Lord Krishna was the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is one of the most revered deities of Hindus. Krishna killed his maternal uncle Kans, who was a despotic ruler. He also killed Narakasura, the demon who had abducted 16100 Kshatriya women.
He encouraged the Pandavas to fight a crusade against the Kauravas and their allies and restored dharma. Devaki and Vasudeva were Krishna’s real parents, but Nanda and Yashoda raised him. Krishna’s birthday is celebrated as a festival in India every year.
Names of Lord Krishna’s 8 wives and 80 sons:
1. Rukmini: Pradyumna, Charudeshana, Sudeshna, Charudeha, Sucharu, Charugupta, Bhadracharu, Charuchandra, Vicharu, and Charu.
2. Satyabhama: Bhanu, Subhanu, Svarbhanu, Prabhanu, Bhanuman, Chandrabhanu, Brihadbhanu, Atibhanu, Shribhanu, and Pratibhanu.
3. Nagnajiti: Vir, Chandra, Ashvasen, Chitragu, Vegavaan, Vrush (Vṛṣa), Aam, Shanku, Vasu, and Kunti.
4. Kalindi: Shrut, Kavi, Vrush (Vṛṣa), Vir, Subahu, Bhadra, Shanti, Darsha, Purnamasa, and Somak.
5. Madra (Lakshmana): Praghosh, Gatravaan, Simha, Bala, Prabala, Urdhag, Mahashakti, Saha, Oja, and Aparajita.
6. Mitravinda: Vruka, Harsh, Anil, Grudhra, Vardhan, Unnad, Mahamsa, Pavan, Vahni, and Kshudhi.
7. Bhadra: Sangramajit, Bruhatsen, Shura, Praharan, Arijit, Jaya, Subhadra, Vama, Ayur, and Satyak.
8. Jambavati: Samba, Sumitra, Purujit, Shatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijay, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravid, and Kratu.
The Story of Krishna:
In Dwapara Yuga, Kansa was a tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, which had its capital in Mathura. His sister’s name was Devaki. After Devaki got married to Vasudeva of the Yadava clan, Akashvani (sound from the sky) told Kansa that Devaki’s eighth son would kill him.
Birth of Lord Krishna:
This made Kansa furious, and he put Devaki and Vasudeva in jail. Even though the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva was going to kill him, he killed all the seven children of Devaki and Vasudeva as he did not want to take any chances.
After that, Devaki got pregnant for the eighth time, and Kansa waited for the child to be born. At the time of delivery of the baby, a storm with torrential rain started. The guards of the jail fell asleep. Devaki gave birth to a baby boy. All the doors of the jail opened automatically.
Then, Vasudeva took Krishna to one of his friends, Nanda, whose wife had delivered a baby girl and exchanged the girl with the boy. Kansa was surprised to see that Devaki had given birth to a baby girl instead of a boy, which was not per the Akashvani.
Still, he decided to kill the girl and lifted her with her foot to strike her head against a wall, but the baby miraculously escaped from his hands and turned into a goddess and told him that Devaki’s eighth son is safe and one day, he would kill him. The goddess Yogmaya then disappeared from there. Kansa then ordered the killing of all the kids born on that day, but Krishna was safe in Gokul.
Putana Vadha:
After a few months, Kansa learned that Krishna was in Gokul with Nanda and Yashoda. So, he sent a demoness named Putana to kill him. Krishna was a breastfeeding infant at that time. Putana transformed herself into a beautiful woman and went to Yashoda. She won her confidence and one day, abducted Krishna. She then put her poisonous nipples in the mouth of Krishna, but Krishna not only sucked all the milk of her but also her life juice.
Kaliya Mardan:
As Krishna grew up, he became a cowboy and started following the cowherd. One day, he was playing with a ball with his friends. That ball went into the waters of the River Yamuna. None of his friends were ready to enter the waters, as a multi-headed, gigantic snake called Kaliya used to live there.
The water of Yamuna had become poisonous because of the venom emitted by Kaliya. Neglecting the warnings from his friends, Krishna entered the river. Soon, he encountered Kaliya, who attacked him, but Krishna moved swiftly through the river and started beating Kaliya. Kaliya became tired and surrendered to Krishna. By then, villagers had gathered on the bank of the Yamuna along with Nanda and Yashoda.
