Everyone knows Krishna’s playful childhood, his role in Mahabharat, and how he killed Kans, but do you know how did Lord Krishna die? The death of a deity like Krishna is bewildering for devotees, and that’s what sparks the curiosity to know the reason behind Lord Krishna’s death.
How Lord Krishna Died?
Lord Krishna’s death might look like another incident from the Hindu epics as he was simply shot by a hunter while resting under a tree. But there is a long series of events, even from past life, that together acted like a chain reaction and led to the final blow; Lord Krishna death.
The hunger killing Krishna wasn’t just a random event in the cosmos, but it was Krishna’s karma from his previous life that led to his death. Even god is not free from karmic bondage.
We always carry the impressions of past karma in our next life. It has been beautifully explained in Chapter 15, Verse 8 of Bhagavat Geeta
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वर: |
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् || 8||
This verse talks about Karmik Chakra (Karma Bandhan) and says, just as the air carries the aroma, the soul carries the impression of mind and senses to the next body based on karmic impression.
To understand how Lord Krishna die, we have to go through a series of events that finally led to Lord Krishna death.
Bali’s Death
Bali, the king of Kishkindha, was blessed with a boon- anyone who fought him would lose half of his strength, and it would be transferred to Bali. He got this boon from Lord Brahma, and it made him invincible. But he was not a righteous king, as he wrongfully exiled his brother Sugriv and took his wife Ruma as well.
Upon meeting Lord Ram and understanding his quest for Sita, Lord Hanuman took him to Sugriv. The exiled King Sugriv asked Lord Ram to help him regain his Kingdom from Bali in return for his assistance in locating Sita.
Lord Ram agreed to intervene as he found Bali was violating dharma by taking Sugriv’s wife and his kingdom.
Sugriv then challenged Bali in a duel, and when Bali was busy fighting Sugriv, Lord Ram fired an arrow from behind a tree. The arrow pierced through Bali’s chest. Laid wounded, Bali accused Lord Ram of breaking the rules of the duel, but later confessed to his mistake against his brother Sugriv and handed over the kingdom and his wife to his brother before dying.
This karma of Lord Rama killing Bali will later unfold in his next form as Krishna and unravel the mystery of how did Lord Krishna die?
Gandhari’s Curse
To answer the question of how Lord Krishna died, we will move forward in time, into the Dvapara Yuga. In this Yuga, Lord Ram was born as Lord Krishna, and he carried forward his karmic impression of killing Bali in this life as well.
After the great war of the Mahabharat ended, the battlefield went silent! No more war cries, no sound of clashing swords, and no more screeches of death. All that was left were piles of dead bodies covering the soil of Kurukshtera, which had already turned red because of the blood seeping into the ground.
The loss of life was beyond imagination. Even the Pandavas were left baffled, and there was no room for rejoicing and victory. Soon, Krishna and the Pandavas went to Gandhari to offer an apology, respect, and condolences.
But Gandhari, who was already mourning the death of his 100 sons, was overwhelmed by rage upon hearing the arrival of the Pandavas and Krishna. All her grief vanished, and in fury, he went straight to Krishna while ignoring the Pandavas who were standing in her way.
Consumed by grief and raging wth fury, Gandhari cursed Krishna
“You will die in 36 years from now, and just like my family, the entire Yadav Kin will perish by killing each other. Also, Dwarka will be consumed by a flood.” This marked the beginning of a chain of events that led to Krishna death, and it will help us understand how Shri Krishna died.
Decline of The Yadav Kin
Lost in Luxury
People usually forget the chapter of Dwarka’s decline while trying to find out how Shri Krishna died but it’s an important event one must go through.
After the end of the war and Gandhari’s curse, Krishna went back to his beautiful island kingdom of Dwarka. This heavenly kingdom was blessed Rukmini (an incarnation of Goddess Laxmi- the goddess of wealth) herself, and this brought enormous wealth and prosperity for the people of Dwarka.
But soon, Dwarka’s beauty and shining luxury were overclouded by Gandhari’s curse. People of Dwarka were so lost in enjoying life that they buried morality, ethics, humanity, and good conduct under their lust for wealth.
Krishna was watching all these things unfolding in his kingdom but he decided not to intervene as he knew all of this was destined.
Fate Sealed
Another curse from three sages, Vishwamitra, Narada, and Kanva, further sealed the destructive end of Dwarka. This is another link that together with Bali’s death and Gandhiri’s curse completes the link to Lord Krishna death.
Lost in luxury, Krishna’s son Samba ridiculed a couple of revered Sages by acting as a pregnant lady and asking the sages what would come out of Samba’s womb? Raged by the mockery, the sages cursed Samba that he would give birth to an iron pestle that would end the Yadavas. This curse sealed Dwarka’s fate.
As cursed, Samba gave birth to an iron pestle. The birth of iron pestle broke Samba’s daydream of luxury and prosperity and he fell hard onto the floor of reality. Frightened, Samba grind the iron pestle and threw it into the sea. Years later, the grounded iron floated ashore and grew as grass in the form of a sharp knives.
Later, the same sharp knives were used by the Yadavas during a drunken rage to kill each other. The festival turned into a bloody massacre, and every single person in the kin was murdered. But Krishna didn’t intervene as he knew it was destined. Upon hearing the news of the mass massacre, Krishna went into meditation under a tree.
Krishna’ Death
Lying down under a tree in a forest, Krishna went into yoga samadhi. In the same forest a hunter named Jara was passing by the tree when he misunderstood Krishna’s foot for a deer. He took his bow out and shot an arrow that pierced right through Krishna’s feet.
When Jara went to claim his prize, he realized his mistake and fell at Krishna’s feet, pleading mercy. Lord Krishna told him it’s not his mistake as it was karma who shot the arrow through your hand. Soon, Krishna left his human form and left earth. Lord Krishna’s death is also considered the beginning of Kaliyug.
To Wrap it Up……
From Lord Ram killing Bali and Gandhari cursing Lord Krishna to sages cursing Krishna’s son Samba, all these events together led to the final chapter of Krishna’s death. The Karmic cycle began with Ram killing Bali, and all the other events in the next life sealed Krishna’s feat. And thus the simple answer to the question How did Lord Krishna die is- Karmic bondage.
This clearly shows that it doesn’t matter whether you are a royal, a commoner, or a deity; the rule of Karma is the same for everyone. So one must pluck out selfishness from Karma, otherwise the karmic cycle will become a never-ending loop.
FAQ
Q. What happened to Krishna body after death?
After death, Krishna’s body was cremated by Arjun. His entire body turned into ash, but his heart kept burning. Both his ashes and heart were immersed in the Yamuna River. Later, King Indradyumna found Krishna’s heart and put it inside the Jagannath idol.
Q. Where is lord Krishna dead body?
Lord Krishna’s body turned to ash after cremation, but his heart remained intact. Krishna’s heart now resides in the Jagannath idol in the famous Jagannath Temple of Odisha.
Q. How many years ago Krishna died?
Since Krishna died in 3102 BCE, as of 2025, Krishna died 5,127 years ago.
Q. On which date Lord Krishna died?
Lord Krishna died on 18th February, 3102 BCE.
Q. Where did Krishna died?
Lord Krishna died under a pippal tree, which is now known as the famous Bhalka Tirtha near Somnath in Gujarat.
