The Story of Syamantaka Jewel

Fifty-six Chapter. Subject: "The Story of Syamantaka Jewel."

There was a king of the name Satrajit within the jurisdiction of Dvaraka-dhama. He was a great devotee of the demigod sun-god, and he got some benediction from him. He awarded by the sun-god a jewel known as Syamantaka. The basis of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding between the king Satrajit and the Yadu dynasty. Later on the whole thing was settled up when Satrajit voluntarily offered his daughter Satyavati [Satyabhama] to Krsna, along with the jewel Syamantaka. Not only Satyavati [Satyabhama] was married to Krsna on account of this incidences, but also Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavan, she was also married to Krsna. These two marriages took place before the appearance of Pradyumna, as described in the last chapter. So how the king Satrajit offended the Yadu dynasty and how later on he came to his senses and offered his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel to Krsna, the whole story is described as follows.

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This King Syamantaka [Satrajit] in the beginning was a great devotee of the sun-god, and gradually he became very much in friendly relationship with the sun-god. As such, the sun-god was very much pleased on him and delivered to him an exceptional jewel known as Syamantaka. When this jewel was used by Satrajit in a locket on his neck, he appeared exactly like an imitation sun-god. Sometimes putting on the jewel on his neck, he entered the city of Dvaraka and people considered him that the sun-god might have come into the city to see Krsna because they knew Krsna, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sometimes the demigods also come there to visit.

So while Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka, except Krsna, all the inhabitants of Dvaraka took him as the sun-god himself. Although King Satrajit was known to everyone, he could not be recognized on account of dazzling effulgence of the jewel Syamantaka. The important citizens of Dvaraka mistook him as the sun-god himself. Therefore, some of them immediately went to Krsna to inform Him about the arrival of sun-god to see Him.

At that time, Krsna was playing on chessboard. The residents of Dvaraka spoke as follows: "My dear Lord Narayana, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Your plenary portion form of Narayana, or Visnu, having four hands with different kinds of symbols, like conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower, You are actually the owner of all this [indistinct] representation. But in spite of Your becoming the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, You have descended in Vrndavana to act as the child of Yasodama, who sometimes used to tie You up by her ropes, and You are celebrated, therefore, with the name as Damodara."

This acceptance of the citizens of Dvaraka, Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana, is later on confirmed by the great Mayavadi philosopher and leader Sahkaracarya. His acceptance of Lord's being impersonal does not mean that the Lord has no personal form. He meant everything formal in this material world are subjected to creation, maintenance and annihilation; therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana hasn't got such material form subjected to the rules of creation, maintenance and destruction. Therefore Sahkaracarya, in order to convince the less intelligent class of men who accepts Krsna as ordinary human being, he said that God is impersonal. This impersonality means that He is not a person of this material condition; He is a transcendental personality, without any material body.

The citizens of Dvaraka addressed Lord Krsna not only as Damodara but also as Govinda, which indicates that Krsna is also very affectionate to the cows, and he is known therefore as a cowherds boy. He gives pleasure to the cows and the calves; therefore, He is known as Govinda. Thus the citizens of Dvaraka, just to understand their intimate connection with Krsna, they addressed Him as Yadunandana. He is the son of Vasudeva and born in the Yadu dynasty. In this way, the citizens of Dvaraka concluded by addressing Krsna as the supreme master of the whole universe. The citizens of Dvaraka addressed Krsna in so many different ways, just feeling the pride of their being citizens of Dvaraka, who could see Krsna daily.

When Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka, they felt it a great pride because Krsna, although He was living in Dvaraka like ordinary human being, the demigods used to come and see Him. Thus they informed Lord Krsna that the sun-god, with his glaring effulgence of the body, was coming to see Him. The citizens of Dvaraka confirmed it that the sun-god's coming into Dvaraka was not very wonderful, because people all over the universe who are after searching the Supreme Personality of Godhead has now known that He has appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty and living in Dvaraka as one of the members of the family. Thus they expressed their gladness on account of this occasion.

On hearing the statement of the citizens of Dvaraka, the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Krsna, was simply smiling. And Krsna, thus being pleased with the citizens of Dvaraka, informed them the right thing, that the person whom they have described as the sun-god was actually King Satrajit, who has come to visit Dvaraka City to show his opulence that he has obtained such valuable jewel from the sun-god.

