Sri Krishna Madbhagavatam
54.
Pradyumna Born to Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī
It is said that
Cupid, who is directly part and parcel of Lord Vāsudeva and who was formerly
burned to ashes by the anger of Lord Śiva, took birth in the womb of Rukmiṇī begotten by Kṛṣṇa. This is Kāmadeva, a demigod of the
heavenly planets especially capable of inducing lusty desires. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa,
has many grades of parts and parcels, but the quadruple expansions of Kṛṣṇa--Vasudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha--are directly in the Viṣṇu category. Kāma, or the Cupid demigod, who later on took his
birth in the womb of Rukmiṇī, was also named Pradyumna, but he cannot be the Pradyumna of the
Viṣṇu category. He belongs to the category
of jīva-tattva, but for special power in the category of demigods, he was a
part and parcel of the super prowess of Pradyumna. That is the verdict of the
Gosvāmīs. Therefore, when Cupid was burned into ashes by the anger of Lord
Śiva, he merged into the body of Vasudeva, and in order to get his body again,
he was begotten by Lord Kṛṣṇa
Himself; he was directly released from his body in the womb of Rukmiṇī and was born as the son of Kṛṣṇa, celebrated by the name Pradyumna.
Because he was begotten by Lord Kṛṣṇa directly, his qualities were most similar to those of Kṛṣṇa.
There was a demon of the name Śambara
who was destined to be killed by this Pradyumna. The Śambara demon knew of his
destiny, and as soon as he learned that Pradyumna was born, he took the shape
of a woman and kidnapped the baby from the maternity home less than ten days
after his birth. The demon took him and threw him directly into the sea. But,
as it is said, "Whoever is protected by Kṛṣṇa, no one can kill; and whoever is destined to be
killed by Kṛṣṇa,
no one can protect." When Pradyumna was thrown into the sea, a big fish
immediately swallowed him. Later on this fish was caught by the net of a
fisherman, and the fish was later on sold to the Śambara demon. In the kitchen
of the demon there was a maidservant whose name was Māyāvatī. This woman had
formerly been the wife of Cupid, and had been called Rati. When the fish was
presented to the demon Śambara, it was taken charge of by his cook, who was to
make it into a palatable fish preparation. Demons and the rākṣasas are
accustomed to eat meat, fish and similar non-vegetarian foods. Similarly, other
demons, like Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa and Hiraṇyakaśipu,
although born of brāhmaṇa
and kṣatriya
fathers, used to take meat and flesh without discrimination. This practice is
still prevalent in India, and those who are meat and fish eaters are generally
called demons and rākṣasas.
When the cook was cutting the fish, he
found a nice baby within the belly of the fish, and he immediately presented
him to the charge of Māyāvatī, who was an assistant in the kitchen affairs.
This woman was surprised to see how such a nice baby could remain within the
belly of a fish, and the situation perplexed her. The great sage Nārada then
appeared and explained to her about the birth of Pradyumna, how the baby had
been taken away by Śambara and later on thrown into the sea, and so on. In this
way the whole story was disclosed to Māyāvatī, who had formerly been Rati, the
wife of Cupid. Māyāvatī knew that she had previously been the wife of Cupid;
after her husband was burnt into ashes by the wrath of Lord Śiva, she was
always expecting him to come back again in the material form. This woman was
engaged for cooking rice and dahl in the kitchen, but when she got this nice
baby and understood that he was Cupid, her own husband, she naturally took
charge of him and with great affection began to bathe him. Miraculously, the
baby very swiftly grew up, and within a very short period he became a very
beautiful young man. His eyes were just like the petals of lotus flowers, his
arms were very long, down to the knees, and any woman who happened to see him
became captivated by his bodily beauty.
Māyāvatī could understand that her
former husband, Cupid, born as Pradyumna, had grown into such a nice young man,
and she also gradually became captivated and lusty. She was smiling before him
with a feminine attractiveness, expressing her desire for sexual unity. He
therefore inquired from her, "How is it possible that first of all you
were affectionate like a mother, and now you are expressing the symptoms of a
lusty woman? What is the reason for such a change?" On hearing this statement
from Pradyumna, the woman, Rati, replied, "My dear sir, you are the son of
Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Before you were ten days old, you were stolen by the Śambara demon and later on
thrown into the water and swallowed up by a fish. In this way you have come
under my care, but actually, in your former life as Cupid, I was your wife;
therefore, my manifestation of conjugal symptoms is not at all incompatible.
Śambara wanted to kill you, and he is endowed with various kinds of mystic
powers. Therefore, before he again attempts to kill you, please kill him as
soon as possible with your divine power. Since you were stolen by Śambara, your
mother, Rukmiṇī-devi,
has been in a very grievous condition, like a cuckoo bird who has lost her
babies. She is very affectionate toward you, and since you have been taken away
from her, she has been living like a cow aggrieved over the loss of its
calf."
