Why Krishna killed Shishupala with his Sudarshan Chakra?

Lord Krishna was equipped with the powerful and celestial weapon called the Sudarshan Chakra. It had the power to kill anyone He wishes to. But Krishna used it only a few times in his life. It is believed that Shishupala was one of those few ones who was killed by Krishna through his Sudarshan Chakra.

Shishupala was the son of the king of Chedi Damagosha and his wife Srutashubha. Srutashubha was the sister of Vasudeva and Kunti. This made Shishupala as Krishna’s cousin since Vasudeva was Srutashubha’s brother. Shishupala was born with three eyes and a deformed body consisting four arms because of his past life Karma. It was foresaid that his body will turn normal if a certain person takes him in his lap. However, it was also foresaid that the same person will kill him in the future.

Once when Krishna visited Chedi, he took Shishupala in his lap. As per the prophecy, Shishupala’s body turned miraculously normal. His mother Srutashubha was delighted. However, the very next moment she was shattered because this meant that Shishupala would be killed in the future by his own cousin Krishna. After Srutashubha begs for mercy, Krishna vows to forgive Shishupala for 100 sins, but not more than that.  

Nitish Bharadwaj as Lord Krishna in BR Chopra’s TV serial Mahabharat

Many years later, the coronation of king Yudhishthira as the supreme ruler is planned in Indraprastha. The event was called Rajsuya Yagya. Prominent guests from all over the country were invited for the special and grand occasion, including Shishupala, who is now the ruler of Chedi. Shishupala has some beef with Krishna because the latter married the girl he wanted to marry – Rukmini. Shishupala didn’t care that Rukmini too loved Krishna and wanted to marry nobody else but him.

At the Rajsuya Yagya, Shishupala was enraged to see Krishna not only being invited but also treated as a special guest. Shishupala insults Krishna for being a cowherd and not worthy of being a special guest at such a grand event. He hurls a series of insults and abuses towards Krishna. He also insults Bheeshma for his vow of celibacy. The insults Shishupala bombarded in the assembly were his sins. Krishna was silently keeping a count of them.

As soon as Shishupala’s insults reach 100, Krishna warns him to stop else he will face dire consequences. But Shishupala doesn’t stop and hurls 101^st insult. Hence, Krishna has no option but to act upon his vow. He releases the Sudarshan Chakra and beheads Shishupala, who dies on the spot in the assembly. As soon as Shishupala’s soul leaves his body, it attains salvation or moksha.

Also read: Can Krishna be blamed for Mahabharata war?

This incident indicates that even God can’t help you eliminate your past Karma. In fact, God himself is also bound by the same Karma.  

The whole story of Shishupala is brilliantly portrayed in BR Chopra’s classic TV show Mahabharat. See the episode below: