Category:Krsna Book Chapter 56 - The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel
Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 56 - The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel"
The following 110 pages are in this category, out of 110 total.
A
- A quantity of gold is counted by a measurement called a bhara. According to Vedic formulas, one bhara is equal to about twenty-one pounds, and one mound equals about eighty-two pounds
- After the construction of the bridge, a fire was set all over the kingdom of Ravana. During the fighting with Ravana, every part of his limbs was slashed to pieces by Your (Ramacandra) sharp arrows, and his heads fell to the face of the earth
- After this incident, Satrajit'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
- All the members of the family, namely Krsna's mother, Devaki, His father, Vasudeva, and His chief wife, Rukmini, along with all other friends, relatives and residents of the palace, were very sorry when the citizens returned home without Krsna
- Although Jambavan was a devotee by nature, he did not know that his opponent was Krsna while giving service to the Lord by his bodily strength
- Although Jambavan was the strongest living entity of that time, practically all the joints of his bodily limbs became slackened and his strength was reduced practically to nil, for he was struck constantly by the fists of Sri Krsna
- Although King Satrajit was known to everyone, he could not be recognized because of the dazzling effulgence of the Syamantaka jewel
- Although the fighting between Krsna and Jambavan went on for twenty-eight days, the inhabitants of Dvaraka waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after that they decided that something undesirable must have happened
- As soon as Krsna was pleased by the fighting, Jambavan immediately understood that his opponent was none other than the Supreme Lord Himself. The conclusion is that he could understand Krsna by his service, for Krsna is sometimes satisfied by fighting
- At the same time, Krsna also found the lion killed by Jambavan, who is generally called Rksa. It was found that the lion had been killed by the hand of Rksa without the assistance of any weapon
B
- Because of their natural affection for Krsna, they (the inhabitants of Dvaraka) began to call Satrajit ill names, for he was the cause of Krsna's disappearance. They went to worship the goddess Candrabhaga, praying for the return of Krsna
- Because of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding between King Satrajit and the Yadu dynasty Later the matter was settled when Satrajit voluntarily offered Krsna his daughter, Satyabhama, along with the Syamantaka jewel
- Being pleased with the citizens of Dvaraka, Krsna informed them that the person they described as the sun-god was actually King Satrajit, who had come to visit Dvaraka City to show his opulence in the form of the valuable jewel obtained from the sun-god
- Besides that, it is learned from Vedic literature that in whatever part of the world this jewel was worshiped there was no possibility of famine, and wherever the jewel was present, there was no possibility of anything inauspicious, such as pestilence
- By accepting the Lord as impersonal, he (Sankaracarya) did not reject the Lord's personal form
E
- Each expected victory over the other, but the fighting continued for twenty-eight days, both in daytime and at night, without stopping
- Everything which has form in this material world is subject to creation, maintenance and annihilation, but because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, does not have a material form subject to these limitations
F
H
- He (Jambavan) was attached to his boy and to the greatly valuable Syamantaka jewel, which he did not want to spare for Krsna
- He (King Satrajit) accepted the jewel in his hand, but he remained silent, bending his head downwards, and without saying anything in the assembly of the kings and chiefs, he returned home with the jewel
- He (King Satrajit) was conscious that he had offended Krsna very grievously and that he had to find a remedial measure so that Krsna would again be pleased with him
- He (Krsna) asked them (citizens of Dvaraka) to remain outside, He Himself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Rksa, Jambavan. After entering the tunnel, Krsna saw that the valuable jewel known as Syamantaka had been given to the son of Rksa as a toy
- He (Krsna) is the creator of not only one scientist but of millions and trillions, all over the universe
- He (Krsna) said, "and every one of us will derive benefit from the jewel. Because of the jewel’s presence in the city of Dvaraka, there will be no more famines or disturbances created by pestilence or excessive heat and cold"
- He (Satrajit) thought about how he could clear himself of the abominable act he had performed by defaming Krsna
- He (Satrajit) thought instead, because Krsna wanted that jewel, which had not been delivered to Him, Krsna might have therefore taken the jewel from Prasena by force, killed him. This idea grew into a rumor, which Satrajit spread in every part of Dvaraka
- Hearing the nurse's cries, Jambavan appeared on the scene in a very angry mood. Jambavan was actually a great devotee of Lord Krsna, but because he was angry he could not recognize his master and thought Him to be an ordinary man
- How King Satrajit offended the Yadu dynasty and how he later came to his senses and offered his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel to Krsna are described as follows
I
- In a sporting attitude, Krsna wanted to engage in a mock fight with His devotee. As we have experienced from the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the propensities and instincts of a human being
- In the city, when Satrajit's younger brother Prasena did not return from the forest with the jewel, Satrajit became very upset. He did not know that his brother had been killed by a lion and that the lion had been killed by Jambavan
J
- Jambavan at once felt relieved from the fatigue of the great fight. Lord Krsna then addressed him as King Jambavan because he, and not the lion, was actually the king of the forest, having killed a lion with his bare hands, without a weapon
- Jambavan continued, "Beyond the physical elements and the time factor, the persons who manipulate the ingredients and advantages of creation are part and parcel of You. The living entity is not, therefore, an independent creator"
- Jambavan continued, "By studying all factors in the right perspective, one can see that You are the supreme controller, Lord of everything. My dear Lord, I can therefore understand that You are the same S P of Godhead whom I worship as Lord Ramacandra"
- Jambavan continued, "In this way the ocean was forced to give way and allow Ramacandra to cross to the island known as Lanka"
- Jambavan continued, "My dear Lord, the time factor, which combines all the physical elements, is also Your representative. You are the supreme time factor, in which all creation takes place, is maintained and is finally annihilated"
- Jambavan continued, "My Lord Ramacandra wanted to construct a bridge over the ocean, and I saw personally how the ocean became agitated simply by my Lord's glancing over it"
- Jambavan continued, "Now I can understand that You are none other than my Lord Ramacandra. No one else has such immeasurable strength; no one else could defeat me in this way"
- Jambavan continued, "This island is now said to be Ceylon. Lord Ramacandra's construction of a bridge over the ocean from Cape Comorin to Ceylon is still well known to everyone"
- Jambavan continued, "When the whole ocean became agitated, the living entities like whales, alligators and timingila fish all became perturbed"
- Jambavan had been a great devotee of the Lord since the time of Lord Ramacandra, so he did not take the valuable jewel (Syamantaka) as something he very much needed. He gave it to his young son to play with as a toy
- Jambavan identified Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality, Lord Visnu, "My dear Lord, You are the creator of the creators of the universal affairs"
- Jambavan said further, "Not only are You the creator of the creators, but You are also the creator of the material elements which the so-called creators manipulate"
- Jambavan said to the Lord, "My dear Lord, I can now understand who You are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, the source of everyone's strength, wealth, reputation, beauty, wisdom and renunciation"
- Jambavan understood the whole situation, and to satisfy the Lord he immediately delivered not only the Syamantaka jewel but also his daughter Jambavati, who was of marriageable age, and presented her to Lord Krsna
- Jambavan was quite aware of his own superhuman bodily strength, but when he felt tired from being struck by Krsna, he could understand that Krsna was no one else but his worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
K
- King Ugrasena then called for a meeting of all important kings and chiefs. He also invited Satrajit, and before the whole assembly Krsna explained the incident of the recovery of the jewel from Jambavan
- King Ugrasena was the overlord of many dynasties and happened to be the grandfather of Krsna, so Krsna asked Satrajit to present the Syamantaka jewel to King Ugrasena
- Krsna and Jambavan first of all fought with weapons, then with stones, then with big trees, then hand to hand, until at last they were hitting each other with their fists, their blows like the striking of thunderbolts
- Krsna and the citizens of Dvaraka then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Rksa's house. Krsna knew that the inhabitants of Dvaraka would be afraid to enter the tunnel
- Krsna informed Jambavan that He had come to ask for the Syamantaka jewel because ever since it had been stolen His name had been defamed by the less intelligent
- Krsna plainly informed him that He had come there to ask for the jewel in order to be free from this defamation
- Krsna pleaded that the best should be offered to the King. But Satrajit, being a worshiper of the demigods, had become too materialistic, instead of accepting Krsna's request, thought it wiser to worship the jewel to get the 170 pounds of gold every day
- Krsna wanted to return the valuable jewel (Syamantaka) to King Satrajit
L
- Less intelligent men do not try to understand who created the brain of the scientist; they are satisfied simply to see the wonderful creation or invention of the scientist
- Lord Krsna wanted to teach the world that the best of everything should be offered to the ruling chief of the country
- Lord Krsna was satisfied by the prayers and statements of Jambavan, and to mitigate Jambavan's pain, He began to stroke the lotus palm of His hand all over Jambavan's body
- Lord Krsna, being pleased with Satrajit, 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"
- Lust, anger and greed run parallel in the heart and check one's progress on the spiritual path
M
- Materialistic persons who can achieve such huge quantities of gold are not interested in Krsna consciousness
- Mistaking Satrajit to be the sun-god, some of the important citizens of Dvaraka immediately went to Krsna to inform Him that the sun-god had arrived to see Him. At that time, Krsna was playing chess
N
- News of this was received by the gorilla king, Jambavan, who then killed that lion in the cave and took away the jewel
- Not only Satyabhama but also Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavan, was married to Krsna on account of the Syamantaka jewel. These two marriages took place before the appearance of Pradyumna, which was described in the last chapter
- Not recognizing his master, Jambavan challenged Him (Krsna) to fight. There was then a great fight between Krsna and Jambavan, in which they fought like two opposing vultures. Whenever there is an eatable corpse the vultures fight heartily over the prey
O
- On the contrary, he(Satrajit) installed the jewel for his own purposes of worship. And who would not worship that jewel? The Syamantaka jewel was so powerful that daily it produced a large quantity of gold
- One of the important residents of Dvaraka spoke, "My dear Lord Narayana, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Your plenary portion as Narayana, or Visnu, You have four hands with different symbols - the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower"
S
- Sankaracarya, to convince the less intelligent men who take Krsna to be an ordinary human being, said that God is impersonal
- Satrajit was ashamed because he had unnecessarily defamed Krsna
- Satrajit was eager to get relief from the anxiety he had foolishly created due to being attracted by a material thing, specifically the Syamantaka jewel. Truly afflicted by the offense he had committed against Krsna, he sincerely wanted to rectify it
- Satrajit, however, did not come to see Krsna; he was instead overwhelmed by the Syamantaka jewel. He installed the jewel in a temple to be worshiped by brahmanas he engaged for this purpose
- Satyabhama was so beautiful and qualified that Satrajit, in spite of being asked for her hand by many princes, was waiting to find a suitable son-in-law. By the grace of Krsna he decided to hand his daughter over to Him
- Scientists utilize the physical elements or laws of material nature to do something wonderful, but actually such laws and elements are also the creation of Krsna. This is actual scientific understanding
- Simultaneously, Krsna appeared on the scene, accompanied by His new wife, Jambavati, and all the inhabitants of Dvaraka and relatives of Krsna became joyful
- Since he was a great devotee of the sun-god, King Satrajit gradually entered into a very friendly relationship with him. The sun-god was pleased with him and delivered to him an exceptional jewel known as Syamantaka
- Sometimes, in a sportive spirit, He (Krsna) 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. Krsna desired this pleasure of mock fighting with Jambavan
- Sometimes, to show special favor, Krsna takes away one's great accumulations of materialistic wealth and thus makes one a great devotee. But Satrajit refused to abide by the order of Krsna and did not deliver the jewel
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- Taking with Him some of the important inhabitants of Dvaraka, Krsna went to search out Prasena, the brother of Satrajit, and found him dead, killed by the lion
- That Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, as accepted by the citizens of Dvaraka, was later confirmed by the great Mayavadi philosophical leader Sankaracarya
- The citizens (Dvaraka) expressed their joy on this occasion. On hearing the statements of His citizens, the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Krsna, simply smiled
- The citizens of Dvaraka addressed Lord Krsna not only as Damodara but also as Govinda, which indicates that Krsna is very affectionate to the cows and calves
- The citizens of Dvaraka concluded by addressing Krsna as the supreme master of the whole universe. They addressed Krsna in many different ways, proud of being citizens of Dvaraka who could see Krsna daily