They all feared Krishna might have died from Kaliya’s poison, but Krishna came out of the water, dancing on Kaliya’s hood and playing the flute. Krishna did not kill Kaliya but ordered him to leave the River Yamuna and go to a place where he would not annoy anybody.
Lifting of Govardhan Mountain:
The people in Vrindavan arranged a yearly ceremony to thank Lord Indra for giving them the water through the rain. Lord Indra is considered the god of thunder and rain. When Krishna learned about this, he told people that that was not true and the real reason behind the rain was Govardhan Mountain, and they should worship the mountain instead.
Initially, people disagreed, but Krishna was able to convince them. So, they did not perform the yajna to please Lord Indra. This made Lord Indra angry with the people of Vrindavan, and he started torrential rain in Vrindavan. The Yamuna River was flooded, and there was water everywhere in the village. So, the people of Vrindavan came to Krishna and asked for a solution.
Krishna took them along with their cattle and belongings to the bottom of Govardhan Mountain. Then, he lifted Govardhan Mountain, balanced it on the tip of his little finger of the left hand, and let the people take shelter under it. When Indra saw Krishna lifting the mountain on the tip of his finger, he realized that Krishna was not an ordinary boy but was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. Then Indra stopped pouring rain on Vrindavan and apologized to Krishna for his mistake.
Lord Krishna and Sudama:
Krishna and Balarama got their education in the Sandipani Ashram. Sage Sandipani was his teacher. During this time, he had a friend named Sudama, who was very poor. Krishna did not forget his friendship and helped Sudama after a few years when he visited him.
Romantic Krishna:
Krishna was a great flute player, and he used to play the flute when looking after the cattle. He always used to wear a peacock feather on his head. He used to play Raslila with the gopis. Radha was her favorite gopi. Radha was a married woman. Some stories depict Krishna and Radha as lovers, while others depict them as good friends.
Kansa Vadha:
After failing multiple attempts to kill Krishna, Kansa invited Krishna to a wrestling competition in Mathura. Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother, also accompanied him. They fought against prominent and mighty wrestlers and defeated them. After that, Kansa himself fought with Krishna and was killed in the process. Thus, Krishna freed Mathura from the tyrannical rule of Kans.
Ranchhoddas:
Kansa was the son-in-law of King Jarasandha of Magadha. Magadha was a mighty state at that time. To avenge his son-in-law, Jarasandha started attacking Mathura. Krishna and his people defended Mathura successfully a few times, but soon Krishna understood that the people of Mathura were suffering because of him, as he was the main target of Jarasandha.
Hence, he decided to leave Mathura. Therefore, Krishna is also known as Ranchhoddas (one who left the battlefield). Krishna built a new city named Dwaraka with the help of Vishwakarma (architect of gods) on an island (presently in Gujarat) and shifted there with some people from Mathura. He established Ugrasena as king of Mathura.
Dwaraka was a well-protected city. Soon, it became one of the most influential cities in India.
Death of Kalayavana:
Kalayavana was a mighty Yavana warrior immune to all weapons because of a boon. At Jarasandha’s request, he attacked Krishna. Krishna fled the battleground and entered a cave where King Muchukunda was in a deep slumber for thousands of years after helping the gods in a war against the demons. Indra gave him a boon that the person who woke him up would be reduced to ashes. Lord Krishna put his shawl over him. Fooled by this, Kalayavana kicked King Muchukunda, thinking him to be Lord Krishna, resulting in the king’s awakening and being immediately reduced to ashes.
Marriage with Rukmini:
The name of Krishna’s first wife was Rukmini. Rukmini was the princess of Vidarbha. Her father had arranged the Swayamwara for her to allow her to choose the groom of his choice, but they did not invite Krishna, as Kshatriyas at that time did not use to treat Yadavas as warriors. Rukmini was gorgeous and wanted to marry Krishna. Hence, she sent a letter to Krishna expressing her desire to elope with her. Hence, Krishna went to Vidarbha and brought Rukmini to Dwaraka as his wife.
