When Curses Become Keys

Of all the paradoxes in Hindu mythology, none is more striking than Krishna's final moments. Here was a deity famous for his infectious laughter, his flute-playing that made the cosmos dance, his ability to multiply himself to make everyone drunk in love for him. Yet he chose to accept a curse that would end his earthly existence in solitude. In this contradiction lies a wisdom that transcends simple acceptance of fate.

On a battlefield covered with the bodies of her hundred sons, Gandhari confronts Krishna. Gandhari, the blindfolded queen who chose to share her husband's blindness and whose hundred sons fought against Krishna's allies in the great war, was a woman of immense spiritual power.

Consumed by sorrow, she curses Krishna: “You watched silently as this tragedy unfolded. For your inaction, your family will destroy itself, and in 36 years, you will die in battle.”

How does Krishna react to this devastating curse?