Māyāvatī had mystic knowledge of
supernatural power. Supernatural powers are generally known as māyā, and to
supersede all such supernatural power there is another supernatural power which
is called mahāmāyā. Māyāvatī had the knowledge of the mystic power of mahāmāyā,
and she delivered to Pradyumna this specific energetic power in order to defeat
the mystic powers of the Śambara demon. Thus being empowered by his wife,
Pradyumna immediately went before Śambara and challenged him to fight.
Pradyumna began to address him in very strong language, so that his temper
might be agitated and he would be moved to fight. At Pradyumna's words, the
demon Śambara, being insulted, felt just like a snake feels after being struck
by one's leg. A serpent cannot tolerate being kicked by another animal or by a
man, and he immediately bites the opponent.
But Śambarāsura knew the art of mystic powers and could raise himself in the sky and fight from outer space. There is another demon of the name Maya, and Śambarāsura learned many mystic powers from him. He thus raised himself high in the sky and began to threw various types of nuclear weapons at the body of Pradyumna. In order to combat the mystic powers of Śambarāsura, Pradyumna remembered another mystic power, known as mahāvidyā, which was different from the black mystic power. The mahāvidyā mystic power is based on the quality of goodness. Understanding that his enemy was formidable, Śambara took assistance from various kinds of demonic mystic powers belonging to the Guhyakas, the Gandharvas, the Piśācas, the snakes and the Rākṣasas. But although the demon exhibited his mystic powers and took shelter of supernatural strength, Pradyumna was able to counteract his strength and powers by the superior power of mahāvidyā. When Śambarāsura was defeated in every respect, Pradyumna then took his sharpened sword and immediately cut off the demon's head, which was decorated with a helmet and with valuable jewels. When Pradyumna thus killed the demon, all the demigods in the higher planetary systems began to shower flowers on him.
Pradyumna's wife, Māyāvatī, could travel in outer space, and therefore they directly reached his father's capital, Dvārakā, by the airways. They passed above the palace of Lord Kṛṣṇa and began to come down as a cloud comes down with lightning. The inner section of a palace is known as antaḥpura (private apartments). Pradyumna and Māyāvatī could see that there were many women there, and they sat down among them. When the women saw Pradyumna, dressed in bluish garments, with very long arms, curling hair, beautiful eyes, a smiling reddish face, jewelry and ornaments, they first of all could not recognize him as Pradyumna, a personality different from Kṛṣṇa. They all felt themselves to be very much blessed by the sudden presence of Kṛṣṇa, and they wanted to hide in a different corner of the palace.
When the women saw, however, that all the characteristics of Kṛṣṇa were not present in the personality of Pradyumna, out of curiosity they came back again to see him and his wife, Māyāvatī. All of them were conjecturing as to who he was, for he was so beautiful. Among the women was Rukmiṇīdevī, who was equally beautiful, with her lotus-like eyes. Seeing Pradyumna, she naturally remembered her own son, and milk began to flow from her breast out of motherly affection. She then began to wonder, "Who is this beautiful young boy? He appears to be the most beautiful person. Who is the fortunate young woman able to give birth to this nice boy in her womb and become his mother? And who is that young woman who has accompanied him? How have they met? Remembering my own son, who was stolen even from the maternity home, I can only guess that if he is living somewhere, he might have grown by this time to be like this boy." Simply by intuition, Rukmiṇī could understand that Pradyumna was her own lost son. She could also observe that Pradyumna resembled Lord Kṛṣṇa in every respect. She was struck with wonder as to how he acquired all the symptoms of Kṛṣṇa. She therefore began to think more confidently that the boy must be her own grown-up son because she felt much affection for him, and, as an auspicious sign, her left arm was trembling.
At that very moment, Lord Kṛṣṇa, along with His father and mother, Devakī and Vasudeva, appeared on the scene. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could understand everything, yet in that situation He remained silent. However, by the desire of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the great sage Nārada also appeared on the scene, and he began to disclose all the incidents--how Pradyumna had been stolen from the maternity home and how he had grown up and had come there with his wife Māyāvatī, who formerly had been Rati, the wife of Cupid. When everyone was informed of the mysterious disappearance of Pradyumna and how he had grown up, they all became struck with wonder because they had gotten back their dead son after they were almost hopeless of his return. When they understood that it was Pradyumna who was present, they began to receive him with great delight. One after another, all of the members of the family--Devakī, Vasudeva, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Balarāma, and Rukmiṇī and all the women of the family--began to embrace both Pradyumna and his wife Māyāvatī. When the news of Pradyumna's return was spread all over the city of Dvārakā, all the astonished citizens began to come with great anxiety to see the lost Pradyumna. They began to say, "The dead son has come back. What can be more pleasing than this?"