Satrajit, however, did not come to see Krsna, but he was overwhelmed with the jewel of Syamantaka. Therefore, he installed the jewel in a temple to be worshiped by his engaged brahmanas. This is an instance of the less intelligence persons worshiping the material things. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that less intelligent persons, in order to get immediate result of their fruitive activities, they worship the demigods, who are created within this universe. So materialist means who are concerned with gratification of senses within this material world. This Syamantaka jewel, although Krsna asked for it, as it will be known later on, the king Satrajit, instead of delivering it to Krsna, he installed the jewel to be worshiped by him.

And why he will not worship that jewel? That particular jewel Syamantaka was so powerful that it was producing daily a large quantity of gold. A quantity of gold is described as a measurement of bhara. According to Vedic formulas, this one bhara measurement is 60 pounds of gold. One maund means 82 pounds. Actually, the jewel was producing about 170 pounds gold every day. Besides that, it is learned from Vedic literature that wherever this jewel is worshiped, there is no possibility of the occurrence of famine in that part of the world. Not only that, there was no possibility of anything inauspicious like pestilence, disease and similar things.

So Lord Krsna, in order to teach to the world that anything best should be offered to the ruling chief of the country, He, on behalf of Ugrasena, who was the overlord of many dynasties and happened to be the grandfather of Krsna, so Krsna asked Satrajit to present the jewel Syamantaka to King Ugrasena. He pleaded that anything best should be offered to the king. But Satrajit, being worshiper of the demigods, had become too much materialistic. Instead of accepting the request of Krsna, he thought it wise to worship the jewel in order to get 170 pounds of gold every day. Materialistic persons who can achieve such huge quantity of gold every day are not interested in Krsna consciousness. Sometimes, therefore, Krsna, in order to show special favor to a certain person, He takes away great accumulation of materialistic wealth from the person and thus makes him a great devotee. But Satrajit refused to abide by the order of Krsna, and he did not deliver the jewel to Him.

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After this incidence, sometimes his younger brother, in order to show the opulence of the family, took the jewel and put on his neck, and on the back of the horse he went to the forest to make a show of his material opulence. While he was moving in the forest here and there, a big lion by chance attacked him and killed both the brother of Satrajit, known as Prasena, as well as the horse on which he was riding, and took away the jewel in his cave. This news was received by the gorilla king, Jambavan; thus he killed that lion in the cave and took away the Syamantaka jewel from the animal. Jambavan was a great devotee of the Lord since the time of Lord Ramacandra, so he did not took the valuable jewel as very much needed by him, but he gave it to his younger son to play with it as a toy.

There in the city, Satrajit, without finding his younger brother Prasena coming back from the forest with the jewel, became very much disappointed. He did not know that his brother was killed by one lion, and again the lion was killed by Jambavan. But he was under contemplation that Krsna wanted that jewel from him, he did not deliver. He might have taken the jewel away from his brother by force and killed him. This rumor fabricated by him in that way. Therefore, He decided to take with Him the inhabitants of Dvaraka and go to the forest to find out the Syamantaka jewel.

Krsna, along with important men of Dvaraka, went to search out the brother of Satrajit, Prasena, but He found him dead, killed by the lion. At the same time, Krsna found the lion also was killed by Jambavan, generally called by the name Rksa. It was found that the lion was killed by the hand of Rksa without any assistance of weapon. All of them found out a great tunnel in the forest, said to be the path of Rksa's house. Krsna knew that the inhabitants of Dvaraka would be afraid of entering the tunnel. Therefore, He asked them to keep outside the tunnel, and He Himself alone only entered the dark tunnel to find out Rksa, Jambavan.

After entering the tunnel, Krsna saw that the much valuable jewel known as Syamantaka has been given to the son of Rksa as something toys. And in order to take the jewel from the child, He went there and stood before him. The caretaking nurse of the child of Rksa, after seeing Krsna standing before her, she was very much afraid of, thinking the valuable jewel Syamantaka may be taken away by Him. Out of fearfulness, however, he [she] began to cry very loudly.

Jambavan, just after hearing the nurse crying very loudly, immediately appeared on the scene with great angry mood. Jambavan was actually a great devotee of Lord Krsna, but because he was in angry mood he could not recognize his master; he thought Him to be an ordinary man. The statement of the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord advising Arjuna to get free from the attitude of anger, greediness and lust in order to rise highly on the spiritual platform. These three items, namely lust, anger and greediness, running parallel in the heart of a nondevotee, check one becoming or progressing on the spiritual path.

