Source
Texts:
The
Syamantaka Jewel
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Satrâjit ['always
victorious', see 9.24:
13]
having been
offensive with Lord Krishna gave for his elevation his daughter
together with the jewel known as Syamantaka.'
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Having offended Lord Krishna,
Satrâjit tried as best he could to atone by presenting
Him with his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel.
Text
2
The honorable
king said: 'What offense committed Satrâjit against
Krishna o brahmin, from where came Syamantaka and why gave he
his daughter to the Lord?
Mahârâja
Parîkchit inquired: O brâhmana, what did King
Satrâjit do to offend Lord Krishna? Where did he get
the Syamantaka jewel, and why did he give his daughter to
the Supreme Lord?
Text
3
S'rî
S'uka said: 'The sungod who was Satrâjit's best friend
affectionate with him gave, to his satisfaction with his
devotee, the jewel called Syamantaka.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Sûrya, the sun-god, felt
great affection for his devotee Satrâjit. Acting as
his greatest friend, the demigod gave him the jewel called
Syamantaka as a token of his satisfaction.
Text
4
He,
wearing that jewel shining as brilliant as the sun around his
neck, having entered Dvârakâ, o King, was because
of the effulgence not recognized.
Wearing
the jewel on his neck, Satrâjit entered
Dvârakâ. He shone as brightly as the sun itself,
O King, and thus he went unrecognized because of the jewel's
effulgence.
Text
5
The
people, by the glare robbed of their vision seeing him from a
distance, presuming that Sûrya had arrived reported that
to the Supreme Lord who was playing dice:
As
the people looked at Satrâjit from a distance, his
brilliance blinded them. They presumed he was the sun-god,
Sûrya, and went to tell Lord Krishna, who was at that
time playing at dice.
Text
6
'O
Nârâyana, with obeisances unto You, o Holder of
Club, Cakra and Lotus, o Dâmodara, o Lotus-eyed One, o
Govinda, o beloved of the Yadus!
[The
residents of Dvârakâ said:] Obeisances unto
You, O Nârâyana, O holder of the conch, disc and
club, O lotus-eyed Dâmodara, O Govinda, O cherished
descendant of Yadu!
Text
7
Savitâ
['the radiant one'], who with the intense radiation of
his radiating disc steals the vision of men, has come to see
You, o Lord of the Universe.
Lord
Savitâ has come to see You, O Lord of the universe. He
is blinding everyone's eyes with his intensely effulgent
rays.
Text
8
It
must be so that of the most exalted of the gods of wisdom
seeking out Your path, the one not born [Sûrya],
knowing that You now hide among the Yadus, has come to see
You.'
The
most exalted demigods in the three worlds are certainly
anxious to seek You out, O Lord, now that You have hidden
Yourself among the Yadu dynasty. Thus the unborn sun-god has
come to see You here.
Text
9
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Hearing these innocent words said He with the
Lotuslike Eyes smiling: 'This one's not Ravideva, it's
Satrâjit glowing of his jewel.'
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued: Hearing these innocent words,
the lotus-eyed Lord smiled broadly and said, "This is not
the sun-god, Ravi, but rather Satrâjit, who is glowing
because of his jewel."
Text
10
He
[Satrâjit] arriving at his opulent home executed
with festivity auspicious rituals in the temple room where he
with the help of the learned installed the
jewel.
King
Satrâjit entered his opulent home, festively executing
auspicious rituals. He had qualified brâhmanas install
the Syamantaka jewel in the house's temple room.
Text
11
Day
after day would it bring him eight bhâras [of about
9.7 kg] of gold, o prabhu, and none of the inauspicious of
famines, premature deaths, catastrophes, snakebites, mental and
physical disorders and cheaters would take place there in the
presence of the gem properly worshiped.
Each
day the gem would produce eight bhâras of gold, my
dear Prabhu, and the place in which it was kept and properly
worshiped would be free of calamities such as famine or
untimely death, and also of evils like snake bites, mental
and physical disorders and the presence of deceitful
persons.
Text
12
Some
day asked S'auri [Krishna] on behalf of the king of the
Yadus [Ugrasena] for the gem, but, he, greedy for the
wealth, saw no offense in it not to hand it
over.
On
one occasion Lord Krishna requested Satrâjit to give
the jewel to the Yadu king, Ugrasena, but Satrâjit was
so greedy that he refused. He gave no thought to the
seriousness of the offense he committed by denying the
Lord's request.
Text
13
One
day, hanging the intensely radiating jewel around his neck,
mounted Prasena [Satrâjit's brother] a horse and
went he hunting in the forest.
Once
Satrâjit's brother, Prasena, having hung the brilliant
jewel about his neck, mounted a horse and went hunting in
the forest.
Text
14
Prasena along
with his horse were killed and taken away by a lion who on his
turn entering a cave was killed by Jâmbavân
['he from the Jambu-trees'] who wanted the
jewel.
A
lion killed Prasena and his horse and took the jewel. But
when the lion entered a mountain cave he was killed by
Jâmbavân, who wanted the jewel.