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has explained that, in the beginning, all the residents of the palace, who were all mothers and stepmothers of Pradyumna, mistook him to be Kṛṣṇa and were all bashful, infected by the desire for conjugal love. The explanation is that Pradyumna's personal appearance is exactly like Kṛṣṇa's, and he was factually Cupid himself. There was no cause of astonishment, therefore, when the mothers of Pradyumna and other women mistook him in that way. It is clear from the statement that Pradyumna's bodily characteristics were so similar to Kṛṣṇa's that he was mistaken to be Kṛṣṇa even by his mother
55. The
Story of the Syamantaka Jewel
There was a king
of the name Satrājit within the jurisdiction of Dvārakādhāma. He was a great
devotee of the sun-god, who awarded him the benediction of a jewel known as
Syamantaka. Because of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding
between King Satrājit and the Yadu dynasty. Later on the matter was settled
when Satrājit voluntarily offered Kṛṣṇa his daughter, Satyabhāmā, along with the jewel Syamantaka. Not
only was Satyabhāmā married to Kṛṣṇa on account of the Syamantaka jewel, but Jāmbavatī, the daughter
of Jāmbavān, was also married to Kṛṣṇa. These two marriages took place before the appearance of
Pradyumna, as described in the last chapter. How King Satrājit offended the
Yadu dynasty and how he later on came to his senses and offered his daughter
and the Syamantaka jewel to Kṛṣṇa is described as follows.
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Since he was a great devotee of the
sun-god, King Satrājit gradually entered into a very friendly relationship
with him. The sun-god was much pleased with him and delivered to him an
exceptional jewel known as Syamantaka. When this jewel was worn by Satrājit
in a locket around his neck, he appeared exactly like an imitation sun-god.
Putting on this jewel, he would enter the city of Dvārakā, and people would
think that the sun-god had come into the city to see Kṛṣṇa. They knew that Kṛṣṇa,
being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was sometimes visited by the
demigods, so while Satrājit was visiting the city of Dvārakā all the inhabitants
except Kṛṣṇa took him to be the sun-god himself. Although
King Satrājit was known to everyone, he could not be recognized because of
the dazzling effulgence of the Syamantaka jewel.
Once, mistaking him to be the
sun-god, some of the important citizens of Dvārakā immediately went to Kṛṣṇa to inform Him that the sun-god had arrived to
see Him. At that time, Kṛṣṇa
was playing chess. One of the important residents of Dvārakā spoke thus:
"My dear Lord Nārāyaṇa, You are the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Your plenary portion of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu,
You have four hands with different symbols--the conchshell, disc, club and
lotus flower. You are actually the owner of everything, but in spite of Your
being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, You have descended in Vṛndāvana to act as the child of Yaśodāmātā, who
sometimes used to tie You up with her ropes, and You are celebrated,
therefore, by the name Dāmodara."
That Kṛṣṇa
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa,
as accepted by the citizens of Dvārakā, was later on confirmed by the great
Māyāvādī philosophical leader, Śaṅkarācārya.
By accepting the Lord as impersonal, he did not reject the Lord's personal
form. He meant that everything which has form in this material world is
subjected to creation, maintenance and annihilation, but the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa,
does not have a material form subjected to these limitations. In order to
convince the less intelligent class of men who take Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary human being, Śaṅkarācārya therefore said that God is impersonal.
This impersonality means that He is not a person of this material condition.
He is a transcendental personality without a material body.
The citizens of Dvārakā addressed
Lord Kṛṣṇa not only as Dāmodara, but also as Govinda,
which indicates that Kṛṣṇa is very affectionate to the cows and calves;
and just to refer to their intimate connection with Kṛṣṇa, they addressed Him as Yadunandana. He is the
son of Vasudeva, born in the Yadu dynasty. In this way, the citizens of
Dvārakā concluded that they were addressing Kṛṣṇa
as the supreme master of the whole universe. They addressed Kṛṣṇa in many different ways, proud of being citizens
of Dvārakā who could see Kṛṣṇa
daily.
When Satrājit was visiting the city
of Dvārakā, the citizens felt great pride to think that although Kṛṣṇa was living in Dvārakā like an ordinary human
being, the demigods were coming to see Him. Thus they informed Lord Kṛṣṇa that the sun-god, with his appealing bodily
effulgence, was coming to see Him. The citizens of Dvārakā confirmed that the
sun-god's coming into Dvārakā was not very wonderful, because people all over
the universe who were searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead knew
that He had appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty and was living in
Dvārakā as one of the members of that family. Thus the citizens expressed
their joy on this occasion. On hearing the statement of His citizens, the
all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa,
simply smiled. Being pleased with the citizens of Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa informed them that the person whom they
described as the sun-god was actually King Satrājit, who had come to visit
Dvārakā City to show his opulence in the form of the valuable jewel obtained
from the sun-god.
Satrājit, however, did not come to
see Kṛṣṇa; he was instead overwhelmed by the jewel of
Syamantaka. He installed the jewel in a temple to be worshiped by brāhmaṇas he engaged for this purpose. This is an
instance of a less intelligent person worshiping a material thing. In the Bhagavad-gītā
it is stated that less intelligent persons, in order to get immediate results
from their fruitive activities, worship the demigods who are created within
this universe. The word "materialist" means one concerned with
gratification of the senses within this material world. Although Kṛṣṇa later asked for this Syamantaka jewel, King
Satrājit did not deliver it to him, but he installed the jewel for his
purposes of worship. And who would not worship that jewel? The Syamantaka
jewel was so powerful that it was daily producing a large quantity of gold. A
quantity of gold is counted by a measurement called a bhāra. According to
Vedic formulas, one bhāra is equal to sixteen pounds of gold; one mound
equals eighty-two pounds. The jewel was producing about 170 pounds of gold
every day. Besides that, it is learned from Vedic literature that in whatever
part of the world this jewel is worshiped there is no possibility of famine;
not only that, but wherever the jewel is present, there is no possibility of
anything inauspicious, such as pestilence or disease.
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Lord Kṛṣṇa
wanted to teach the world that the best of everything should be offered to the
ruling chief of the country. King Ugrasena was the overlord of many dynasties
and happened to be the grandfather of Kṛṣṇa,
and Kṛṣṇa asked Satrājit to present the Syamantaka jewel to
King Ugrasena. Kṛṣṇa pleaded that the best should be offered to the
King. But Satrājit, being a worshiper of the demigods, had become too
materialistic and, instead of accepting the request of Kṛṣṇa, thought it wiser to worship the jewel in order
to get the 170 pounds of gold every day. Materialistic persons who can achieve
such huge quantities of gold every day are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sometimes, therefore, in order to
show special favor, Kṛṣṇa takes away great accumulations of materialistic
wealth from a person and thus makes him a great devotee. But Satrājit refused
to abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa and did not deliver
the jewel to Him.
After this incident, Satrājit's younger
brother, in order to display the opulence of the family, took the jewel, put it
on his neck and rode on horseback into the forest making a show of his material
opulence. While the brother of Satrājit, who was known as Prasena, was moving
here and there in the forest, a big lion attacked him, killing both him and the
horse on which he was riding, and took away the jewel to his cave. The news was
received by the gorilla king, Jāmbavān, who then killed that lion in the cave
and took away the jewel. Jāmbavān had been a great devotee of the Lord since
the time of Lord Rāmacandra, so he did not take the valuable jewel as something
he very much needed. He gave it to his young son to play with as a toy.
In the city, when Satrājit's younger
brother Prasena did not return from the forest with the jewel, Satrājit became
very upset. He did not know that his brother had been killed by a lion and that
the lion had been killed by Jāmbavān. He was thinking instead that because Kṛṣṇa wanted that jewel and it had not been delivered
to Him, Kṛṣṇa might have therefore taken the jewel away from
Prasena by force and killed him. This idea grew into a rumor which was being
spread by Satrājit in every part of Dvārakā.
The false rumor that Kṛṣṇa had killed Prasena and had taken away the jewel
was spread everywhere like wildfire. Kṛṣṇa
did not like to be defamed in that way, and therefore He decided that He would
go to the forest and find the Syamantaka jewel, taking with Him some of the
inhabitants of Dvārakā. Along with important men of Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa went to search out Prasena, the brother of
Satrājit, and He found him dead, killed by the lion. At the same time, Kṛṣṇa also found the lion which had been killed by
Jāmbavān, who is generally called by the name Ṛkṣa. It was found that the lion had been killed by
the hand of Ṛkṣa without the
assistance of any weapon. Kṛṣṇa and the citizens of
Dvārakā then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Ṛkṣa's house. Kṛṣṇa knew that the inhabitants of Dvārakā would be
afraid to enter the tunnel; therefore He asked them to remain outside, and He
Himself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Ṛkṣa, Jāmbavān. After entering the tunnel, Kṛṣṇa saw that the very valuable jewel known as
Syamantaka had been given to the son of Ṛkṣa as a toy, and in order to take the jewel from the
child, He went there and stood before him. When the nurse who was taking care
of Ṛkṣa's child saw Kṛṣṇa standing before her, she was afraid, thinking the
valuable Syamantaka jewel might be taken away by Him. She began to cry loudly
out of fear.
Hearing the nurse crying, Jāmbavān
appeared on the scene in a very angry mood. Jāmbavān was actually a great
devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but because he was in an angry mood he could not
recognize his master; he thought Him to be an ordinary man. This brings to mind
the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā in which the Lord advises Arjuna to get free
from anger, greed and lust in order to rise up to the spiritual platform. Lust,
anger and greed run parallel in the heart and check one's progress on the
spiritual path.
Not recognizing his master, Jāmbavān
first challenged Him to fight. There was then a great fight between Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavān in which they fought like two
opposing vultures. Whenever there is an eatable corpse the vultures fight
heartily over the prey. Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavān first of all began fighting with
weapons, then with stones, then with big trees, then hand to hand, until at
last they were hitting one another with their fists, and the blows were like
the striking of thunderbolts. Each was expecting victory over the other, but
the fighting continued for days, both in daytime and at night, without
stopping. In this way the fighting continued for twenty-eight days.
Although Jāmbavān was the strongest
living entity of that time, practically all the joints of his bodily limbs
became slackened and his strength reduced to practically nil after being
constantly struck by the fists of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Feeling very tired, with perspiration all over his body, Jāmbavān was
astonished. Who was this opponent who was weakening him? Jāmbavān was quite
aware of his own superhuman bodily strength, but when he felt tired from being
struck by Kṛṣṇa, he could understand that Kṛṣṇa was no one else but his worshipable Lord, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. This incident has a special significance for
devotees. In the beginning, Jāmbavān could not understand Kṛṣṇa because his vision was obscured by material
attachment. He was attached to his boy and to the greatly valuable Syamantaka
jewel, which he did not want to spare for Kṛṣṇa.
In fact, when Kṛṣṇa came there he became angry, thinking that He had
come to take away the jewel. This is the material position; although one is
very strong in body, that cannot help him understand Kṛṣṇa.
In a sporting attitude, Kṛṣṇa wanted to engage in a mock fight with His
devotee. As we have experienced from the pages of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the propensities and instincts of a
human being. Sometimes, in a sportive spirit, He wishes to fight to make a show
of bodily strength, and when He so desires, He selects one of His suitable
devotees to give Him that pleasure. Kṛṣṇa
desired this pleasure of mock fighting with Jāmbavān. Although Jāmbavān was a
devotee by nature, he was without knowledge of Kṛṣṇa
while giving service to the Lord by his bodily strength. But as soon as Kṛṣṇa was pleased by the fighting, Jāmbavān immediately
understood that his opponent was none other than the Supreme Lord Himself. The
conclusion is that he could understand Kṛṣṇa
by his service. Kṛṣṇa is sometimes satisfied by fighting also.
Jāmbavān therefore said to the Lord,
"My dear Lord, I can now understand who You are. You are the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, the source of
everyone's strength, wealth, reputation, beauty, wisdom and renunciation."
This statement of Jāmbavān's is confirmed by the Vedānta-sūtra, wherein the
Supreme Lord is declared to be the source of everything. Jāmbavān identified
Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality, Lord Viṣṇu: "My dear Lord, You are the creator of the
creators of the universal affairs." This statement is very instructive to
the ordinary man, who is amazed by the activities of a person with an
exceptional brain. The ordinary man is surprised to see the inventions of a
great scientist, but the statement of Jāmbavān confirms that although a
scientist may be a creator of many wonderful things, Kṛṣṇa is the creator of the scientist. He is not only
the creator of one scientist, but of millions and trillions, all over the
universe. Jāmbavān said further, "You are not only creator of the creator,
but You are also creator of the material elements which are manipulated by the
so-called creators." Scientists utilize the physical elements or laws of
material nature and do something wonderful, but actually such laws and elements
are also the creation of Kṛṣṇa. This is actual
scientific understanding. Less intelligent 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.
Lord Kṛṣṇa became satisfied by the prayers and statements of Jāmbavān, and to mitigate the pains of his body, He began to smear the lotus palm of His hand all over the body of Jāmbavān. Jāmbavān at once felt relieved from the fatigue of the great fight. Lord Kṛṣṇa then addressed him as King Jāmbavān, because he and not the lion was actually the king of the forest; with his naked hand, without a weopon, Jāmbavān had killed the lion. Kṛṣṇa informed Jāmbavān that He had come to him to ask for the Syamantaka jewel because since the Syamantaka jewel had been stolen His name had been defamed by the less intelligent. Kṛṣṇa plainly informed him that He had come there to ask him for the jewel in order to be free from this defamation. Jāmbavān understood the whole situation, and to satisfy the Lord he not only immediately delivered the Syamantaka jewel, but he also brought his daughter Jāmbavatī, who was of marriageable age, and presented her to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
The episode of Jāmbavatī's marriage
with Kṛṣṇa
and the delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the
mountain cave. Although the fighting between Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavān went on for twenty-eight days, the
inhabitants of Dvārakā waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after
that they decided that something undesirable must have happened. They could not
understand what had actually happened for certain, and being very sorry and
tired, they had returned to the city of Dvārakā.
All the members of the family, namely
the mother of Kṛṣṇa,
Devakī, His father Vasudeva, and His chief wife Rukmiṇī, along with
all other friends, relatives and residents of the palace, became very sorry
when the citizens returned home without Kṛṣṇa. Because of their natural affection for Kṛṣṇa, they began to
call Satrājit ill names, for he was the cause of Kṛṣṇa's
disappearance. They went to worship the goddess Candrabhāgā, praying for the
return of Kṛṣṇa.
The goddess was satisfied by the prayers of the citizens of Dvārakā, and she
immediately offered them her benediction. Simultaneously, Kṛṣṇa appeared on
the scene accompanied by His new wife Jāmbavatī, and all the inhabitants of
Dvārakā and relatives of Kṛṣṇa became joyful. The inhabitants of Dvārakā became
as joyful as someone receiving a dear relative back from the dead. The
inhabitants of Dvārakā had concluded that Kṛṣṇa had been put into great difficulties due to the
fighting; therefore, they had become almost hopeless of His return. But when
they saw that Kṛṣṇa
had actually returned, not alone but with a new wife, Jāmbavatī, they
immediately performed another celebration ceremony.