Accused of stealing Syamantaka Mani:
Krishna was accused of stealing a jewel named Syamantaka Mani. It was a jewel with magical powers, and one who possessed it used to get a lot of wealth. This jewel was with Satrajit, who was the wealthiest person of Mathura. When Krishna heard about this jewel, he requested Satrajit to present it to the king so that it could be used for the welfare of the people. But Satrajit denied doing so.
After a few days, Satrajit presented this jewel to Prasen, his brother, who went into the jungle for hunting wearing the jewel. He was attacked and killed by a lion there. Jambavan, the king of aborigines living in the jungle, attacked the lion, killed it, and took the jewel. After the disappearance of his brother and the jewel, Satrajit accused Krishna of stealing the Syamantaka Mani.
Krishna traced Jambavan to prove his innocence and requested that he return the jewel. Jambavan agreed but put a condition before him that he would have to marry his daughter, Jambavati. Krishna accepted his condition and returned to Mathura with his newly married wife. Satrajit was ashamed of his deed and offered the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama to Krishna. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as his wife, but refused to accept the jewel.
Supporting Pandavas:
Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, was the sister of Krishna’s father, Vasudeva. Hence, the Pandavas were cousins of Krishna. Dirty politics were going on between the Kauravas and the Pandavas to capture the throne of Hastinapur. One day, the Kauravas tried to kill the Pandavas and their mother, Kunti, by burning them in Lakshagriha, but luckily, they escaped and decided to remain in disguise.
King Drupada had arranged a Swayamwara of her daughter, Draupadi, in which the Kauravas and the Pandavas were present, but the Kauravas could not identify the Pandavas due to their altered appearance. Arjuna won that Swayamwara but due to some circumstances, she had to marry all five Pandavas. Due to the injustice done by the Kauravas to the Pandavas, Krishna decided to help them gain their rights.
Due to the incident of Lakshagriha, the kingdom of Hastinapur was divided between Kauravas and Pandavas, and Pandavas were given the infertile part of the kingdom called Khandavprastha. The land was primarily covered by the forest known as Khandav Van. Krishna ordered Arjuna to burn the whole jungle. The dwellers of the land and animals in the jungle were either killed or fled the jungle. Then, according to Krishna’s instructions, Vishwakarma built a beautiful city known as Indraprastha on that land.
Narakasura Vadha and Marriage with 16,100 Women:
Narakasura was a mighty demon and the king of the Pragjyotisha kingdom. He had abducted 16,100 Kshatriya women. Even the gods were scared of him.
Krishna attacked Narakasura and killed him in a fierce battle with his Sudarshana Chakra. Then he released the 16,100 women kidnapped by Narakasura. However, the family members of those women did not accept them. Therefore, they requested that Lord Krishna marry them. Lord Krishna accepted their request. The purpose of this marriage was to give dignity to these women. He didn’t have any physical relationship with them.
Shishupala Vadha:
Yudhishthira became the king of Indraprastha. On Krishna’s advice, Yudhishthira arranged the Rajasuya Yagya and announced himself as Samrat (king of kings) Yudhishthira. During the ceremony, the Chedi prince Shishupala insulted Krishna.
Shishupala was a cousin of Krishna. Krishna had promised Shishupala’s mother that he would not kill him until he had committed 100 crimes against Krishna. Krishna warned Shishupala that his 99 crimes were over and he would kill him if he did not stop insulting him, but Shishupala did not stop. Hence, Krishna killed Shishupala with his divine weapon, Sudarshana Chakra.
Paundraka, the Doppelganger of Lord Krishna:
Paundraka Vasudeva was the king of the Pundra Kingdom. For unknown reasons, he started believing that he was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and that Lord Krishna was fake. The people surrounding him strengthened his belief. Therefore, he sent a messenger to Lord Krishna and asked him to either throw away his weapons and stop pretending to be an incarnation or to fight with him.
Therefore, Lord Krishna accepted his challenge and attacked his kingdom. Even though Paundraka was a great warrior, he could not stand before the Lord and was killed by his Sudarshana Chakra.
