The Mausala Parva from the Mahabharata | Yadavas killing themselves by M. V. Dhurandhar

Описание: The Mausala Parva of the Mahabharata recounts the tragic end of the Yadava dynasty, including the deaths of Krishna and Balarama. This brief but poignant section begins with a curse by sages after being mocked by Yadava youths, who disguise Samba, one of Krishna’s sons, as a pregnant woman. The sages declare that Samba will give birth to an iron club that will destroy the Yadavas. The prophecy comes true, and though the club is pulverized and thrown into the sea, the remnants transform into sharp reeds, setting the stage for disaster.

During a drinking festival at Prabhasa, tensions among the Yadavas boil over into violent conflict. Fueled by intoxication and unresolved grievances, they turn on one another, using the reeds as weapons to annihilate their entire clan. Balarama retreats to meditate in the forest, shedding his mortal form, while Krishna, heartbroken by the carnage, is accidentally killed by a hunter named Jara. The hunter’s arrow strikes Krishna’s heel, his only vulnerable spot, symbolizing the culmination of divine will and the inescapable nature of fate.

The Mausala Parva serves as a somber meditation on the inevitability of destiny, the consequences of moral decline, and the cosmic transition from the Dvapara Yuga to the Kali Yuga. Even a divine lineage cannot escape the cycles of time and decay, emphasizing that all beings are subject to the laws of dharma and karma. The submergence of Dwaraka into the ocean marks the end of an era, highlighting the impermanence of even the greatest civilizations and the unfolding of a darker age.