King Ugrasena then called for a meeting
of all important kings and chiefs. He also invited Satrājit, and Kṛṣṇa explained
before the whole assembly the incident of the recovery of the jewel from
Jāmbavān. Kṛṣṇa
wanted to return the valuable jewel to King Satrājit. Satrājit, however, became
ashamed because he had unnecessarily defamed Kṛṣṇa. He accepted the jewel in 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 about how he could clear himself from the abominable action he had
performed by defaming Kṛṣṇa.
He was conscious that he had offended Kṛṣṇa very grievously and that he had to find a
remedial measure so that Kṛṣṇa would again be pleased with him.
King Satrājit was eager to get relief
from the anxiety he had foolishly created due to being attracted by a material
thing, specifically the Syamantaka jewel. Satrājit was truly afflicted by the
offense he had committed toward Kṛṣṇa, and he sincerely wanted to rectify it. From
within, Kṛṣṇa
gave him good intelligence, and Satrājit decided to hand over to Kṛṣṇa both the jewel
and his beautiful daughter, Satyabhāmā. There was no alternative for mitigating
the situation, and therefore he arranged the marriage ceremony of Kṛṣṇa and his
beautiful daughter. He gave in charity both the jewel and his daughter to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Satyabhāmā was so beautiful and qualified that
Satrājit, in spite of being asked for the hand of Satyabhāmā by many princes,
was waiting to find a suitable son-in-law. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa he decided to
hand his daughter over to Him.
Lord Kṛṣṇa, being pleased upon Satrājit, informed him that
He did not have any need of the Syamantaka jewel. "It is better to let it
remain in the temple as you have kept it," He said, "and every one of
us will derive benefit from the jewel. Because of the jewel's presence in the
city of Dvārakā, there will be no more famine or disturbances created by
pestilence or excessive heat and cold."
56. The
Killing of Satrājit and Śatadhanvā
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After Akrūra visited Hastināpura and
reported the condition of the Pāṇḍavas
to Kṛṣṇa, there were further developments. The Pāṇḍavas were transferred to a house which was made
of shellac and was later on set ablaze, and everyone understood that the Pāṇḍavas along with their mother, Kuntī, had been
killed. This information was also sent to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. After consulting together, They
decided to go to Hastināpura to show sympathy to Their relatives. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma certainly knew that the Pāṇḍavas could not have been killed in the
devastating fire, but in spite of this knowledge They wanted to go to
Hastināpura to take part in the bereavement. On arriving in Hastināpura, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma first of all went to see Bhīṣmadeva because he was the chief of the Kuru
dynasty. They then saw Vidura, Gāndhārī and Droṇa.
Other members of the Kuru dynasty were not sorry, because they wanted the Pāṇḍavas and their mother to be killed. But some
family members, headed by Bhīṣma, were actually
very sorry for the incident, and Kṛṣṇa
and Balarāma expressed equal sorrow, without disclosing the actual situation.
When Kṛṣṇa
and Balarāma were away from the city of Dvārakā, there was a conspiracy to
take away the Syamantaka jewel from Satrājit. The chief conspirator was
Śatadhanvā. Along with others, Śatadhanvā wanted to marry Satyabhāmā, the
beautiful daughter of Satrājit. Satrājit had promised that he would give his
beautiful daughter in charity to various candidates, but later on the
decision was changed, and Satyabhāmā was given to Kṛṣṇa along with the Syamantaka jewel. Satrājit had
no desire to give the jewel away along with his daughter, and Kṛṣṇa, knowing his mentality, accepted his daughter
but returned the jewel. After getting back the jewel from Kṛṣṇa, he was satisfied and kept it with him always.
But in the absence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma there was a conspiracy by many
men, including even Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā,
who were devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
to take the jewel from Satrājit. Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā
joined the conspiracy because they wanted the jewel for Kṛṣṇa. They knew that Kṛṣṇa
wanted the jewel and that Satrājit had not delivered it properly. Others
joined the conspiracy because they were disappointed in not having the hand
of Satyabhāmā. Some of them incited Śatadhanvā to kill Satrājit and take away
the jewel.
The question is generally raised, Why
did a great devotee like Akrūra join this conspiracy? And why did Kṛtavarmā, although a devotee of the Lord, join the
conspiracy also? The answer is given by great authorities like Jīva Gosvāmī
and others that although Akrūra was a great devotee, he was cursed by the
inhabitants of Vṛndāvana because of his taking Kṛṣṇa away from their midst. Because of his wounding
their feelings, Akrūra was forced to join the conspiracy declared by sinful
men. Similarly, Kṛtavarmā was a devotee, but because of his
intimate association with Kaṁsa, he was also
contaminated by sinful reaction, and he also joined the conspiracy.
Being inspired by all the members of
the conspiracy, Śatadhanvā one night entered the house of Satrājit and killed
him while he was sleeping. Śatadhanvā was a sinful man of abominable
character, and although due to his sinful activities he was not to live for
many days, he decided to kill Satrājit while Satrājit was sleeping at home.