Insult of Duryodhana:
After the completion of the Rajasuya Yagya, Duryodhana was exploring the palace of Yudhishthira. This palace was built by Mayasura, who had created many illusions in it. Duryodhana got fooled by the illusions and fell into a water poo,l considering it as a floor. After seeing this, Draupadi laughed at Duryodhana, saying that a blind man’s son is also blind. Duryodhana got very angry with Draupadi and decided to take revenge by insulting her.
Pandavas Lose Their Kingdom:
After a few days, Duryodhana invited Yudhishthira for a game of dice. Yudhishthira accepted the invitation and went to Hastinapur with his brothers and wife. Shakuni played against Yudhishthira on behalf of Duryodhana. Yudhishthira lost all his wealth and kingdom to Duryodhana. Then, he lost his four brothers also, and finally, he lost his wife, Draupadi.
After that, to avenge the insult by Draupadi, Duryodhana ordered his brother, Dushasana, to bring Draupadi to court. As Draupadi denied coming into the court, Dushasana dragged her into the court by pulling her hair. Duryodhana then ordered Dushasana to disrobe her.
When Dushasana started pulling Draupadi’s clothes, she prayed for help from Krishna, who was not in court that day. Dushasana went on pulling Draupadi’s sari, but he could not disrobe her as the sari kept getting extended. After some time, he got exhausted and fell, but could not disrobe Draupadi. Krishna did this miracle.
After this incident, Draupadi got very angry and decided to curse everyone present in the court, but the Kauravas’ mother and father begged for mercy and asked her to ask for whatever she wanted. Draupadi asked them to free her husbands and give back the kingdom of the Pandavas to them. Her wishes were fulfilled, and they left the court.
On the next day, at the time of their departure, Duryodhana again challenged Yudhishthira for one more game of dice. Yudhishthira accepted the challenge but again lost it. At this time, he lost his kingdom and was sentenced to 12 years. After 12 years of exile, the 13th year had to be spent without revealing their identity. If the Kauravas had identified them, they had to go for another 12-year exile.
The Miracle of Akshaya Patra:
In exile, Krishna gifted the Pandavas a magical vessel, Akshaya Patra, which would provide unlimited food until Draupadi finished eating. One day, sage Durvasa and his disciples visited the Pandavas after Draupadi finished eating. Therefore, the Pandavas had no food at home.
Sage Durvasa was known for his quick-temperedness; hence, Draupadi feared that the sage would curse them. So, he prayed to Lord Krishna to help them. Lord Krishna appeared before her and asked her to show the Akshaya Patra. There was one grain of rice remaining on the plate. Krishna ate that grain and burped with satisfaction as if his stomach was full. Suddenly, the sage Durvasa and his disciples also felt the satiation of their hunger and left the hut of the Pandavas happily after blessing them.
The Last Year of Pandava’s Exile:
After 12 years of exile, Pandavas spent the 13th year in disguise in the Matsya kingdom of King Virata. These 13 years were calculated as per the lunar calendar, but Duryodhana refused to accept the lunar calendar and said he found Pandavas before the completion of the 13th year in the solar calendar (actually, Pandavas’ exile was calculated according to the lunar calendar).
The real reason behind this was that Duryodhana did not wish to give the Pandavas their kingdom back and was looking for an excuse. Because of this, the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas became inevitable, but the Pandavas wanted to avoid war, so they sent Lord Krishna as their ambassador to Duryodhana.
Lord Krishna asked for only five villages for the Pandavas, but Duryodhana denied this and insulted Lord Krishna. He even tried to imprison Krishna, but he was unsuccessful.
Lord Krishna fools Duryodhana:
When war became inevitable, the Pandavas and Kauravas started to prepare for it. They began to visit the kings to gather support from them. One day, Duryodhana came to Dwaraka to visit Krishna and ask for his support. When he reached there, he found that Krishna was sleeping. He sat by the side of Krishna’s head, and he found it insulting to sit at his feet. At the same time, Arjuna came to Krishna to ask for his support. He saw Duryodhana waiting there. Then, he sat near Krishna’s feet, waiting for him to get out of his sleep.