Text
15
He then in the
cave made the jewel a toy for his kid as meanwhile not seeing
his brother, brother Satrâjit got deeply
troubled:
Within
the cave Jâmbavân let his young son have the
Syamantaka jewel as a toy to play with. Meanwhile
Satrâjit, not seeing his brother return, became deeply
troubled.
Text
16
'My
brother gone to the forest wearing the jewel around his neck is
probably killed by Krishna', and what he thus said was what the
people heard whispering in one another's ears.
He
said, "Krishna probably killed my brother, who went to the
forest wearing the jewel on his neck." The general populace
heard this accusation and began whispering it in one
another's ears.
Text
17
The Supreme
Lord who came to hear of it then, to clear Himself of the
gossip to His infamy, together with the citizens followed the
path taken by Prasena.
When
Lord Krishna heard this rumor, He wanted to remove the stain
on His reputation. So He took some of Dvârakâ's
citizens with Him and set out to retrace Prasena's
path.
Text
18
Seeing that he
and his horse were killed by a lion in that forest, discovered
they that the lion had been killed too by Riksha at a mountain
side.
In
the forest they found Prasena and his horse, both killed by
the lion. Further on they found the lion dead on a
mountainside, slain by Riksha
[Jâmbavân].
Text
19
Stationing the
people outside of the terrifying cave of the king of the
rikshas [the bears] entered the Supreme Lord alone the
place covered in pitch-dark.
The
Lord stationed His subjects outside the terrifying,
pitch-dark cave of the king of the bears, and then He
entered alone.
Text
20
When He saw
that that most precious of jewels was used as a child's
plaything, decided He to take it away and got He Himself over
there close to the child.
There
Lord Krishna saw that the most precious of jewels had been
made into a child's plaything. Determined to take it away,
He approached the child.
Text
21
Seeing the
stranger cried the nurse in fear so that Jâmbavân,
that best one of the strong, hearing it ran forward in
rage.
The
child's nurse cried out in fear upon seeing that
extraordinary person standing before them.
Jâmbavân, strongest of the strong, heard her
cries and angrily ran toward the Lord.
Text
22
He indeed,
thinking Him a worldly person, unaware of His position fought
with Him, the Supreme Lord, his own Master [compare
5.6:
10-11 and
B.G.
16: 18].
Unaware
of His true position and thinking Him an ordinary man,
Jâmbavân angrily began fighting with the Supreme
Lord, his master.
Text
23
A
very furious fight ensued between the two who each tried to win
with the help of stones, trees, their arms and with weapons as
if they were two hawks fighting over some meat.
The
two fought furiously in single combat, each determined to
win. Contending against each other with various weapons and
then with stones, tree trunks and finally their bare arms,
they struggled like two hawks battling over a piece of
flesh.
Text
24
Day
and night without a pause continued for twenty-eight days the
fight with blows hard as lightening of fists against
fists.
The
fight went on without rest for twenty-eight days, the two
opponents striking each other with their fists, which fell
like the cracking blows of lightning.
Text
25
With the
muscles of his huge body pummeled by the blows of Krishna's
fists, perspired he, diminished in strength, all over and
addressed he Him in great amazement:
His
bulging muscles pummeled by the blows of Lord Krishna's
fists, his strength faltering and his limbs perspiring,
Jâmbavân, greatly astonished, finally spoke to
the Lord.
Text
26
'I know You,
You are the life air, the physical and mental strength of all
living beings, Lord Vishnu, the Primeval Personality, the
All-powerful Supreme Controller.
[Jâmbavân
said:] I know now that You are the life air and the
sensory, mental and bodily strength of all living beings.
You are Lord Vishnu, the original person, the supreme,
all-powerful controller.
Text
27
You indeed are
the Creator who of All Creators and the Created of the Universe
art the Essence, who of the subduers art the Subduer, the Lord,
the Soul Supreme to all the Souls [compare
3.25:
41-42].
You
are the ultimate creator of all creators of the universe,
and of everything created You are the underlying substance.
You are the subduer of all subduers, the Supreme Lord and
Supreme Soul of all souls.
Text
28
You are the One
of whose little evidence of anger with Your glances the ocean
and the crocodiles and whale-eating whales [timingilas]
agitated gave way for building a bridge; You are the one famous
for setting Lankâ afire; of You fell the heads of the
râkshasa to the ground that You cut off with Your arrows
[see 9:
10].'
You
are He who impelled the ocean to give way when His sidelong
glances, slightly manifesting His anger, disturbed the
crocodiles and timingila fish within the watery depths. You
are He who built a great bridge to establish His fame, who
burned down the city of Lankâ, and whose arrows
severed the heads of Râvana, which then fell to the
ground.
