as Krishna said. I entrust to you these women and boys with the wealth of this city. Do as you think good and fit. I am about to shed my life. "
Listening to the pitiful words of his uncle, Arjuna became more dejected. He answered Vasudeva, " Uncle, I am unable to see the world without Krishna and the Yaadavas. Our king Yudhishthira, Bheema, Nakula, Sahadeva and Droupadi are also of the same view as mine. You better know the courses of time, I see that the time for Yudhishthira's departure has come. By all means, I should take these women, with the children and the old to Indraprastham. Permit me to do so. "
Saying thus to his uncle, he told Daaruka, " I will see all the counsellors of the Yaadavas here. Go quick and arrange for that." And he went to the court hall of the Yaadavas, The Sudharma, which brought to his mind several memories of the dead kins. As he sat there, all the ministers, lead citizens and Braahmana scholars arrived to see him and sat around waiting for his words. He saw the whole group of mourning and dejected minds and said, feeling more dejected than themselves, "A very unfortunate and unforeseen calamity fell upon us. Nothing can be done about what has happened. The sea will inundate this metropolis on the seventh day from now. We shall leave this place by that time. You get ready all your vehicles and workers. Pack and secure all the valuables and food. I will settle all these people at Indraprastham under the rule of this Vajra. Be ready to start in a moment's notice. Make haste."
The citizens heard his words and anxiously went back to make preparations to leave as were ordered. Arjuna spent that night in Krishna's residence all the while smouldering with grief.
The very next morning, Vasudeva took to yoga and left his body, attaining the supreme abode. The noise of his crying wives and other women rose to the sky. The women,with their hair dishevelled, ornaments and garlands fallng off, wailing and hitting on their chests, rolled on the floor around his dead body. Arjuna was called and he too bitterly lamented about the old man's painful death. He soon got the arrangements made. The dead body was mounted onto a garland-rich bier and men carried it out of the mansion. His priests walked in the lead, holding Vasudeva's parasol of Ashvamedha sacrifice and carrying his sacred fires. All the people of the city mournfully followed the bier. His wives, Devaki, Rohini,Bhadra, Madira and others, well ornamented and followed by the women of the harem, walked alongside, to immolate themselves with their husband. The body was taken to a place which was a favourite of Vasudeva during his life and the priests performed all the ritual sacrifices that were suitable to him. With all his wives on it with his dead body, the funeral pyre of wood was lit. Arjuna made a big supply of sandal wood and ghee to be thrown onto it. The sounds of the burning wood and blazing flames mixed with those of the weeping people and singers of the Saama hymns filled the vicinity. Then the remaining descendents of the Yaadava race, like Vajra, and the women folk too, offered oblations with water and sesame seeds to their dead senior . Arjuna supervised all the rites so that everything was perfectly done according to the prescribed procedures. He sent the women and youngsters back to their homes.
Then he proceeded with the few remaining ones to the place where the melee among the Yaadavas occured. At the sight of the dead kins, he wept hard in grief. He composed himself and made the people do the offerings to the dead as far as possible, per their significance. Thereafter, he went in search of the bodies of Balaraama and Krishna. He and his followers wandered through the thick woods without a fixed way to go along. The followers too were unable to show him the correct way, as they too were as at the end of their wits as Arjuna himself was. He roamed for a few days and at last with the help of a hunter, could trace the path of Krishna. He followed that track and found the bodies of Balaraama and Krishna. The very sight made him fall out of senses. Somehow, the followers helped him come back to his senses. Containing his bitter grief, he arranged for performance of their funeral rituals . Clearly out of his normal wits, he then counted the days spent in the search and the time remained in hand for vacating the city before its inundation. It occured to him that it was the next day that the sea would engulf the city and he had hardly one day left for setting out with the entire people. He decided that the news of Krishna's departure should not be revealed to his wives then, as the remaining time would have to be spent for the related activities only and the people wouldn't be saved. He told his followers to keep the news from Krishna's women for the time being . Then he came back to the city of Dvaaraka with them. It was already the seventh day after his arrival there. He set out from the city mounted on his chariot. All the residents of the city moved out with him, some by elephants,some by horses, some by carts, some by chariots and some by foot. The thousands of women bereft of their husbands and wailing about their pitiable condition, followed him. The old and the invalid, the adolescent and the children, all , with no notable hero with them, walked out of the city,following Arjuna. The Braahmanas, the Kshathriyas, the Vyshyas, the Shoodras, the rich, the poor, the sixteen thousand harem of Krishna, almost the entire population of Dvaaraka, as huge as an ocean, followed Arjuna's chariot.