When he entered the house to kill Satrājit, all the women there began to cry
very loudly, but in spite of their great protests, Śatadhanvā mercilessly
butchered Satrājit without hesitation, exactly as a butcher kills an animal
in the slaughterhouse. Since Kṛṣṇa
was absent from home, His wife Satyabhāmā was also present on the night
Satrājit was murdered, and she began to cry, "My dear father! My dear
father! How mercilessly you have been killed!" The dead body of Satrājit
was not immediately removed for cremation because Satyabhāmā wanted to go to
Kṛṣṇa in Hastināpura. Therefore the body was
preserved in a tank of oil so that Kṛṣṇa
could come back and see the dead body of Satrājit and take real action
against Śatadhanvā. Satyabhāmā immediately started for Hastināpura to inform
Kṛṣṇa about the ghastly death of her father.
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When Kṛṣṇa
was informed by Satyabhāmā of the murder of His father-in-law, He began to
lament like an ordinary man. His great sorrow is, again, a strange thing. Lord
Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do with action and reaction, but
because He was playing the part of a human being He expressed His full sympathy
for the bereavement of Satyabhāmā, and His eyes filled with tears upon hearing
about the death of His father-in-law. He thus began to lament, "Oh, what
unhappy incidents have taken place!" In this way both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Satyabhāmā, the wife of
Kṛṣṇa, immediately returned to Dvārakā and began to
make plans to kill Śatadhanvā and take away the jewel. Although he was a great
outlaw in the city, Śatadhanvā was still very much afraid of Kṛṣṇa's power, and thus he became most afraid on Kṛṣṇa's arrival.
Understanding Kṛṣṇa's plan to kill
him, he immediately went to take shelter of Kṛtavarmā. But on being approached by him, Kṛtavarmā said,
"I shall never be able to offend Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma because They are not ordinary
persons. They are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who can be saved from
death if he has offended Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa? No one can be saved from Their wrath." Kṛtavarmā further
said that Kaṁsa,
although powerful and assisted by many demons, could not be saved from the
wrath of Kṛṣṇa,
and what to speak of Jarāsandha, who had been defeated by Kṛṣṇa eighteen times
and each time had to return from the fighting in disappointment.
When Śatadhanvā was refused help by Kṛtavarmā he went
to Akrūra and implored him to help. Akrūra also replied, "Both Balarāma
and Kṛṣṇa
are Themselves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and anyone who knows Their
unlimited strength would never dare to offend Them or fight with Them." He
further informed Śatadhanvā, "Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are so powerful that simply by
willing They are creating the whole cosmic manifestation, maintaining it and
dissolving it. Unfortunately, persons who are bewildered by the illusory energy
cannot understand the strength of Kṛṣṇa, although the whole cosmic manifestation is fully
under His control." He cited, as an example, that Kṛṣṇa, even at the
age of seven years, had lifted Govardhana Hill and had continued to hold up the
mountain for seven days, exactly as a child carries a small umbrella. Akrūra
plainly informed Śatadhanvā that he would always offer his most respectful
obeisances to Kṛṣṇa,
the Supersoul of everything that is created and the original cause of all
causes. When Akrūra also refused to give him shelter, Śatadhanvā decided to
deliver to the hands of Akrūra the Syamantaka jewel. Then, riding on a horse
which could run at great speed and up to four hundred miles at a stretch, he
fled the city.
When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were informed of the flight of
Śatadhanvā, They mounted Their chariot, its flag marked by the picture of Garuḍa, and followed
immediately. Kṛṣṇa
was particularly angry with Śatadhanvā and wanted to kill him because he had
killed Satrājit, a superior personality. Satrājit happened to be the
father-in-law of Kṛṣṇa,
and it is the injunction of the śāstras that anyone who has rebelled against a
superior person, or guru-druha, must be punished in proportion to the volume of
offense. Because Śatadhanvā had killed His father-in-law, Kṛṣṇa was determined
to kill him by any means.
Śatadhanvā's horse became exhausted and
died near a garden house in Mithilā. Unable to take help of the horse,
Śatadhanvā began to run with great speed. In order to be fair to Śatadhanvā, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also left Their chariot and began to
follow Śatadhanvā on foot. While both Śatadhanvā and Kṛṣṇa were running on foot, Kṛṣṇa took His disc and cut off the head of Śatadhanvā.
After Śatadhanvā was killed, Kṛṣṇa searched through his clothing for the Syamantaka
jewel, but He could not find it. He then returned to Balarāma and said,
"We have killed this person uselessly because the jewel is not to be found
on his body." Śrī Balarāma suggested, "The jewel might have been kept
in custody of another man in Dvārakā, so You'd better return and search it
out." Śrī Balarāma expressed His desire to remain in Mithilā City for some
days because He enjoyed an intimate friendship with the King. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa returned to Dvārakā, and Balarāma entered the
city of Mithilā.
When the King of Mithilā saw the
arrival of Śrī Balarāma in his city, he became most pleased and received the
Lord with great honor and hospitality. He presented many valuable presents to
Balarāmajī in order to seek His pleasure. At this time Śrī Balarāma lived in the
city for several years as the honored guest of the King of Mithilā, Janaka
Mahārāja. During this time, Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, took the
opportunity of coming to Balarāma and learning from Him the art of fighting
with a club.
