The Destruction of the Yadu Dynasty

…in accordance with the will of Sri Krishna

As a follow-up to the recent article by Parvathi J recounting Gandhari’s curse of Sri Krishna at the end of the great Battle of Kurukshetra as narrated in the Mahabharata, I thought I’d reveal how that “curse” was, again, actually part of the Supreme Lord’s plan.

As recounted in the translation of the Srimad Bhagavatam by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Canto 3, Chapters 3 and 4:

Yadu-vamsa cursed by the sages (image by author)

Once upon a time, great sages were made angry by the sporting activities of the princely descendants of the Yadu and Bhoja dynasties, and thus, as desired by the Lord, the sages cursed them. Verse 24

A few months passed, and then, bewildered by Kṛṣṇa, all the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, Bhoja and Andhaka who were incarnations of demigods went to Prabhāsa, while those who were eternal devotees of the Lord did not leave but remained in Dvārakā. Verse 25

After arriving there, all of them took bath, and with the water of this place of pilgrimage they offered their respects to the forefathers, demigods and great sages and thus satisfied them. They gave cows to the brāhmaṇas in royal charity. Verse 26

Thereafter they offered the brāhmaṇas highly delicious foodstuffs first offered to the Personality of Godhead and offered their respectful obeisances by touching their heads to the ground. They lived perfectly by protecting the cows and the brāhmaṇas. Verse 28

Thereafter, all of them [the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja], being permitted by the brāhmaṇas, partook of the remnants of prasāda and also drank liquor made of rice. By drinking they all became delirious, and, bereft of knowledge, they touched the cores of each other’s hearts with harsh words. 3.4.1

PURPORT:

In ceremonies when brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are sumptuously fed, the host partakes of the remnants of foodstuff after the guest has given permission. So the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja formally took permission from the brāhmaṇas and ate the prepared foodstuff. Kṣatriyas are permitted to drink at certain occasions, so they all drank a kind of light liquor made of rice. By such drinking they became delirious and bereft of sense, so much so that they forgot their relationship with one another and used harsh words which touched the cores of each other’s hearts. Drinking is so harmful that even such a highly cultured family becomes affected by intoxication and can forget themselves in a drunken state. The descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja were not expected to forget themselves in this way, but by the will of the Supreme it happened, and thus they became harsh towards one another.

As by the friction of bamboos destruction takes place, so also, at sunset, by the interaction of the faults of intoxication, all their minds became unbalanced, and destruction took place. 3.4.2

PURPORT:

When there is need of fire in the forest, by the will of the Supreme it takes place due to friction among the bamboos. Similarly, the descendants of Yadu were all destroyed by the will of the Lord by the process of self-destruction. Just as there is no possibility of a fire’s occurring deep in the forest due to human effort, so also there was no power in the universe which could vanquish the descendants of Yadu, who were protected by the Lord. The Lord wanted them to be so destroyed, and thus they obeyed His order, as indicated by the word *tad-anujñāta.*

As explained in the Tenth Canto of the Bhagavatam, many demigods accompanied Krishna when He descended to assist in His earthly pastimes. When it was time for His departure, He wished that they return to their heavenly homes. This scene was thus enacted to fulfill that desire.

The Yadu-vamsa was unconquerable, mighty in their strength! The saying “picking out a thorn with a thorn” was thus displayed as the members of the Yadu dynasty fought amongst themselves and apparently killed one another in a drunken stupor.

The pastimes of the Lord are certainly unique and bewildering to the atheist! But they are relishable to those with a devotional demeanor. 🙏

Tagging Parvathi J, Vinod Bhardwaj, Krishna, Dr Radha Narayanan, Sourojit Das, Maithilee Singh, TRADITIONAL INDIA by Simran Thakur