No sooner did they left Dvaaraka, than the sea began to engulf that gem-rich city. Whichever part of the city was vacated by them, such and such part was overwhelmed by the sea with its enormous waves. Seeing that wonderful and dreadful scene, the Dvaaraka residents moved faster and faster with fear, lamenting about the cruelty of time and god.
Their journey continued through forests, along hills and over rivers. Camping here and there,he lead them in that long journey. At a place called Panchanadam, rich in cows, grains and water, he made a camp as usual. A band of waylayers ( following references prove that these are people of the sect called Aabheeras) saw that large group comprising women, aged and children with no notable fighter to protect barring Arjuna. They resorted to sinful acts and consulted among themselves. They thought it easy to plunder them since no resistence could be possible from them. They encouraged one another, " See, one man Arjuna is leading this vulnerable large population under his lone protection. The follwers are in want of energy. Attack from all sides and loot them."
And they fell in groups upon the convoy wielding their sticks and other weapons . They ran unto the travelling people threatening them with their shouts and roars. In a moment, they started relieving the innocent wayfarers of their wealth. Arjuna became aware of that incident and quickly turned back with his followers. He laughed at them and shouted aloud, " You worthless and unrighteous idiots, hold back for your lives. Lest you all should fall dead, hit by my deadly arrows."
Even though Arjuna warned them like that, they did not care for his warnings and continued with their plundering. Then Arjuna took up his evergreat Gaandeevam to drive the robbers away. But, strange! He could not string his bow, however hard he tried. He was at last successful in doing so and thought of his powerful divine missiles to ward the attackers off. Still stranger, he could not remember (the chants and process of)any of his wellversed missiles. At that improbable predicament of his valour and divine missiles, Arjuna felt sad and ashamed too. The remaining few Yaadava fighters could not stand before the attackers. As the robbers swarmed around in large groups and as the women to be protected are huge in number, Arjuna tried his best to save them. Many women were abducted off right before his eyes and some of the women went on their volition. Then Arjuna , with the aid of the few men he had with them, hit at the robbers with his normal arrows from his Gaandeevam. Soon he found his two unemptying quivers empty . He was more unhappy at the loss of the power of the quivers too and he began to hit the thieves with the Gaandeevam itself. Despite his best manual efforts to that time, he could not help witnessing the Yaadava women being dragged away by the robbers. Loss of his divine missiles, loss of ever-full quivers and loss of power of his hands to wield the bow , all made him helpless and disturbed. He could save with great difficulty, the wives of Balaraama and Krishna with some other women. He remained sighing and hissing like a bounded snake. At last, he saw that nothing more could be done and resumed his journey with the remaining folk, with clear loss of all the wealth. He reached Kurukshethram with them and decided whom to settle where. He arranged for settlement of Krithavarmas's son at the city of Maarthikaavatham. He also sent with them the remaining women folk of Krithavarma. He installed Vajra at Indraprastham. All the widows , old men and the young boys, the remaing lot of the Yaadavas, were sent with them. Akroora's wives were also sent with him but they all retired to the forests despite Vajra's pleading not to. Arjuna settled Saathyaki's son on the shores of river Sarasvathi in a town. All the population of the Dvaaraka that he brought with him, Arjuna distributed among the three settlements.
Then he went to the wives of Krishna and talked to them appologizingly. " Sisters! Out of my anxiety to save the lot of residents of Dvaaraka and in the face of the running-out time, I could not reveal to you about the course of Krishna and Balaraama, since the little time remained then at my disposal would have been lost in performing the immediately necessary actions which would surely have caused loss of the entire population of the city. Now I am forced to inform you of the fact of Krishna's departing from this world alongwith his elder brother Balaraama. You all should spare me for keeping this news from you all these days, though in all good intention."
The ladies heard his words with dignified concern. Suppressing their grief with magnonimity, Rukmini, Shybya, Gaandhaari, Hymavathi and Jaambavathi all immolated themelves. Sathya and some others retired to the forests for penance.
