Gandhari's Curse
“Overwhelmed by grief at losing all her sons, Gandhari curses Krishna, holding him responsible for the war and predicting the destruction of the Yadava clan.”
Contains: Divine curse, Moral complexity, Grief and anger, Emotional trauma, Mature themes
Story Summary
After seeing all one hundred of her sons dead on the battlefield, Gandhari's grief turns to anger, and she confronts Krishna. She accuses him of being able to prevent the war, of standing by while her sons died, of allowing the devastation to happen. Krishna, with divine compassion and understanding, explains the nature of dharma and accepts his responsibility, but also explains that the war was inevitable, that choices had consequences, that destiny had to unfold. In her overwhelming grief and anger, Gandhari pronounces a curse: the Yadava clan, Krishna's own people, will destroy itself in thirty-six years through internal conflict. Krishna accepts the curse with grace, understanding that it is part of dharma, part of the cosmic order, part of the consequences that must follow. He explains that the curse is just, that it reflects the cost of war, that it is the natural consequence of the choices that were made. This critical moment sets up future events in Mausala Parva, where the Yadava destruction will come to pass. The story shows the moral complexity of war, the weight of responsibility, and the acceptance of consequences, even divine ones.