- The episode of Jambavati's marriage with Lord Krsna and the delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the mountain cave
- The false rumor that Krsna had killed Prasena and taken away the jewel spread everywhere like wildfire. Krsna 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
- The goddess was satisfied by the prayers of the citizens of Dvaraka, and she immediately offered them her benediction
- The inhabitant of Dvaraka continued, "who sometimes used to tie You (Krsna) up with her ropes, and You are celebrated, therefore, by the name Damodara"
- The inhabitants of Dvaraka were as joyful as someone receiving a dear relative back from the dead
- The ordinary man is surprised to see the inventions of a great scientist, but the statement of Jambavan confirms that although a scientist may be a creator of many wonderful things, Krsna is the creator of the scientist
- The resident of Dvaraka continued, "You (Krsna) are actually the owner of everything, but in spite of Your being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, You descended in Vrndavana to act as the child of Yasodamata"
- The Syamantaka jewel was producing about 170 pounds of gold every day
- The word "materialist" means one concerned with gratification of the senses within this material world. Although Krsna later asked for this Syamantaka jewel, King Satrajit did not deliver it
- There was a king of the name Satrajit within the jurisdiction of Dvaraka-dhama. He was a great devotee of the sun-god, who awarded him the benediction of a jewel known as Syamantaka
- There was no alternative for mitigating the situation, and therefore he (Satrajit) arranged the marriage ceremony of Krsna and his daughter. He gave in charity both the jewel and his daughter to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- They (the citizens of Dvaraka) informed Lord Krsna that the sun-god, with his glaring bodily effulgence, was coming to see Him. The citizens of Dvaraka confirmed that the sun-god's coming into Dvaraka was not very wonderful
- They (the inhabitants of Dvaraka) could not understand for certain what had actually happened, and being very sorry and tired they returned to the city of Dvaraka
- They (the inhabitants of Dvaraka) had concluded that Krsna had been put into great difficulties due to the fighting; therefore, they had become almost hopeless of His return
- They (the inhabitants of Dvaraka) knew that Krsna, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was sometimes visited by the demigods, so while Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka all the inhabitants except Krsna took him to be the sun-god himself
- This brings to mind the statement of the Bhagavad-gita in which the Lord advises Arjuna to get free from anger, greed and lust in order to rise to the spiritual platform
- This impersonality means that He (God) is not a person of this material condition. He is a transcendental personality without a material body
- This incident has special significance for devotees. In the beginning, Jambavan could not understand Krsna because his vision was obscured by material attachment
- This is an example of a less intelligent person worshiping a material thing. In the BG it is stated, less intelligent persons, in order to get immediate results from their fruitive activities, worship the demigods created within this universe
- This statement is very instructive to the ordinary man, who is amazed by the activities of a person with an exceptional brain
- This statement of Jambavan's is confirmed by the Vedanta-sutra, wherein the Supreme Lord is declared to be the source of everything
- To refer to their (citizen of Dvaraka) intimate connection with Krsna, they addressed Him as Yadunandana because He was born the son of Vasudeva in the Yadu dynasty
- To take the jewel from the child, Krsna approached, stood before him. When the nurse taking care of Rksa's child saw Krsna standing before her, she was afraid, thinking He might take away the valuable Syamantaka jewel, and she cried out loudly in fear
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- When Krsna came there he (Jambavan) was angry, thinking that Krsna had come to take away the jewel. This is the material position: although one is very strong in body, that cannot help him understand Krsna
- When Satrajit was visiting the city of Dvaraka, the citizens felt great pride to think that although Krsna was living in Dvaraka like an ordinary human being, the demigods were coming to see Him
- When Satrajit wore this jewel in a locket around his neck, he appeared exactly like an imitation sun-god. Putting on this jewel, he entered the city of Dvaraka, and people thought that the sun-god had come into the city to see Krsna
- When they (The inhabitants of Dvaraka) saw that Krsna had actually returned, not alone but with a new wife, Jambavati, they immediately performed a ceremony of celebration
- While Satrajit's brother, who was known as Prasena, was moving here and there in the forest, a big lion attacked him, killed both him and the horse on which he was riding, and took away the jewel to his cave