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BURNING OF DVĀRAKĀ AND DEATH OF KRŞŅA 303 Jarākumāra by name, I am the elder brother of Rāma and Kļşņa. After hearing Sri Nemi's prediction, I came here to protect Krşņa. I have been living here twelve years now and have not seen a human being here. Tell me, sir, who you are,
Kșşņa said: “Come! Come, tiger of men. I am Hari, the very brother of yours for whose sake you became a forestdweiler. Your effort for twelve years has been in vain, brother, like that of a traveler on a road hard to traverse because of confusion of directions."
Hearing that, Jarākumāra came there hastily, saying, “ Is this Kļşņa?” and after seeing Krşņa, swooned. Consciousness recovered with difficulty, Jāreya, weeping pitifully, asked Krşņa: “Oh! What is this, brother? Why have you come here? Is Dvārakā burned? Has the destruction of the Yadus taken place ? Indeed, all of Nemi's prediction is true from your condition."
Krşņa told everything and Jāreya, weeping again, said: “Oh! I have done a fitting thing to a brother who has come! Where, pray, is the place in hell for me who have killed you, a younger brother, sunk in misfortune, dear to your brothers. I surely lived in the forest with the idea of protecting you. I did not know that Death had been placed before you by the Creator. Oh, earth, give a crevice by which I can better go now to that hell with this same body. Henceforth, a place here is worse than hell, the pain of killing a brother, worse than all pain, being present. Why did I become the son of Vasudeva and your brother? Or why did I become a human being even, I who did such a deed? After hearing the Omniscient's prediction, why did I not die right then?, While you were alive, what deficiency would there be, if I, a mere person, were dead?”
Kșşņa said: “Enough of your grief, brother. Fate can not be transgressed by you nor by me. You are the sole survivor of the Yadus.298 So live a long time. Go! Go! Otherwise
298 149. He seems to forget Rāma.
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