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The Justification of Krsna's Annihilation of His Own Clan
S. J. Noel Sheth
It is with a great sense of joy and gratitude that I write this essay in honour of Prof. M. A. Mehendale, who taught me Yāska's Nirukta. In the context of this etymological work, it may be incidentally remarked that the latter part of my article is replete with examples of etymologies employed by commentators for the purpose of exegesis.
We will analyse the justification of Krsna's destruction of his own clan, the Yādavas, given by the Mahābhārata (Mbh) and its commentator Nīlakantha, by the Vişnu Purāņa (Vip) and its commentator Śrīdhara, by the Bhāgavata Purana (Bhp) and especially by the following 15 commentators on the Bhāgavata : Bhagavatprasāda (BP), Giridharalāla (GD), Gangāsahāya (GS), Jiva Gosvāmin (JG)-the reference is to one of his three commentaries, called Krama-sandarbha(Ks), Madhva(MD), Purusottama, Rādhāramanadāsa (RR), Sụdarśanasūrin, sukadeva (SD), Śrīdhara Svāmin (SS), Vallabha (VB), Viśvanātha Cakravartin (VC), Vamśīdhara (VD), Vijayadhvaja (VJ), and Virarāghava (VR).3
The episode occurs in the “Mausala Parvan” (Book 16) of the Mbh, in 5.37.1-5.38.11 of the Vip, and in 11.1; 11.6; 11.30; and 11.31 of the BhP4. The bare outline of the story is as follows: Due to their impudent tomfoolery, some of the Yādava youths are cursed by brahmins that an iron pestle or club produced from Sāmba, one of the youths, will destroy the Yādava clan". The pestle is ground to powder and thrown into the sea, but the powdered iron grows into reeds on the shores of the ocean. Later, noticing evil omens,
Krsna urges the Yādavas to leave Dvārakā and go to Prabhāsa. There the · Yādavas get drunk and begin to kill one another. When they run out of
