Canto 11, Chapter 1, Verse 22-23
kaścin matsyo ’grasīl lohaṁ
cūrṇāni taralais tataḥ
uhyamānāni velāyāṁ
lagnāny āsan kilairakāḥ
matsyo gṛhīto matsya-ghnair
jālenānyaiḥ sahārṇave
tasyodara-gataṁ lohaṁ
sa śalye lubdhako ’karot
A fish swallowed the iron lump, and the small pieces of iron that were carried back to the shore by the waves rooted themselves there and grew into tall, sharp canes. The fish was caught in the sea along with other fish in a fishermen’s net. The iron lump in the fish’s belly was taken by the hunter Jara, who used it as an arrowhead at the end of his shaft.
The powder from the ground iron pestle was thrown into the sea. However, there was a piece of the iron pestle which had not been crushed. That piece ended up being swallowed by a fish. Eventually, all the iron powder from the pestle was brought to the shore, and started to grow as Kush grass.
Meanwhile, the fish which had swallowed the piece of iron pestle was caught in the net of a fisherman. Afterwards, a hunter by the name of Jara took that fish and found the iron piece inside of it. He thought, “Ah, that’s a very nice piece of metal.” So he used it to make an arrow.
Canto 11, Chapter 30, Verse 1-2
śrī-rājovāca
tato mahā-bhāgavata
uddhave nirgate vanam
dvāravatyāṁ kim akarod
bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
brahma-śāpopasaṁsṛṣṭe
sva-kule yādavarṣabhaḥ
preyasīṁ sarva-netrāṇāṁ
tanuṁ sa katham atyajat
King Parikshit says, After Uddhava, the great devotee, left for the forest, what did the Supreme Lord Narayaana, the protector of all living beings, do in the city of Dwarka? After His own dynasty was destroyed by the curse of the brahmins, how could the greatest of the Yadus give up His body, the object dearest to all eyes?
Canto 11, Chapter 30, Verse 4
śrī ṛṣir uvāca
divi bhuvy antarikṣe ca
mahotpātān samutthitān
dṛṣṭvāsīnān su-dharmāyāṁ
kṛṣṇaḥ prāha yadūn idam
Sage Sukadev says, Having seen many disturbing signs in the sky, on the earth and in outer space, Lord Krishna spoke to the Yadus assembled in the Sudharma council hall.
Canto 11, Chapter 30, Verse 5
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ete ghorā mahotpātā
dvārvatyāṁ yama-ketavaḥ
muhūrtam api na stheyam
atra no yadu-puṅgavāḥ
The Supreme Lord Himself says, O leaders of the Yadu dynasty, please know that all these terrible omens which have appeared in Dwarka are like the flags of death. We should not stay here a moment longer.
After Uddhava had left for Badrinath following the advice of Krishna, many bad omens started to be witnessed by the citizens of Dwarka. So Krishna as the top leader of the Yadavas and ruler of Dwarka, advised all the men of the Yadava clan to go and perform prayers at the holy shore of Prabhasa. Meanwhile, Arjuna had come to meet Lord Krishna, and so Krishna asked Arjuna to “Look after all the women and children.”
Soon after their arrival at Prabhava, the Yadavas start drinking, quarrelling and abusing each other. Krishna tried to calm them down, but they were so drunk that they started abusing Krishna, and fighting with Him. Then, the big fight started. They started battling with each other crazily. Before they were friends, were close relatives, but here they were drunkards killing each other. It seemed as if they were all driven by a force which was not under their control. Even Bhagavan Krishna tried to reason with them, but it was of no use. The effect of the curse was visible: this fight would be the end of the Yadu dynasty. They were like madmen killing each other. When all the weapons were broken, they picked up the Kush grass that was growing around. This grass had grown out of the iron powder of the pestle which Ugrasena had ordered to be ground and thrown in the sea. According to the curse pronounced by the sages, that pestle was going to cause the end of the Yadu dynasty.
In a short time, they were all dead. Only Krishna and Balarama were still standing there. Krishna looked at Balarama, Balarama looked at Krishna and they started smiling at each other. They knew that this was all His Leela. It was now the time for the entire dynasty to disappear. As there is a beginning for everything, there is also an end. Even Bhagavan had taken a form, but here His incarnation as Krishna Avatar was coming to an end. It’s not truly an end. He just makes that body disappear, yet He is eternal. In the same way, even if it seems that He left Vrindavan, actually He had never really left; He is eternally in Vrindavan.
This was the time to finish the Krishna Avatar, because Kali Yuga was also near. Thus, Bhagavan Krishna went to sit down under the shade of a tree. At a distance, the hunter Jara was hunting a deer. As Krishna moved His Feet, Jara thought that it was a deer, and he shot an arrow. This arrow was exactly the one made with the piece of the iron pestle, and it had been shot at the Feet of Krishna. Jara came near Krishna while looking for the deer. He was shocked when he realised that it was not a deer, but the Feet of Krishna, his Lord. He started crying, and wailing, begging, “Lord, have mercy! Please forgive me! I have committed a great sin.”
Soon afterwards, the chariot of the Lord came. Daruka, His charioteer, started crying as soon as he saw what had happened to the Lord. Bhagavan said to Jara, “Don’t worry! Don’t cry like this. Go and tell the people of Dwarka to leave the island, because soon Dwarka will be submerged under the sea.”
Meanwhile, Brahma, Shiva, Parvati, all the demigods, and great sages appeared where Bhagavan Krishna was lying down, with His Feet bleeding. They offered their obeisances to Him and sang praises about His glory. At last, Bhagavan looked at them for the last time, then closed His eyes and left to Vaikunta.
Finally, Daruka reached Dwarka bringing the sad news of Krishna departure, and how the dynasty of the Yadava had been destroyed. Everybody was shocked and distressed. They all ran to see the body of Lord Krishna. Upon hearing this news, Ugrasena, Devaki and Vasudeva died of grief. Arjuna performed all the funeral rites. After that, he took the women and the children to Hastinapur. The very next day Dwarka was submerged under the sea.
When Krishna left this physical world, true dharma, patience, truth, as well as blissful love and joy disappeared together with Him. He was preparing the way for Kali Yuga to take over. Nevertheless, true dharma, patience, truth as well as blissful love and joy will awaken inside of those who surrender to Him, and who find Him inside themselves.
The human mind is always running towards the outside, and people deceive themselves. Only when there is true Bhakti, and one surrenders to the Lotus Feet of the Master, to the Lotus Feet of Krishna, then one finds ones’ true dharma, and becomes truly patient. Only then, Bhagavan reveals the Truth inside one’s heart. Only then, the supreme bhav, the true Love awakens.
We have just heard the story of Bhagavan Krishna. Whoever hears the story of the Lord and His glory is cleansed from all sins and attains at the end of life the abode of the Lord, Vaikunta. There, one can eternally enjoy His Leela.