He sat down on the ground in the forest and recalled Gandhari’s curse. A hunter Jara, who had come there, saw Krishna from far. He thought Krishna’s foot was a deer and shot an arrow. The arrow struck Krishna on his toe. When Jara came there, he realised his mistake. Krishna consoled him and then left the world, going to the abode of Narayana.

Daruka had reached the Kuru kingdom. Arjuna came with him, and when he reached Dwaraka, he saw death and destruction everywhere. The wives of Krishna began to cry when they saw Arjuna. He became senseless, seeing everyone cry. When he recovered, he went to meet Vasudeva.

Krishna’s father then conveyed Krishna’s message to Arjuna. He asked Arjuna to complete the last rites of the Yadavas and take the women and survivors to safety. He told Arjuna hat the moment he left, the sea would swallow the city of Dwaraka.

Arjuna then announced that Vajra, the son of Anirudha, would be the king, and he would be taken to Indraprastha. The next day, Arjuna found Vasudeva dead. He then performed the last rites of Vasudeva. Devaki and Rohini entered the fire with their husband.

Arjuna then found the bodies of Krishna and Balarama. He completed their last rites. Arjuna left on the seventh day, along with all the women and survivors. On the way, they were accosted by the Abhira bandits, who decided to abduct Krishna’s wives.

Seeing them, Arjuna laughed and asked them to desist threatening to destroy them. When they did not listen to him, he strung the Gandiva but found it very difficult to use his great bow. When he finally strung the bow, he could not shoot arrows. He tried to release celestial weapons but could not remember the mantras.

The surviving warriors could not stop the Abhira bandits who abducted the women and the wealth of Dwaraka. Many of the women voluntarily went with the bandits. Helped by the Vrishnis, Arjuna managed to shoot arrows from his Gandiva. He was shocked to find that the inexhaustible quiver of arrows was empty.

Filled with sorrow, Arjuna led the remaining people to Indraprastha, where he made Vajra the king. Before that, he made Kritavarma’s son the king of Martikavat and asked the women of the Vrishni clan to stay there. Rukmini, Jamabavati, and a few other wives entered the fire while Satyabhama went to the forests.

A grieving Arjuna then went to meet the sage Vyasa. Arjuna narrated all that had happened and told Vyasa why he was distressed.

The sage then told Arjuna that the destruction of the Yadavas was destined. He advised Arjuna that the time to attain the end was nearing.

Understanding Vyasa’s message, Arjuna returned to the city of Hastinapura and told Yudhishtira about all that had occurred.

End of Mausala Parva