102 - Lord Krishna ascends Heaven

Vyāsa said: 

1. Thus directed, Dáruka bowed to and circumambulated Krişhņa and went away as instructed. 

2. After going to Dvarak, he did as he was bid. He brought Arjuna there and made Vajra the king of Yadus. 

3. Lord Krişhņa reinstated the greatest Brahman of the nature of Vasudeva into the Atman and held it in all living beings. 

4. O excellent ones, honouring the words of brahmins and Durvāsas, the lord remained in the yogic posture keeping one of his feet over thc other knee. 

5. The hunter Jarà came there, holding a great arrow fitted with the last remnant bit of the iron club. 

6. O excellent brahmins, on seeing the foot of the lord having the shape of a deer the hunter stopped. With the same remnant of the iron club he hit the lord. 

7-8. On going up (to the victim) the hunter saw a man with four arms. He bowed to him again and again and said, "Be pleased. This has been committed by me out of ignorance suspecting you to be a deer. I may be excused. It does not behove you to burn me as I am already burned by my own sin. 

Vyāsa said: 

9-13. Then the lord said to him-"You need not have even the least bit of fear. O hunter, go to heaven, the resort of happiness, by the virtue of my grace". 

Vyāsa said: 

Immediately after he had uttered these words, an aerial chariot arrived there by virtue of his grace. The hunter got into it and went to heaven. When he had gone the lord cast off that mortal body and united his Atman with the supreme Ātman, the Brahman, the unchanging, unimaginable, pure, unborn, unaging, undying, immeasurable soul of all identical with Vasudeva. Then he attained heaven.