Jambavan, therefore, without recognize his master, came before Him challenging to fight with Him. There was a great fight between Krsna and Jambavan. The fighting was exactly like the same executed by two opposing vultures. Whenever there is a eatable corpse of dead body, the vultures fight between themselves heartily to get out the prey for themselves. The fighting between the two began first of all with weapons, then with stones, then with big trees, then by hand to hand, at last by fisting one another like the striking of thunderbolts. Both of them were expecting victory over the other, but the fighting continued for days together all along, both in daytime and nighttime, without any stoppage, and in this way the fighting continued completely for twenty-eight days.

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In that fighting, although Jambavan was the strongest living entity of that time, still, on account of being constantly being struck with the fist of Sri Krsna, practically all the joints of his bodily limbs became slackened, and on account of this, his strength of the body reduced practically to nil. As he was feeling very much tired, there was perspiration all over his body, and thus Jambavan became astonished that who might be his opponent fighting so hard with him. Jambavan was quite aware of his superhuman bodily strength, but when he felt himself so much tired being stroken by Krsna, he could understand that Krsna was nobody else than his worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This incidence of Jambavan's fighting with Krsna has a special instruction for the devotees. Jambavan in the beginning could not understand Krsna, because he saw Him in the beginning in material attachment. He was attached to his boy and the great valuable jewel, Syamantaka, which he did not like to spare to Krsna. And when Krsna came there, he thought that He had come there to take away the jewel, so he became angry. This material position, although he was very strong in body, could not help him to understand Krsna.

Krsna also, in a sporting attitude, wanted to make a mock fighting with His devotee. As we have several times explained that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the propensities and instincts like the human being. Sometimes, in a sportive spirit, He also wishes to fight or make a show of bodily strength, and when He so desires, He selects some of His suitable devotee who could give Him that pleasure. So Krsna desired for this pleasure of mock fighting, and Jambavan, although he was a devotee by his nature, and still, without knowledge of Krsna, he gave service to the Lord by his bodily strength. But as soon as Krsna was pleased by the fighting, he…, Jambavan could immediately understand that his opposing party was no other than the Supreme Lord Himself. The conclusion is that he could understand Krsna by service. Krsna is also sometimes satisfied by such fighting also.

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Jambavan therefore addressed the Lord, "My dear Lord, I can now understand who are You. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, the source of everyone's strength, wealth, reputation, beauty, wisdom, everything." This statement of Jambavan is exactly in pursuance of the Vedanta-sūtra, that the Supreme Lord is the source of everything. Jambavan confirmed Lord Krsna being the all-supreme personality, Lord Visnu. "My dear Lord, You are the creator of the creators of this universal affairs."

This statement of Jambavan is very instructive to the ordinary man. An ordinary man is amazed by seeing the activities of a certain person with exceptional brain. Take, for example, one is surprised to see the invention of a great scientist. The statement of Jambavan confirms it that a scientist may be a creator of many wonderful things, but Krsna is the creator of such scientist-not only one, but many, many millions and trillions, all over the universe. Not only that, Jambavan said that "You are not only creator of the creator, but You are also creator of the ingredients which are manipulated by the so-called creators." Scientist takes advantage of the physical elements or laws of the material nature and does something wonderful, but actually such laws and elements are also creation of Krsna. This is actually scientific understanding. Less intelligent class of men do not try to understand who created the brain of the scientist. They are simply satisfied by seeing the wonderful creation or invention of the scientist.

Jambavan continued to say, "My dear Lord,...

[break] ...created simply by my Lord's glance over it, and when the whole ocean water became so agitated, the living entities like the whales, alligators and timihgala fishes, all of them became perturbed in their existence. These timihgala fishes in the ocean can swallow up big aquatics like whales in one stroke. In this way, the ocean was forced to give way to cross it up to the point of the island known as Lahka (put in bracket) [Now supposed to be Ceylon. This construction of bridge over the ocean from Cape Kumari to Ceylon is still well known to everyone.] After construction of the bridge, there was a fire set all over the kingdom of Ravana. After this, when there was actual fighting with Ravana, by Your sharpened arrows each and every part of his limbs were cut into pieces, plus his head was fallen down on the face of the world. Now I can understand that You are no other than my Lord Ramacandra. Otherwise nobody has such strength immeasurable who could defeat me in this way."

