Krishna Revives Punardutta: A Tale of Guru Dakshina

The pages of our ancient lore are filled with tales where devotion outweighs power, and love surpasses destiny. Among these shines the poignant episode of Krishna and Balarama fulfilling their Guru Dakshina to Sage Sandipani — a story that binds divine grace with human longing.

The Guru’s Unspoken Pain

In Ujjain, young Krishna and Balarama completed their years of education under the venerable Sage Sandipani. As tradition demanded, they approached their Guru and humbly asked what dakshina (offering) would please him. The sage himself, content in their brilliance and humility, sought nothing.

But Guru Mata, the silent strength of the household, carried a sorrow more profound than words. Her only son, Punardutta, had once gone to bathe at the seashore of Prabhasa, only to vanish forever. With a trembling voice, she confessed: “If you wish to give me a gift, bring back my child.”

It was not a request — it was an impossible yearning of a mother’s heart.

Krishna Revives Punardutta: A Tale of Guru Dakshina

"Krishna Revives Punardutta: A Tale of Guru Dakshina"- Discover how Krishna fulfilled Guru Dakshina by restoring Sage Sandipani’s son Punardutta, defeating Panchajanya, and transcending death itself.

Krishna’s Promise

Krishna’s eyes softened, yet glowed with divine certainty. He declared a vachana — “Your son shall return.” In those words, the eternal bond between disciple and Guru was sanctified. No task was too great, no realm too distant.

The Demon of the Deep

Following the trail, Krishna and Balarama first sought the Ocean itself. The Ocean deity confessed ignorance, yet revealed that a fearsome asura named Panchajanya had seized the boy and dwelt in the fathomless depths.

Descending into the water, Krishna confronted the demon. The demon laughed and admitted that the child had been eaten long ago. Inspired by the anger of Dharma, Krishna struck Panchajanya and killed him. The demon lived in a conch shell, which Sri Krishna held and became the divine Panchajanya, sanctified by the breath of the Lord, which will forever reverberate in the history of Dharma.

Journey to Yama’s Realm

Still, Punardutta’s fate was unresolved. Krishna’s quest then reached the gates of Sanyamini, the abode of Yama, the lord of death. Yamaraja, bowing to the Supreme Being before him, explained: “None who come here bear their bodies. Only the jīvatma — the subtle soul — abides in my realm.”

Yet for Krishna, the boundaries of mortality bent like reeds in the wind. Yamaraja, acknowledging his divinity, released Punardutta’s soul into his care.

Life Restored

With a touch of grace that only the Lord of all life possesses, Krishna reunited the wandering soul with its body. Punardutta arose — not as a tale lost to time, but as a living gift returned to his mother’s arms.

Tears of disbelief gave way to blessings as Guru Mata embraced her son. Thus, the debt of knowledge was repaid not in gold, nor in jewels, but in the restoration of a mother’s world.

The Meaning of Guru Dakshina

This story, retold across generations, is not merely a miracle of resurrection. It is a lesson in gratitude — that the disciple’s duty to the Guru is sacred beyond measure. Krishna himself, the Supreme Teacher of the Bhagavad Gita, here takes the role of the perfect disciple.

Knowledge may be divine, but gratitude makes it complete.