When Krishna awoke from sleep, he found Arjuna sitting at his feet. After some time, he noticed Duryodhana was also there. Krishna asked Arjuna why he arrived at Dwaraka, but Duryodhana objected and said that he had come first and deserved the right to ask first. But Krishna said that he saw Arjuna first, so that he would ask Arjuna first. He also told them that he would not fight during the war. He would be available only for advice, so that they could choose from his army or himself.
Arjuna, without any hesitation, chose Krishna over his army. By hearing this, Duryodhana was also happy as he wanted the army of Dwaraka. So, Duryodhana was given the army of Krishna, but some of the soldiers favored the Pandavas, so they joined them in the war.
Preparation for the Kurukshetra War:
Before the start of the war, the Kauravas were able to gather 11 akshauhini (1 akshauhini means 21,870 chariots and chariot-riders, 21,870 elephants and riders, 65,610 horses and riders, and 109,350 foot-soldiers) sena, and the Pandavas were able to gather 7 akshauhini sena. The date of war ranges from 5561 to 950 BCE. The war lasted for 18 days.
Bhagavad Gita:
On the first day of the war, both armies gathered on the battleground of Kurukshetra. After seeing his relatives on the opposite side, Arjuna felt hopeless and decided to abandon the war. To remind him of his duty, Krishna counseled Arjuna and prepared him mentally to fight the enemies. This dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna is known as the Bhagavad Gita.
The Mahabharata War:
On day 3 of the Kurukshetra war, Bhishma, the commander-in-chief of the Kauravas, caused havoc on the Pandavas. Duryodhana had blamed him for not participating in the war with his full strength. He killed thousands of soldiers in the Pandavas’ army and looked unstoppable. Arjuna used to love Bhishma a lot, so he did not make significant efforts to stop him. This provoked Krishna to break his vow not to lift the weapon during the war. He picked up a chariot wheel and went towards Bhishma to kill him, but Bhishma kneeled and apologized to Krishna.
Krishna knew that the Pandavas would not be able to win the war until Bhishma was alive, but Bhishma had a boon of Ichchha-Maran (death by self-wish), so it was not possible to kill him. So, Krishna worked out a strategy. Bhishma had taken a vow not to attack women. Though women were not allowed on the battlefield, there was one person, Shikhandi, who was originally a woman but later changed his sex and became a man. However, Bhishma used to treat Shikhandi like a woman.
On the 10th day of battle, Shikhandi accompanied Arjuna in his chariot. Shikhandi challenged Bhishma, but Bhishma put down his bow and arrow as if he considered Shikhandi a woman. Taking this opportunity, Arjuna showered arrows on Bhishma. The arrows pierced Bhishma’s whole body, and his whole body was held above the ground by shafts of arrows. He was taken off the battlefield. Bhishma did not wish to die on the winter solstice. So, he decided to wait until the summer solstice to leave his body.
Abhimanyu’s Death:
On the 13th day of the war, Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, was killed by the Kauravas. Abhimanyu was just 16 years old, but he was fighting so furiously that the Kauravas had no other option than to use more than one warrior against him, which was against the rules of war.
The great warriors like Karna, Duryodhana, Drona, Kripacharya, and others fought with him and killed him. After that, Jayadratha kicked his dead body and used abusive words against him.
Pledge of Arjuna:
After hearing this, Arjuna got very angry and pledged that either he would kill Jayadratha on the next day or he would immolate himself.
Taking this as an opportunity, the Kauravas protected Jayadratha completely and kept Arjuna engaged until the evening. At this time, Krishna played a trick and covered the sun with the Sudarshana Chakra. Thinking that the Sun had set, Jayadratha came out of the protection of the Kauravas.
As soon as he came near Arjuna, Krishna removed the Sudarshana Chakra and told Arjuna to kill Jayadratha. Then, Arjuna beheaded Jayadratha with an arrow.
Death of Ghatotkacha:
Usually, the war used to stop with the sunset, but on this day, it did not, as the Kauravas felt betrayed by Krishna. Krishna told Bhima to invite his son, Ghatatkocha, to the battleground. Ghatatkocha was a demon and his powers multiplied in the night. Ghatatkocha wreaked havoc on the Kauravas’ army.