After killing Śatadhanvā, Kṛṣṇa returned to
Dvārakā, and in order to please His wife Satyabhāmā, He informed her of the
death of Śatadhanvā, the killer of her father. But He also informed her that
the jewel had not been found in his possession. Then, according to religious
principles, Kṛṣṇa,
along with Satyabhāmā, performed all kinds of ceremonies in honor of the death
of His father-in-law. In that ceremony all the friends and relatives of the
family joined together.
Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā, who
were prominent members in the conspiracy to kill Satrājit, had incited
Śatadhanvā to kill him, but when they heard of the death of Śatadhanvā at Kṛṣṇa's hand, and
when they heard also that Kṛṣṇa had returned to Dvārakā, they both immediately
left Dvārakā. The citizens of Dvārakā felt themselves threatened with
pestilence and natural disturbances due to the absence of Akrūra from the city.
This was a kind of superstition because while Lord Kṛṣṇa was present
there could not be any pestilence, famine or natural disturbances. But in the
absence of Akrūra there were some disturbances in Dvārakā. Once in the province
of Kāśī within the barricade of Vārāṇasī there was severe drought and practically no
rainfall. At that time the King of Kāśī arranged the marriage of his daughter,
known as Gāndinī, with Śvaphalka, the father of Akrūra. This was done by the
King of Kāśī on the advice of an astrologer, and actually it so happened that
after the marriage of the King's daughter with Śvaphalka there was sufficient
rainfall in the province. Due to this supernatural power of Śvaphalka, his son
Akrūra was also considered equally powerful, and people were under the
impression that wherever Akrūra or his father remained, there would be no
natural disturbance, famine or drought. That kingdom is considered to be happy
where there is no famine, pestilence, or excessive heat and cold and where
people are happy mentally, spiritually and bodily. As soon as there is some
disturbance, people consider the cause to be due to the absence of an
auspicious personality in the city. Thus there was a rumor that because of the
absence of Akrūra inauspicious things were happening. After the departure of
Akrūra, some of the elderly members of the town began to perceive that there
were also inauspicious signs due to the absence of the Syamantaka jewel. When
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
heard these rumors spread by the people He decided to summon Akrūra from the
kingdom of Kāśī. Akrūra was Kṛṣṇa's uncle; therefore, when he came back to Dvārakā
Lord Kṛṣṇa
first of all welcomed him as befitting a superior person. Kṛṣṇa is the
Supersoul in everyone's heart; He knows everything going on in everyone's
heart. He knew everything that had happened in connection with Akrūra's
conspiracy with Śatadhanvā. Therefore, He smilingly began to address Akrūra.
Addressing him as the chief among
magnificent men, Kṛṣṇa
said, "My dear uncle, it is already known to Me that the Syamantaka jewel
was left by Śatadhanvā with you. Presently there is no direct claimant of the
Syamantaka jewel, for King Satrājit has no male issue. His daughter Satyabhāmā
is not very anxious for this jewel, yet her expected son, as grandson of
Satrājit, would, after performing the regulative principles of inheritance, be
the legal claimant of the jewel." Lord Kṛṣṇa indicated by this statement that Satyabhāmā was
already pregnant and that her son would be the real claimant for the jewel and
would certainly take the jewel from him.
Kṛṣṇa continued, "This jewel is so powerful that
no ordinary man is able to keep it. I know that you are very pious in
activities, so there is no objection to the jewel being kept with you. There is
one difficulty, and that is that My elder brother, Śrī Balarāma, does not
believe My version that the jewel is with you. I therefore request you, O
large-hearted one, to show Me the jewel before My other relatives so that they
may be pacified. You cannot deny that the jewel is with you because from
various kinds of rumors we can understand that you have enhanced your opulence
and are performing sacrifices on an altar made of solid gold." The
properties of the jewel were known: wherever the jewel remained, it would
produce for the keeper almost nine mounds of pure gold daily. Akrūra was
getting gold in that proportion and was distributing it very profusely at sacrificial
performances. Lord Kṛṣṇa
cited Akrūra's lavishly spending in gold as positive evidence of his possessing
the Syamantaka jewel.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa, in friendly
terms and in sweet language, impressed Akrūra about the real fact and Akrūra
understood that nothing could be concealed from the knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he brought
the valuable jewel, shining like the sun and covered by cloth, and presented it
before Kṛṣṇa.
Lord Kṛṣṇa
took the Syamantaka jewel in His hand and showed it to all His relatives and
friends present there and then again returned the jewel to Akrūra in their
presence so that they would know that the jewel was actually being kept by
Akrūra in Dvārakā City.
This story of the Syamantaka jewel is
very significant. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that anyone who hears the
story of the Syamantaka jewel or describes it or simply remembers it will be
free from all kinds of defamation and the reactions of all impious activities
and thus will attain the highest perfectional condition of peace.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations H H Swami Sri Prabhupada ji, Sri Krishnalilas
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