Ep. 105: The Death of Krishna

Narrated by Kumar VarunAfter 36 years of peace, Dwaraka descends into chaos. A drunken brawl among the Yadavas fulfills a deadly curse. Krishna watches as his clan destroys itself. Balarama retreats into the ocean. And on a quiet forest floor, a hunter’s arrow ends the mortal life of Vasudeva.Sources, Bibliography and Suggested further readings:Mahabharata – Mausala Parva (Book 16), especially the C. Rajagopalachari abridged version (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1951)Mahabharata – Critical Edition, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (Pune)K.M. Ganguli translation of the Mahabharata (1883–1896), public domainBhagavata Purana – Skanda 11, Chapters 30–31 (describes the destruction of the Yadavas and Krishna’s departure)Bibek Debroy, The Mahabharata (Penguin India, 2010–2014), Volume 10 (for critical edition-based English translation)P. Lal, The Mahabharata of Vyasa (Writers Workshop, Kolkata) – poetic retelling for reference tone