He was humongous in size. He started killing the Kauravas’ army as if someone were killing ants. Seeing this, Duryodhana ordered Karna to use a divine weapon against him. Karna hesitated to do this because he kept the weapon for Arjuna. But upon Duryodhana’s insistence, Karna used it against Ghatotkacha. Thus, Krishna succeeded in saving Arjuna from Karna.
Death of Dronacharya:
On the fifteenth day of the war, Krishna knew that to defeat the Kauravas, it was necessary to get rid of Dronacharya, but he was nearly invincible. So Krishna told Bhima to kill an elephant named Ashwatthama.
After killing Ashwatthama, Bhima started shouting that he had killed Ashwatthama. Dronacharya got worried as Ashwatthama was his son’s name and was dearest to him, but he didn’t believe Bhima, as Ashwatthama was invincible. So he turned to Yudhishthira for confirmation, as he never used to lie.
Yudhishthira told him loudly that Ashwatthama was killed, but then whispered that he did not know whether Ashwatthama was an elephant or a man. His whisper did not reach the ears of Dronacharya. So he trusted that his son was dead. Feeling the grief of his dearest son, he put down his bow and kneeled on the battlefield for a moment. Taking that opportunity, Dhrishtyadumna beheaded Dronacharya.
After hearing about the death of his father, Ashwatthama became furious and fired a divine weapon on the Pandavas’ army, but because of Krishna, no harm was done to them.
Death of Karna:
On the 16th day, after the death of Dronacharya, Duryodhana appointed Karna as the chief of the Kaurava Army. Karna fought valiantly and killed many in the Pandava army. He defeated Nakula and Sahadeva but did not kill them because of his promise given to Kunti.
On the 17th day, Shri Krishna knew that the war could not be over without the death of Karna. So he had devised a plan for himself. Before that, Karna defeated Bhima and Yudhishthira, but again, he did not kill them because of his promise.
When Karna challenged Arjuna, Krishna drove his chariot to a swampy land. He had already told King Shalya, the charioteer of Karna, to discourage and insult Karna, creating a rift between them. When Karna came after Arjuna, his chariot wheel got stuck in the ground. King Shalya denied helping him. So Karna got off the chariot and tried to free the wheel.
At that moment, Krishna told Arjuna to kill him, but Arjuna denied it because it was against the law of war. But Krishna reminded him of Draupadi’s insult by Karna, and Arjuna agreed. Soon, realizing Arjuna’s intentions, Karna tried to throw a divine weapon at Arjuna, but he forgot everything because his teacher had cursed him. Soon, Arjuna beheaded him.
Lord Krishna Fools Duryodhana Again:
Gandhari realized that the Kauravas were about to be defeated. She wanted at least one of her sons to survive. So at night, she told him to come before her early in the morning without wearing any clothes, so that she would look at his body and he would be invulnerable because of her special powers.
Krishna did not want to let this happen, as the death of Duryodhana was necessary. So in the early morning, when Duryodhana was going to see her mother, Krishna caught Duryodhana in the middle and laughed at him. He advised him to at least wear a leaf around his waist, as he was not a kid.
Duryodhana agreed with him and wore a leaf around his waist. When he went before Gandhari, she removed the band over her eyes and glanced at Duryodhana, but as he had worn a leaf around his waist, that part remained vulnerable.
Last Day of the War:
On the 18th day, King Shalya became the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. Yudhishthira killed him in spear combat. Shakuni was killed by Sahadeva. After that, Duryodhana fled the battlefield and hid in a lake. Pandavas found him and challenged him to a war.
Bhima and Duryodhana had a fierce battle, but Bhima could not kill Duryodhana as he was invulnerable. Then, Krishna advised Bhima to hit Duryodhana on his thighs.
Bhima hit Duryodhana on his thighs and left him severely injured. Hitting a warrior below the waist was against the rules of the war. Therefore, Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother, got angry and tried to attack Bhima, but Krishna intervened and convinced Balarama.
Death of Pandava’s Sons:
Ashwatthama, Kripacharya, and Kritavarma met the dying Duryodhana and promised to take revenge. Then Ashwatthama attacked the Pandavas’ camp and killed Dhrishtyadumna and the five sons of Pandavas. At that time, the Pandavas were out of the camp.
