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The city of Dwaraka is where Lord Krishna lived as a king. This Kingdom of Dwaraka was established by Lord Sri Krishna and it was where he settled down post the victory over his maternal uncle, Kansa. He is said to have made huge significant developments in this city and it was then known to be the ‘City of Gold’. Although, the city of Dwaraka is no more and the current Dwaraka is believed to be something different than the kingdom of lord Krishna, hence the back story that is worth a read!
The City of Gold
Lord Krishna ruled this city of Gold. Under him, the kingdom flourished and is supposed to have extended over 104 km. It is also known to be one of the oldest and well flourished cities in Ancient India. He performed and spent wonderful pastimes there. One of the note-able events would the expanding of His own-self into 16,108 forms and creating 16,108 palaces for His 16,108 queens. It was where Lord Krishna lived, with his 16108 wives and children. The community of Lord Krishna was yadavas and this city was where they took shelter in. In Vrindavana, Lord Krishna lived as a simple cowherd boy, but in Dwaraka, it is believed that He lived as a wealthy prince and eventually a wealthy King. In Sanskrit, Dwraka means “gateway to the Supreme” or “city of gates.” Traditionally or typically, an opulent city would have many gates, indicating the king’s confidence in protecting the city.
Going back to the establishment of this city, it is known that Dwaraka was a fort city built within the sea. Lord Krishna built Dwaraka to protect the men of his clan, the Yadav dynasty. Back then, the men of the Yadav dynasty were prone to repeated attacks by kings and their army intent on killing Him and his clan. However, it is believed that by the will of the Lord himself, Dwaraka is said to have disappeared into the sea at the time of the Lord’s departure from this world. Upon learning about the existence of this city, many stydies and archaeological excavations were conducted. A few of the archaeological excavations have brought out from the sea many artifacts and evidences that went on to suggest that an opulent city stood there in the distant past, centuries ago. The present city Dwaraka is situated on the shore and this new city that is often misunderstood to be the land where Lord Krishna ruled, has a resident population of approximately 30,000.
The Curse to Lord Krishna
The city of Dwaraka has an interesting past. Previously, back in the Treta and Dwapara Yugas, curses and blessings of great people often showed their effects and eventually came to be true. The cause of the destruction of the entire city of Dwaraka and its residents is one such curse that dates back to the Mahabharat epic.
On the 18th day of the Kurkshetra War, the Pandavas killed the entire army of the Kauravas, including Duryodhan, it was declared that they won the battle. Learning about this, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, along with Vidura and Sanjaya, visit the battlefield. At Kurukshetra, they meet Lord Sri Krishna and the Pandavas. Upon seeing the dead bodies of their sons lying around, the royal couple was devastated. While Gandhari wept seeing the situation, Lord Sri Krishna tried to console her by giving knowledge about life and death of human, through stories. However, this had no impact on the royal couple.
The couple after being greeted by the Pandavas were really anguished. In anger, Dhritarashtra tries to kill Bheema who was responsible for the death of his eldest son, Duryodhan. However, he failed at doing so. Then, the eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira, filled with immense guilt, with folded hands said to both of them, that he is the reason for all this disaster. No one but only he should be blamed for this slaughter and should be cursed by them.
However, Gandhari was blown by the sorrow of a mother who lost all her hundred sons, went on to accuse Lord Sri Krishna for her loss. She curses lord Sri Krishna that the way she had to witness the slaughter of her clan, he too would have to witness the downfall of the Yadava clan; and that they will all eventually begin to fight against each other and kill each other; that his kingdom would then get drowned by the oceans and he will die a cruel death only after witnessing the end of his own clan.
She says, “Oh Krishna! The eternal Lord of the Universe, thou art the Director and the chief performer of this entire gory drama happened in the name of Kurukshetra war. Millions of men were slain, their spouses and children now weep inconsolably. Listen to their saddening screams, oh! Gopala! Once there were cuckoos gleefully singing in this beautiful country but now dogs and wolves happily howl after filling their stomachs by feeding on the rotting carcasses that are indistinguishable whether these are that of the warriors or of the horses and elephants.
You drank Kshatria blood of 21 generations as Parasurama. Are you still thirsty for more? Behold ! Our entire clan is obliterated. I lost all my hundred sons and my many beloved grandsons. Pandavas too lost all of their siblings and children. O Kesava, our entire vamsa vruksha (family tree) was burnt down to ashes. Let me ask you why did you let this gruesome war happen in the first place? Why?
You know everything and you could have prevented this carnage, for you have the inimitable power to do so. You could have brokered peace with your full potential but you failed to do, Oh! the mighty, miraculous, omni-potent son of Nandagopala! can you ever get to understand a mother’s pain of losing her children? Indeed, you took birth after killing six of your elder siblings in the guise of Karma (fate). Ask your mother about the pain.
Now you watched the brothers of the same family slay each other with vengeance but you took side unjustifiably to annihilate only my sons. Now if I have acquired my deserving merit and power owing to my pathivratha (being a truthful wife to my husband) dharma, I shall curse thee! Just how I happened to bear the grievous burden of watching my entire family and relatives perish in the war, in 36 years from today, your Vrishni clan will also be destroyed by infighting and you will die in great pain watching it happening right in front of your eyes. Just as the mothers, wives, and sisters of the warriors died in Kurukshetra, women in your country, Dwarka, will have to weep, scream and cry over the huge piles of dead bodies!”