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In this way, Lord Krsna became satisfied by the prayers and statement of Jambavan, and immediately, to mitigate the pains of the body of Jambavan, He began to smear His lotus palm of the hand all over the body of Jambavan. Jambavan also immediately felt very much relieved from the fatigue out of bodily exercise on account of the great fight. Lord Krsna then addressed him as the king Jambavan, because he was…, he was actually the king of the forest, not the lion. The lion was killed by him without any weapon. In naked hand he could kill the lions even.

Krsna informed him that He came to him for asking the Syamantaka jewel, because on account of the Syamantaka jewel being stolen, His name has been defamed by less intelligent class of men. Lord Krsna plainly informed him that in order to be free from the defamation He had come there to ask him the jewel. Jambavan then could understood the whole situation, and to satisfy the Lord immediately he not only delivered the Syamantaka jewel, but also he brought his daughter of marriageable age and presented to Lord Krsna.

In this way, the episode of Jambavatis marriage with Krsna and delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the cave of the mountain. But outside the cave of the mountain, as it may be remembered, the all the citizens who followed Krsna, they remained outside the cave or tunnel of the hill and Krsna alone entered the dark tunnel to find out Jambavan. While the fighting was going on for twenty-eight days between Krsna and Jambavan, the inhabitants of Dvaraka who were waiting outside the tunnel, they could not enter it, but they waited and waited for twelve days. And after that they thought that something undesirable might have happened, or could not understand what actually happened, and being very much sorry and tired they returned to the city of Dvaraka.

When the citizens thus returned home without Krsna, all the members of the family, namely mother of Krsna Devaki, His father Vasudeva, even His chief wife Rukmini, along with all other friends, relatives and inmates of the palace, became very, very sorry Krsna was left alone within the tunnel and the inhabitants had come back. In their natural affection for Krsna, they began to call by ill names Satrajit because he was the cause of Krsna's disappearance. But they went to worship the goddess Candrabhaga, praying for return of Krsna. The goddess also, being satisfied by the prayer of the citizens of Dvaraka, immediately offered them her benediction.

Simultaneously, Krsna also appeared on the scene, accompanied by His new wife, Jambavati, and all the inhabitants of Dvaraka and relatives of Krsna became too much engladdened. The inhabitants of Dvaraka became engladdened exactly in the same way when a person gets back his dead relative. In other words, the inhabitants of Dvaraka concluded that Krsna was severely afflicted or put into great difficulties on account of the fighting; therefore, they became almost hopeless of His return back. But when they saw actually Krsna has returned not alone but with another new wife, Jambavati, they immediately performed another ceremony on this occasion.

Krsna then called for a meeting of all kings and chiefs, like King Ugrasena and others. He invited also Satrajit, and after explaining the whole incidence of recovering the jewel from Jambavan, He wanted to return back the valuable jewel to King Satrajit. Satrajit, however, became too much ashamed because he unnecessarily defamed Krsna. He accepted the jewel by his hand, but he remained silent, bending his head downwards, and without speaking anything in the assembly of the kings and chiefs he returned home with the jewel. Then he thought within himself how he could unblemish himself from the abominable action he had done by defaming Krsna. He was conscious that he had offended Krsna very grievously and he must find out some remedial measure so that Krsna may again be pleased upon him.

King Satrajit was thus too much agitated in his mind how he could get relief from the anxiety which was foolishly created by him being too much attracted by material things like the Syamantaka jewel. He then thought it wise that the best thing would be to return the jewel to Krsna, along with his beautiful daughter, Satyavati [Satyabhama]. Without this action there was no other alternative to mitigate the situation. In other words, when Satrajit was too much afflicted for the offense he committed towards Krsna and sincerely wanted to rectify it, Krsna from within gave him the good intelligence, and he decided to hand over his beautiful daughter and the jewel to Krsna.

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After this, he arranged the marriage ceremony of his beautiful daughter Satyavati [Satyabhama] with Krsna. Later on, he gave in charity both the jewel and his daughter to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Satyavati [Satyabhama] was so beautiful and qualified that in spite of being asked by many princes for the hand of Satyavati [Satyabhama], Satrajit was finding out a suitable son-in-law for his beautiful daughter, and later on by the grace of Krsna he decided to hand her over to Him.

Lord Krsna, however, being pleased upon Satrajit, informed him that He did not require any assistance of the jewel Syamantaka. "Better let it be remain in the temple as you have kept, and every one of us will derive the benefit of the jewel in the city of Dvaraka, that there would be no more any famine or any disturbances created by pestilence or excessive heat and cold."

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Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of Chapter Fifty-six Krsna in the matter of "The Story of Syamantaka Jewel."