mystery of the blue god

The mystery of the blue incarnation

He came to restore peace in the dwapara yuga and took birth as “Krishna”, in the womb of Devaki. It was only this last avatar of Lord Vishnu who could steal, charm, love and fight with equal élan.

Krishna was raised in Gokula in the home of Nanda and Yashodha. He was an unearthly youth, blue as the heart of a rainbow, body scented with chandan, and wore robes of silk like molten gold. Around his neck was vaijayanti, a wild flower garland of tulasi, kunda, mandara, parijata,delicate rainbow orchids and an extravagance of lotuses. His hair was jet black,curly and was adorned with a peacock feather. His lips wore a mysterious smile and played melodious tunes with his golden flute which drove all the women mad.

However, after his leela in Gokula, Vrindavana and Mathura, and tired of battles and his enemies-Jarasandha, Salva, Rukmi, Druma, Sishupala, he went to the heavenly city of Dwaraka (now in Gujarat) with all the yadavas. The marine city of Dwaraka designed by Vishvakarma was indeed a miracle in the sea. It was twelve leagues square; its mansions had crystal towers and terraces, bejeweled domes, floors of beaten gold studded with precious stones.

It was here that Lord Krishna spent the rest of his life. After the victory in the Kurukshetra war, when he returned to Dwaraka, halfway along the road he saw evil omens all around him. He suddenly remembered that the sinister spirit of Kaliyuga is ready to set in and his avatar was coming to an end. It so happened that his own son, Samba along with some other unruly Yadava youths got heavily intoxicated and decided to play a prank on a group of divine rishis-Vishvamitra, Narada, Kanva. Samba borrowed a fisher woman’s attire and pretended to be pregnant and the youths accused the rishis to be responsible for his state. They casually asked the rishis if the child would be a boy or a girl. The divine rishis immediately flew into a violent rage and cursed that an iron club would be born and it will destroy their whole clan. Instantly Samba’s belly grew and that very night the iron club appeared. The king of Dwaraka, Ugrasena had the club grounded to powder though a particular sliver that was arrow shaped refused to even change shape. The powder along with the arrow shaped sliver was cast into the sea which was washed landward by the tide. The powder turned into pollen and it grew into silver eraka reeds with supernatural swiftness on a sacred shore.

Now, the particular arrow shaped sliver of the iron club that could not be grounded was swallowed by a large fish and when some fishermen cut up the fish they caught that day, Jara the hunter spotted it. As fate would have it, he fixed it to the head of his hunting arrow.

Krishna sensed the terrible end of the yadavas. He took all of them to Prabhasa and asked them to bathe at the holy confluence and perform some rituals. Little did they know that they were performing their won last rites. As persuaded by the subtle fate, the yadavas as usual got heady before their midday meal by the potent drink called “maireyaka”. They then started quarrelling over some petty issues and in a flash drew their swords. Very soon, son fought father, brother fought brother, all deranged with “maireyaka” and by Krishna’s maya.

Aniruddha, Krishna’s grandson in a fit of rage grabbed at a handful of those cursed reeds which quickly turned into a sword at his amazement. Each yadava playfully pulled the reeds and very soon all of them held a sword made of the rishi’s curse. And they struck each other in a drunken, dazed state and nobody could stop the wild yadavas not even Balarama nor Krishna himself. The blue incarnation who was half human, was stupefied and helpless as he stood among the smouldering ruins of his own people, and now searched for his brother.

But tired of his incarnation and his human life, Balarama sat quietly under a great aswattha tree meditating. He was himself an avatar of the Ananta naag and slowly Krishna saw Balarama’s body metamorphose and turn into a white serpent. The serpent then bowed to the blue God and glided majestically into the ocean and vanished. Krishna sighed and sat down under the same tree and sat in padmasana. Jara the hunter shot the fateful arrow at Krishna mistaking his blood stained foot to be a deer’s ear.

Krishna cried out, a last echoing roar in the world and Jara came running to find the mysterious blue avatar fighting for life. He begged for forgiveness, but Krishna only blessed him. Krishna knew his mission was over and immersed the magical city of Dwaraka into the sea through his maya. Thus ended the life of the final avatar of Vishnu and all his clan as he drew his last breath, and at once kaliyuga set in.