Death of Lord Krishna was destined to be in a desolate situation, by an ordinary man who was a hunter named "Jara". Lord Krishna is considered to be an incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu and is widely believed to be the composer of the holy Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita.
Curse for Death of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna was deeply involved with the Pandavas during the War of Kurukshetra. He also joined them and aided them in every possible way during the Great War. Lord Krishna was the "Sarathi" or charioteer of Arjuna. Lord Krishna received the curse of Duryodhana"s mother, Gandhari for not rescuing her son. She was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu and recognised Krishna as his incarnation. She equally believed and revered Lord Krishna, but on seeing her son die in front of the Primal Male, she could not find any justification as to why Lord Krishna allowed such things to befall. Soon after cursing Krishna, she realised that she got carried away and feel down on her knees while crying. Krishna lifted her up and smiled. He said to Gandhari that her curse will take effect not only because of her true devotion towards him but due to the fact that change is inevitable and that change is the law of the universe.
Story behind Death of Lord Krishna
Gandhari, the mother of Duryodhana, cursed Lord Krishna that he would perish after 36 years, all alone and in a miserable state. All his followers, devotees, relatives and loved ones would also die simultaneously. Eventually, a time arrived in the life of Lord Krishna; a madness seized the inhabitants of Dwaraka in such an extent that the people started to kill one another. All sons and grandsons of Krishna were also dead in the massacre. Only a woman, Krishna and Balarama were alive in Dwaraka. After a while Balarama desolated himself in a dense forest. Lord Krishna sent the women and children along with a messenger to the city of Kuru and they were left with the Pandavas. Lord Krishna then went to his father, took blessings and left for the forest, where Balarama awaited him. He saw that his elder brother was sitting under a mighty tree on the fringes of the forest. Balarama was sitting in a posture of a Yogi, eventually a thousand-headed snake, "Anant Naga", came out from his mouth and glided its way to the ocean. Soon, the ocean and other holy rivers came together to welcome Ananta Naga into their realm.
Lord Krishna saw his brother depart from the real world and he started to wander in the forest. Finally he sat on the ground, started to think about Gandhari"s curse, and realised that the time for his departure has already arrived. He self-possessed his senses and concentrated on his Yoga. A hunter named Jara approached that spot of the forest and from a distant saw the partly visible left foot of Krishna and thought to be a deer. He loosed his shaft, took out the arrow, and mistakenly pierced Lord Krishna"s foot. He came hurriedly near the Lord and witnessed him as a man wrapped in yellow robes practicing yoga. The hunter immediately touched the feet of Lord Krishna and asked for apology.
Lord Krishna opened his eyes and comforted the hunter. He informed the hunter about his previous life of Bali who was killed by Lord Rama. He then ascended towards the heaven, thus filling the whole sky with glory. After passing through Lord Indra"s paradise, he reached his place at even higher strata. Arjuna cremated Krishna and the Lord"s wives, including Rukmini, became Sati and were burnt on pyre. The rest of the women of Dwaraka became ascetics and nuns. After each and every living being of Dwaraka moved away to other places, the ocean came about and engulfed the city, thus leaving no trace of the land of Lord Krishna.
Disappearance of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna"s disappearance marks the end of Dwapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga. It is believed that Lord Krishna lived on Earth with brother Balaram for 126 years and 5 months. According to researchers and the scholars, He disappeared on 18th February 3102 BC. The era after his disappearance marks the beginning of Kali Yuga. It is said Lord Krishna had predicted that exactly 7 days after the disappearance of the Lord, the Golden city of Dwarka and the Dwarkanath Temple in Gujarat will drown in the sea. Indeed, Dwarka city is said to have been merged in sea owing to torrential rain. The end of Lord Krishna was destined and yet considered to be another "Leela of the Almighty".