Krishna Curses Ashwatthama:
When they returned, they saw the aftermath and became very angry. They started searching for Ashwatthama. On seeing the Pandavas, Ashwatthama invoked Brahmastra against them. Arjuna also invoked a Brahmastra against him. If the two weapons had struck each other, it could have caused great destruction. Hence, Sage Vyasa interfered and asked Arjuna and Ashwatthama to return the weapons. Arjuna took back his weapon, but Ashwatthama directed it towards the womb of Uttara, who was pregnant.
Some people believe that Krishna intervened before it reached her womb. Some believe it killed her child, but Krishna used his powers and brought the fetus back to life.
This was one of the few incidents where Krishna lost his temper, seeing a monster that could not spare an innocent unborn child. He approached Ashwatthama and removed the jewel from his forehead, which was the source of all his power. Vasudeva also cursed him, saying that he would roam the forests until the end of Kali Yuga and that his wound would never heal. He would plead for death, but he would not get it. Since then, it is believed that Ashwatthama wanders in the forests around the Narmada River in India. Many people claim they have seen him.
Lord Krishna Saves the Life of Bhima:
Krishna knew that Dhritarashtra would be pissed against Bhima as he had killed his 100 sons. Therefore, when Dhritarashtra asked to embrace Bhima, an iron statue was handed to him. He embraced it with so much power that it broke into pieces, but soon he realized his mistake and thanked Krishna for saving Bhima.
Now It was Lord Krishna’s Turn to Get Cursed:
Dhritarashtra forgave Pandavas and Krishna, but Gandhari did not forgive Krishna as she held him responsible for the death of her 100 sons. So when Krishna and Pandavas went to meet her, she cursed him that the whole Yadava clan, including his sons, would be destroyed in the same way her sons died. If Krishna had wanted, he could have refused the curse, but he accepted it gracefully (it seems he himself wanted to end it as they had become arrogant, or he knew they had it coming).
This doused her anger, and she recognized her mistake. She apologized to Krishna but Krishna did not mind it.
Lord Krishna Returns to Dwaraka:
After the coronation of Yudhishthira, Krishna left for Dwaraka. Many Yadavas did not like Krishna’s interference in the war. So they were rude to him. Also, as they were the most potent clan now, they had become arrogant. They had started drinking heavily and were deviating from the path of Dharma. Hence, Krishna decided to aloof himself from politics.
Curse of Durvasa:
One day, many great sages, including Sage Durvasa, who was very quick-tempered, visited Dwaraka. Yadavas were so dumb by that time that they decided to prank them.
One of Krishna’s sons, Samba, dressed like a woman and hid an iron lump under his dress so it would appear as if he were pregnant. He went to the sages and asked them whether he would give birth to a boy or a girl. The sages recognized the prank immediately, and sage Durvasa cursed Samba, saying that the same iron lump he was hiding would be responsible for destroying the Yadava clan.
Samba got scared to death and ran back to his friends. They went to see the king of Dwaraka, Ugrasena, who advised them to crush the iron lump and throw the powder into the sea.
But who would stop the inevitable? The powder they threw into the sea served as a seed, and many iron grass-like arrows grew out of it.
End of Yadava Clan:
One day, all the Yadavas males had gathered for a function along the seashore, unaware of those iron grass-like arrows. Most of them were drunk to hell. Soon, they started quarreling over the role of Krishna in the Kurukshetra War. As the fight escalated, one plucked an iron grass-like arrow and killed the others. All the others followed him, and soon there was no one to fight.
Death of the Hero:
After the death of all his sons, friends, and colleagues, Lord Krishna was distraught. He went to a forest, sat on a tree branch, and started playing the flute (or went into deep meditation). One hunter named Jara came there, mistook his moving feet like a deer, and fired a poisonous arrow. It lodged into the heel. The hunter realized his mistake and asked for forgiveness. Krishna knew that the hunter was Bali in a previous birth, whom he had killed as Lord Rama. Therefore, he forgave him and decided to leave the world.
Lord Krishna left his present body and went to Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu’s abode). The cycle of Karma was completed. The moment Krishna died, Kali Yuga (Dark Age) began.