Text
29-30
O
King, Acyuta, the lotus-eyed Supreme Lord, the son of
Devakî, then in great compassion for His devotee with a
voice as deep as the [rumbling] clouds spoke to the
king of the bears who thus had understood the truth, touching
him with the hand that bestows all blessings:
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] O King, Lord Krishna
then addressed the king of the bears, who had understood the
truth. The lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead, the son of
Devakî, touched Jâmbavân with His hand,
which bestows all blessings, and spoke to His devotee with
sublime compassion, His grave voice deeply resounding like a
cloud.
Text
31
'O
lord of the bears, we came here to the cave because of the
jewel, in order to dispel the false accusation with this jewel
held against Me.'
[Lord
Krishna said:] It is for this jewel, O lord of the
bears, that we have come to your cave. I intend to use the
jewel to disprove the false accusations against Me.
Text
32
Thus
addressed presented he along with the jewel happily as a
respectful offering his maiden daughter named
Jâmbvatî to Krishna.
Thus
addressed, Jâmbavân happily honored Lord Krishna
by offering Him his maiden daughter, Jâmbavatî,
together with the jewel.
Text
33
Not
seeing S'auri who had entered the cave coming out, went the
people after waiting for twelve days unhappy back to their
city.
After
Lord S'auri had entered the cave, the people of
Dvârakâ who had accompanied Him had waited
twelve days without seeing Him come out again. Finally they
had given up and returned to their city in great
sorrow.
Text
34
Devakî,
Rukminî devî, Vasudeva and all His friends and
relatives lamented over Krishna not coming out of the
cave.
When
Devakî, Rukminî-devî, Vasudeva and the
Lord's other relatives and friends heard that He had not
come out of the cave, they all lamented.
Text
35
They,
the residents of Dvârakâ sorrowfully cursing
Satrâjit then worshiped Durgâ,
the fortune of the moon [the deity called
Candrabhâgâ] in order to retrieve
Krishna.
Cursing
Satrâjit, the sorrowful residents of
Dvârakâ approached the Durgâ deity named
Candrabhâgâ and prayed to her for Krishna's
return.
Text
36
After
the worship of the goddess granted she in response to them the
benediction after which, creating joy, the Lord having achieved
His purpose appeared with His [new]
wife.
When
the citizens had finished worshiping the demigoddess, she
spoke to them in response, promising to grant their request.
Just then Lord Krishna, who had achieved His purpose,
appeared before them in the company of His new wife, filling
them with joy.
Text
37
Greatly
aroused on finding out that Hrishikes'a had come with a wife
and the jewel around His neck, they all rejoiced as if someone
had risen from the dead.
Seeing
Lord Hrishîkes'a return as if from death, accompanied
by His new wife and wearing the Syamantaka jewel on His
neck, all the people were roused to jubilation.
Text
38
Satrâjit,
summoned by the Supreme Lord to the royal assembly, was in the
presence of the king informed of the recovery of the jewel
which then was presented to him.
Lord
Krishna summoned Satrâjit to the royal assembly.
There, in the presence of King Ugrasena, Krishna announced
the recovery of the jewel and then formally presented it to
Satrâjit.
Text
39
And
he took extremely ashamed, head down, the gem and went home
from there full of remorse about his sinful
behavior.
Hanging
his head in great shame, Satrâjit took the gem and
returned home, all the while feeling remorse for his sinful
behavior.
Text
40-42
Pondering
over that evident offense and fearing a conflict with the ones
in power thought he: 'How will I cleanse myself of the
contamination and how can I satisfy Acyuta? What good should I
do so that the people won't curse me for being narrow-minded,
petty, befooled and avaricious after the wealth? I'll give the
[Syamantaka-]jewel to Him as well as my daughter, a
jewel among women; that's the way to make it up with Him and
nothing else!
Pondering
over his grievous offense and worried about the possibility
of conflict with the Lord's mighty devotees, King
Satrâjit thought, "How can I cleanse myself of my
contamination, and how may Lord Acyuta become satisfied with
me? What can I do to regain my good fortune and avoid being
cursed by the populace for being so short-sighted, miserly,
foolish and avaricious? I shall give my daughter, the jewel
of all women, to the Lord, together with the Syamantaka
jewel. That, indeed, is the only proper way to pacify
Him."
Text
43
Thus
intelligently deciding set Satrâjit himself to it and
presented he his fair daughter and the jewel to
Krishna.
Having
thus intelligently made up his mind, King Satrâjit
personally arranged to present Lord Krishna with his fair
daughter and the Syamantaka jewel.
Text
44
She,
Satyabhâmâ, sought by many men for being endowed
with the qualities of a fine character, beauty and magnanimity,
married the Lord according the customs.
The
Lord married Satyabhâmâ in proper religious
fashion. Possessed of excellent behavior, along with beauty,
broad-mindedness and all other good qualities, she had been
sought by many men.
Text
45
The
Supreme Lord said: 'We do not desire back the jewel, o King,
let it remain with you being of devotion with the godhead
[Sûrya] so that We may also be the enjoyers of
its fruits.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead told Satrâjit: We do
not care to take this jewel back, O King. You are the
sun-god's devotee, so let it stay in your possession. Thus
We will also enjoy its benefits.
