The Pandavas lived in grief due to separation from their relatives.
After six years, Yudhistira saw his mother in a dream and they all went
to the forest to see her. They took Vyasa, a sage and grandfather in the
family, with them. Gandhari and Kunti told Vyasa they wanted to see
their dead relatives. Vyasa advised them to dip into the Ganges, which
they did, and when they came out they saw Karna, Duryodhana and all the
others standing on the bank of the river. Even the blind king
Dhritarastra saw the vision. After the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura,
two days later a forest fire killed Dhritarastra, Kunti and Gandhari.
Yudhistira had become king after the Great War, but reigned for only a
few years before the family crowned Pariksit, Arjuna's son, as king. The
Pandavas and Droupadi left their material engagements to prepare for
the end of life (maha-prasthana). They departed for the Himalayas
mountains where heaven is, walking in a line with Yudhistira first, then
the other brothers, Droupadi, and finally Yudhistira's dog. As they
climbed the mountains, first Droupadi died, then each of the brothers
died, until finally Yudhistira reached the gates of heaven, followed
only by the dog. Lord Indra was there to meet him. When Yudhistira
realized that his brothers and wife were dead, he didn't want to go into
heaven alone, but Indra said the others were already there waiting for
him, thus Yudhistira and the dog entered heaven with Lord Indra.
Along with the curse of Gandhari, another curse befell Krishna's dynasty
that contributed to its annihilation. Once some of Krishna's sons were
playing around and they dressed Samba as a pregnant woman, and brought
him before some visiting sages Visvamitra, Kanva and Narada Muni. In
jest they asked the sages to predict what kind of child Samba would give
birth to. Insulted, the sages said he would give birth to an iron rod
that would become the instrument to fulfill the prophecy of their
dynasty's demise. Fearful and repentant, the boys asked Krishna what to
do, but Krishna acknowledged the curse and said it was meant to be. When
Samba delivered an iron rod the next day, the Yadavas (Krishna's sons)
filed it into powder and threw it into the sea. Krishna enforced a
prohibition on liquor in Dvaraka, hoping to avoid what was destined to
come. Still evil omens began: rats multiplied and attacked humans in
their sleep, sheep howled like jackals, asses were born from cows, and
cats from mules. Krishna's Sudarshan-chakra weapon disappeared into the
sky.
Eventually the powder from the iron rod washed up on the shore and grew
into arrow-like grass. The Yadavas became drunk and used the rods to
kill each other. Even Krishna beat people out of anger. In this
fratricidal war all the descendents of Krishna killed each other.
Krishna sent His messenger Daruka to Hastinapura to inform Arjuna of the
demise of the Yadava race, then consoled the women in the palace. He
told his wives that Arjuna would take care of them and left for the
forest. Krishna's brother Balarama sat down under a tree and his life
air came out of his mouth like a white serpent and entered the sea.
Krishna roamed the forest for some time, then sat down to meditate. When
a hunter named Jara came by, he mistook Krishna for a deer and shot an
arrow into His foot. Krishna died at once and his spirit rose into
heaven. Arjuna cremated Krishna and several of His principle queens died
in the funeral pyre after Him. Arjuna left for Hastinapura with the
remaining wives, but on the way, forest dwellers attacked and the women
dove into the Satasvati River and died to escape.
Philosophers and scholars of the time knew that the death of Krishna
marked the beginning of Kali-yuga, the present age of degradation. Thus,
to preserve this heritage and the stories of Krishna for future
generations, they held a convention in the Forest of Naimasharanya. The
sages discussed all these stories and Vyasa, one of the sages present,
later wrote everything down in what is now the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