Thus doing as he thought good for the remaining lot of the Yaadavas, Arjuna left for Hasthipuram. In the way, still disturbed and weeping over the unhappy occurances of the past few days, he went to the hermitage of sage Vyaasa.
Entering the hermitage, Arjuna saw the sage Vyaasa sitting alone at a place. He neared him and bowed respectfully, declaring himself by name. The sage pleasantly welcomed him and bade to sit nearby. The sage also observed Arjuna to be in a disturbed mood, sighing again and again. And he asked soothingly, " Arjuna! I see you not in your normal state of mind. What is the reason? Is water sprinkled upon you from hair, nails,edge of cloth or broken pots? Did you commit any murder of a Braahmana? Did you inadvertantly moved with a woman during the prohibited period? Are you defeated in fight? Why do you look dull and devoid of your energy ? What is this unusual case with you? Can I hear about it if you don't want to keep it from me?"
Arjuna answered without any life in his voice. " Great sage! The supreme god of blue body and lotus-eyes, our Krishna, has left this world and went to heaven alongwith Balaraama. And before that, all the Yaadavas perished fighting among themselves due to the power of a pestle that came forth because of the curse of sages.
That great and strong heroes of the Yaadavas, who could bear the shots of maces and spears of the enemies, fell dead, hit by their own people with the poor rush grass. See the starnge turn of time! As many as five hundred thousand powerful hands of them met their end at the holy place Prabhaasam. Again and again, I think of that and sink into grief. I am unable to digest the improbable fact that Krishna and Yaadavas were dead, as improbable as the ocean drying, the fire cooling, the sky falling and the mountains moving. I don't wish to live in this world that was abandoned by Krishna. And listen still sadder thing O sage! My heart breaks even at the very thought of that. Just a group of way-laying Aabheeras abducted the widows of Yaadavas right before my eyes. My efforts to defeat them were futile, as I could not even string my Gaandeevam. The strength of my hands was not as it was earlier. All my divine missiles were out of my reach. I ran out my arrows in my everfull quivers. I was nothing of what I had been before then. I suffered the loss of my great Krishna who was moving before my charriot killing all my enemies before I actually shot at them with my arrows from Gaandeevam. I wish not to live without that four-handed figure, clad in yellow, blue in hue and with eyes as wide as lotus petals. My mind burns with grief and insult. The very hearing of that shocking news made me bewildered .I see no peace of mind anywhere. I am wandering asif I am mad with grief from death of kins. You are the only one that can guide me rightly, Sir. Please teach me now, what I am to do."
Sage Vyaasa calmly heard Arjuna's deep lamentations. He said, " My boy! You are not unlearned. The Yaadavas perished due to the curse of Braahmanas. You should not lament about them. That was what had been destined to happen. That was the reason for Krishna's ignoring it, though he could have easily prevented it. In fact, was the curse of sages a great thing to turn otherwise for the omnipotent Krishna, who could have altered even the course of the entire creation with his mere wish? It is true that the forerunner of your chariot was Lord Vishnu himself. He purposely came unto the earth with a view to relieving the earth of its burden. He accomplished that purpose and left the mortal world to go back to his eternal abode. You too played your role well in that cause of the gods, with the help of Bheema and the twins. I think that you all are at the end of your duties. I feel it is better for you to renounce. I hope you are ready for that too. You must understand that thought, strength and wisdom flourish during good times and decay during the other times. Time is the source of everything in the world and time itself absorbs everything into itself at its choiced moment. One that is once powerful becomes weak, one that is once weak becomes a ruler and one that is once a ruler becomes a servant, all due to time and its strange powers. All your weapons have done their prescribed job and went back to their source. They will return to you when the moment of need occurs. I once again advise you dear Arjuna, it is time for your departure and it is good for you to do so too."
Thus comsoled and instructed by the great sage Vyaasa, Arjuna went to Hasthipuram to report to Yudhishthira.
11:40 PM 01/04/2013
YUDHISHTHIRA SEES SINISTER OMENS
THE DESTRUCTIVE PESTLE IN DVAARAKA
YAADAVAS' DESTRUCTION
DEPARTURE OF BALARAAMA AND KRISHNA
ARJUNA GOES TO DVAARAKA
ARJUNA DEVOID OF HIS EARLIER PROWESS
VYAASA CONSOLES ARJUNA AND ADVISES TO RENOUNCE THE WORLD
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT
END OF MOUSALA PARVA
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DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA
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