Indian Myth and LegendMackenzie, Donald A. (Donald Alexander)
History
Indian Myth and Legend
Mackenzie, Donald A. (Donald Alexander)
Hindu mythology; Legends -- India
Ere long it became known that the city of Dwaraka was doomed to be
destroyed. A horror in human shape was beheld in the night; it was
coloured yellow and black, its head was bald and its limbs misshapen,
and men said it was Yama, god of the dead.... Visions of headless men
contending in battle were beheld at sunset.... The moon was eclipsed, a
dread tempest ravaged the land, and a plague of rats afflicted the city.
Krishna forbade all the people, on pain of death, to drink wine, and
commanded them to perform devotions on the seashore....
Then the night was haunted by a black woman with yellow teeth who
grinned horribly at house doors. All the inhabitants of the city were
stricken with terror.... Evil spirits came also and robbed the jewels
of the women and the weapons of the men.... At length the chakra[291]
of Krishna went up to heaven, and his chariot and horses followed
it.... The end of the Yádavas was not afar off, and the day came when
Apsaras called out of heaven: “Depart from hence,” and all the people
heard them.
[291] Celestial weapon.
When the people gathered on the seashore they held a feast, and
being allowed to drink wine for one day, they drank heavily and
began to quarrel. At length Satyaki slew Kritavarman, who had gone
to the Pandava camp with Drona's son on the night of slaughter. Then
Kritavarman's friends killed Satyaki and one of Krishna's sons.
Krishna slew the rebels, but he could not quell the tumult and the
fighting which ensued; fathers slew their sons, and sons their fathers,
and kinsmen contended fiercely against kinsmen.
Then Krishna and Balarama left the city, and both died in the jungle.
From Balarama's mouth issued a mighty snake, for he was the incarnation
of the world serpent.... Krishna was mistaken for a gazelle by a
hunter, who shot an arrow which pierced his foot at the only spot where
he could be mortally wounded. He then departed to his heaven, which is
called Goloka.
Ere Krishna had left Dwaraka he caused messengers to hasten for
Arjuna, who came speedily, to find the women wailing for the dead.
Then Vasudeva, father of Krishna, died, and Arjuna laid the body of
the old man upon the pyre, and he was burned with four of his widows,
who no longer desired to live. The bodies of Krishna and Balarama were
cremated also.
Arjuna then set forth towards Indra-prastha with a remnant of the
people; and when they had left Dwaraka, the sea rose up and swallowed
the whole city, with those who had refused to depart from it.... Such
was the end of the power of the Yadavas.
Deep gloom fell upon the Pandavas after this, and Vyasa, the sage,
appeared before them, and revealed that their time had come to depart
from the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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