Krishna's Later Life

From Village to Kingdom

Krishna's departure from Vrindavan marks a profound shift in the Bhagavata's narrative. The playful child and romantic youth becomes a warrior, king, and teacher. Yet the text insists that Krishna never truly changes, only our perception of him does.

The Killing of Kamsa

Kamsa, still obsessed with destroying Krishna, invited him and Balarama to Mathura for a wrestling tournament, a trap. But Krishna had other plans.

As he entered the city, different people saw him differently:

• The wrestlers saw a thunderbolt
• Common people saw a beautiful youth
• The gopis saw their beloved
• The cowherd saw a kinsman
• Kamsa saw death itself

"The same sun appears differently to different eyes, so Krishna appeared to each according to their nature."
Bhagavata commentary

Krishna killed the wrestlers sent against him, then leapt into the royal pavilion and dragged Kamsa from his throne. With the tyrant's death, he liberated his birth parents Devaki and Vasudeva from prison, meeting them properly for the first time.

Education in Ujjain

After defeating Kamsa, Krishna and Balarama were sent to the ashram of the sage Sandipani for formal education. In just 64 days, they mastered all 64 arts and sciences, a demonstration that the Divine, while playing the human role completely, is never actually limited by human constraints.

As guru dakshina (teacher's fee), Sandipani asked Krishna to retrieve his son who had died by drowning. Krishna traveled to the realm of death itself, defeated the demon who held the boy, and returned the child to his teacher.

The Founding of Dwarka

Mathura faced constant attacks from Kamsa's allies, particularly the demon king Jarasandha. Rather than endlessly defend, Krishna led his people west to the coast of Gujarat, where he built a new city: Dwarka, the city of gates.

Dwarka was a marvel: built on reclaimed land (or according to some accounts, on an island), with golden spires, crystal palaces, and all the prosperity of a divine kingdom. It became Krishna's capital for the rest of his earthly life.

Because Krishna withdrew from Mathura rather than fighting endlessly, he is sometimes called Ranchhod, "one who left the battlefield." Far from a criticism, this title celebrates strategic wisdom over pride.

The 16,108 Queens

The Bhagavata describes Krishna as having 16,108 wives. The number sounds shocking until we understand the story:

The demon Narakasura had kidnapped 16,100 princesses and held them captive. Krishna defeated the demon and freed the women. But in that era, women "touched" by another man were considered unmarriageable. Krishna married all 16,100 to restore their honor and give them status.

Added to his eight principal queens (the ashtabharya), this made 16,108. And here's the miracle: Krishna expanded himself into 16,108 forms, living fully with each wife simultaneously, each believing she had his complete attention.

"The sage Narada visited each of Krishna's palaces and found him fully present in each, doing different activities, fully engaged with each queen."
Bhagavata Purana 10.69

The teaching: Just as with the Rasa Lila, Krishna demonstrates that God's love is not diminished by being shared, it multiplies infinitely.

The Mahabharata Years

Krishna's most famous worldly role is his involvement in the Mahabharata, the great war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Though the Bhagavata focuses more on his earlier life, it acknowledges his role as:

• Friend and advisor to the Pandavas
• Charioteer to Arjuna
• Teacher of the Bhagavad Gita
• Diplomat who tried to prevent the war
• Strategist who guided victory

The Gita, delivered on the battlefield just before war began, contains Krishna's most systematic philosophical teaching. It's covered in detail in Level 3 of this course.

Krishna's Character

Throughout these later stories, Krishna displays qualities that distinguish him from ordinary heroes:

• Complete equanimity: Neither victory nor defeat affects his inner state
• Strategic flexibility: He uses whatever means necessary for dharma, including cunning
• Accessibility: He remains available to the humblest devotee even while negotiating with kings
• Playfulness: Even in court, he retains the joy of his Vrindavan nature

The Yadava Destruction

The Bhagavata does not shy from describing how Krishna's own clan destroyed itself. Years after the Mahabharata, the Yadavas became drunk with prosperity and pride. A curse led them to fight among themselves, wiping out the entire dynasty.

Krishna watched this happen without preventing it. His purpose was never to establish a permanent worldly kingdom but to demonstrate divine play and teach eternal truths.

The Teaching of Later Life

Krishna's adult life teaches:

• Divinity can operate within worldly roles, king, husband, friend, without being limited by them
• Action in the world and spiritual realization are not opposed
• Even God respects karma, He guided but didn't override human choice
• All manifestations eventually withdraw, only the eternal remains

In the next lesson, we explore Krishna's final teaching, the Uddhava Gita, delivered just before his departure from the world.