A Hunter in the Wild

The deer galloped over the rock and ran into the bushes, the arrow of the hunter missed it by an inch. He cursed himself in his native language and silently walked towards the bushes and picked up his arrow, moving forward for something that can be easily hunted. He was having rabbits for about 7 days and now he does not like the taste of it but because of his bad aiming today he and his family might have to compromise with the rabbit again. Jara has been hunting all his life, he can’t remember the time when he was young and played with his friends but he grew up hunting and learning to aim like the great Eklavaya who was the archer of the wild. Jara has always tried to shoot like Eklavaya but was not that good with the arrows.

He came near a river bank to drink some water as he was thirsty after wandering in the jungle for about half a day. He neared the water and when he joined his hands like a goblet to pick up some water, he found the color of the water different. But he didn’t mind that and drank it 5 mouthfuls. And walked along the bank. As he was losing all hope of hunting anything at all, he heard a faint sound of music coming from the north. As he looked towards that side he found a beautiful deer standing near a tree.

This time he had a plan, he slowly with a faint foot walked from tree to tree so that the deer did not notice him and tried to get near so that he can aim correctly. He was in about 10 yards of range when he stretched his bow and used his full strength to aim at the deer. But suddenly the deer ran towards the dense trees. He followed the deer in the same position because he do not want to waste any more time. At one time he thought he lost the deer but it was right there about 8 yards away from him, his eyes were shining, it was not an easy short but he was hungry and tired, he can’t miss this chance also. So he chanted some prayers to the great lord Vishnu and shoot the arrow. The arrow was right on the target but the deer galloped from the nearby tree and ran into the wild.

Jara ran toward his arrow because he was confused that what he shoot. But he was struck by the horror of the sight of his perfect aim. A man was lying there his leg was covered in blood. His right toe was struck by the arrow, that shiny thing he shoot was a nail. He could not believe his eyes, He sat down near the man’s feet and started crying and trying to catch his breath because he had just shot Lord Krishna, the eighth Vishnu. His magnificent attire was mesmerizing but it was draining his life. His face was still calm as a millpond his eyes were fixed on the hunter and he was smiling at him.

“Oh great lord Vishnu, how unfortunate I’m to have a sin of killing you. May the sky fall on me, the earth takes me under his surface and tortures my soul for eternity….”

“Don’t curse yourself, my friend, I do not want you to feel sorry about my death. Death is my destiny which is gifted to me at the time of my birth, so why should mourn about it? You have only fulfilled your destiny. I am glad that you are crying for my sake, I witnessed the death of my friends, my loved ones my family. You are a stranger to me and you killed me by mistake but I have killed my uncle because it was destiny. I led a war that annihilated millions of men, I watched my family die in front of me. I have had enough of the pain now it’s my time to go”

“Oh great lord Vishnu, what cursed destiny do I need to fulfill by killing you, I want to know my lord “

“My dear Jara you are the reincarnation of Bali, the king under the mountain of kishkindha. You were killed by me years ago, by my arrow and I was too hiding behind a tree so it’s just the karma that took place here. You were supposed to end my life at this place right here because this is where I killed you”

“My lord even if it was my destiny to kill you, I think I have fulfilled my destiny now. So it’s my time to leave this mortal body forever and die along you”

“Jara you have not yet fulfilled your destiny, my friend. Tell me one thing on the way here did you find any river “

“Yes, I drank water from it”

“My friend, did you find the color of the water unusual?”

“Actually yes my lord, It was pinkish I guess”

“Yes it was because that is where my whole family died by killing each other and the water you drank contained the blood of my family”

“Oh great lord Vishnu, I was blinded by my thirst and did the awful crime of drinking that water”

“No Jara, It was necessary that you drink that water because I have no family left who can carry on the last rights for us Yadavs. By drinking that water you have made yourself a Yadav, the last Yadav and you could carry out our last rights, gather the body of what remains of my Yadav family and do the cremation of their bodies and after doing that you have to take some ash and come to me, I will be waiting here for you.

He touched the floor near his feet and went to the river, bodies were floating on the opposite side of the river, he pick up the remains of their bodies and he arranged them on the bank of that river in a row. Then he went to the forest and gathered some dry wood and prepared for the cremation, and then finally lit the fire and the wood-covered bodies started to turn into ashes. In a few minutes, it was nothing there but the pile of ashes. He picked some of the ash and kept it in his pouch where he keeps his knife, and ran towards lord Krishna.

I have done what you asked for Lord Vishnu and I have also got the ash, what I have to do now please order me, my lord.

“Jara, you have to do one more task for me if it’s not more to ask “

“No, my lord whatever you are thinking of I will do that certainly “

“You are very kind Jara. I want you to take this ash and deposit it in the Narmada and move forward into the south and never look back to this place. You can’t take your family with you and you can’t have a family there also. I know it’s harsh but my friend this is your destiny”

“I will not ask you my lord what awaits me there and why I have to go but can I meet my family one last time and bid them my farewell before I go”

“You may my friend “

Jara was looking at Lord Vishnu's face and he dissolved into the air like a mist. On the ground, there was nothing but his blood and that arrow. He picked up that arrow and threw it into the forest. He went home and told his wife everything about what happened and what he has to do. She wept and asked him to take her and their children but he can’t. At night when everyone is so tired to even cry they fell asleep. Jara woke up and left the house and went towards the south towards the Narmada River. It took him two weeks to reach there. It was midnight and the river was flowing very silently. He deposited the ash into the flowing river and then crossed the river using a boat nearby. It was the year 3102 BCE. The end of Dwaparyuga and the beginning of the Kalyuga.