The Mausala Parva (In Sanskrit, translating to “Book of Clubs”) of the epic Mahabharata, describes the sub-sequent events that took place. Although, a while later Gandhari realises her mistake and apologises Lord Sri Krishna for her curse, however it was not taken back by her. Lord Krishna accepted this curse from Gandhari, he then explains how it would help rid the earth of the tyrannical Yadavas whom he himself had found it difficult to restrain.
The effects of the Curse
The curse of Gandhari eventually began to show its effects. After 35 years post the Kurukshetra war, the effects of this curse came live and it polluted the minds of the Yadavas and they start to act worse than wild animals.
The events start near the city of Dwarka 35 years after the end of Kurukshetra war. The empire is peaceful and prosperous, the youth of Yadavas have become frivolous and hedonistic. Krishna’s son samba dresses up as a woman and his friends meet Rishis, who were visiting Dwaraka for an audience with Krishna. The young man playfully pretending to be a woman claims he is pregnant, and asks the rishis to predict the gender of the baby. One Rishi sees through the prank. it resulted in angering the sage who later on curses them that an iron rod would be born out of the person disguised as woman (Samba) which will annihilate the entire clan. The youth inform King Ugrasena what has happened, who asks Samba to powder the iron bolt and cast it into the Prabhas sea. The king also issues an order that no intoxicating spirits shall be produced or distributed in the Yadavas kingdom.
The town then witnesses several dark omens, including the disappearance of the Sudarshana chakra and the Panchanjanya (Krishna’s conch), Krishna’s chariot and the plough weapon of Balarama. Pests multiply. Sinful acts multiply, yet no one feels any shame. Wives deceive their husbands, and husbands deceive their wives. Everyone has the same terrifying dreams. People insult and humiliate their seniors and teachers. Krishna gets concerned, asks everyone to go on a pilgrimage to the sacred waters of the Prabhas sea. They follow the advice of lord Krishna and do the same. When they arrive back to Dwaraka, the Yadavas revel in merry making, dance and drink lots of alcohol.
Once, Satyaki inebriated with wine, goes over to Kritavaram, criticizes him for scheming with Ashwatthama (Son of the Pandava prince Arjuna) and killing the remaining Pandavas army while they were sleeping. This conversation begins a spark in both the parties. They begin to argue who did more wrong during the war. In the ensuing fracas, Satyaki kills Kritavarma. Other Yadavas kill Satyaki for killing Kritavarma. Lord Krishna then appears and noticing that Satyaki has been slain, takes the eraká grass (grass blade) in his hand, which miraculously becomes a club – it is with this club he begins to slay the violent. Others pick up the grass too, which transforms into an iron club in their hands. Everyone, inebriated with alcohol, attacks everyone else. Soon everyone who is battling is dead, except Vabhru, Daruka and Lord Krishna. Balarama survives because he was not at this event, and not inebriated.
However, Balarama and Vabhru die next. The curse has shown its effects and it soon turned out to be true and led to the destruction of the entire clan of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna’s clan soon ended up killing each other out of a verbal tiff with grass blades. Soon after this destruction of the Yadava clan, Lord Krishna sends Daruka to the palace at Hastinapur and he then narrates all incidents to the Pandavas. The messenger conveys that Lord Krishna asked him to tell Arjuna to help the women, children and old age people who were left behind in Dwarka.
Some of the powder cast in the Prabhas sea had been swallowed by a fish. Inside the fish, the powder has become a metal piece. Jara, a hunter, catches that fish and finds the metal. Jiru sharpens it to make an arrow. He goes hunting, and accidentally shoots Lord Krishna, while Krishna is meditating, thinking he is a deer. Krishna consoles Jara and then ascended with his four-armed form to his abode. Lord Krishna gets killed as per the curse of Gandhari; he was accidentally shot in the sole of his foot by a hunter. It is believed that this marked the end of his human form and he is said to have ascended to Vaikuntha Loka (Lord Vishnu’s abode). This marked the end of Dwapara Yuga and beginning of the kali yuga.
Post the death of Lord Krishna
Arjun then rushed to Dwarka and as per the instructions from Lord Krishna, he tried to save the remaining Yadavas. He escaped Dwarka with their women and children and the 1600 wives of Lord Krishna, who seemed to be the only survivors. Eventually, Dwarka sunk in the sea forever. A group of bandits attacked Arjun and the Yadav women and children. Arjuna, the most celebrated warrior of the epic, fails to protect most of them and starts to question his warrior abilities. Unable to rescue them, Arjun, being one of the greatest warriors, was sunk in immense guilt. He then visited the sage Veda Vyas in a disturbed state. The sage told him it was time he and his family left this world. Soon after this, Arjun enthroned Lord Krishna’s grandson Vajra, as the king of the remaining Yadavas at the land of Indraprastha.
This is the account given by Arjuna in the Mahabharata:
“The sea, which has been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. It rushed into the city, coursing through the beautiful city streets, and covered up everything in the city. I saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged on by one. In a matter of a few moments, it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory.”
