Sāraṇa

Sāraṇa was a chief of the Vṛshṇi line. He was a son of Vasudeva, and so a brother of Kṛshṇa and Balarāma, and he lived at Dvārakā. He led the reckless Vṛshṇi youths who dressed Sāmba as a pregnant woman and mockingly came before the ṛshis Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva and Nārada. This brought on the brāhmaṇa śāpa (the curse of the brāhmaṇas) that foretold and caused the end of the Vṛshṇis and Andhakas.

Birth and place in the clan

Sāraṇa was born among the sons of Vasudeva in the Vṛshṇi line. He was a kinsman of Kṛshṇa and Balarāma and a leader among the young men of Dvārakā. In the account of how the pestle began, he is named first among the Vṛshṇi heroes, as a leading chief of the clan.

The mocking of the ṛshis

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Yudhishṭhira, when terrible omens already troubled the land, the ṛshis Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva and Nārada came to Dvārakā. Sāraṇa and the other youths were driven by the rod of destiny. They dressed Sāmba, the son of Kṛshṇa, as a woman and set him before the ṛshis. They said that this was the wife of Babhru, who wanted a son, and asked the ṛshis to say what “she” would bring forth.

The ṛshis were angry at the trick. They declared that Sāmba would bring forth a fierce iron mushala (pestle) for the destruction of the Vṛshṇis and Andhakas. Through it, these proud and cruel youths would destroy their own race. Balarāma would give up his body and enter the sea. Kṛshṇa would be struck down by the hunter Jarā Vyādha as he lay on the earth.

What followed

Through the folly of Sāraṇa and his companions, the ruin of the Vṛshṇis was set in motion. The very next day Sāmba brought forth the iron pestle. King Āhuka had it ground to powder and thrown into the sea, and he forbade all liquor. Still, the decree of the brāhmaṇa śāpa could not be turned aside, and in time the whole clan was destroyed. Sāraṇa’s deed became the means by which the will of Kāla was carried out.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Mausala Parva, Chapters 1–8