The Story of Syamantaka Gem

Chitrakatha

Here are two pictures,one from Bombemane,an old magazine published in Kannada,Hindi, Telugu and other languages and the second from the popular Amar Chitra Katha.Both are showing an encounter of Lord Krishna with Jambavan, the chief of bears.This is the famous story of the Syamantaka gem, narrated in the Bhagavatam, Vishnu Purana, and Harivamsha.Let us briefly see the story of this.

     Satrajita was a Yadava chief who was a great devotees of Lord Surya, the sungod.Surya, pleased by his devotion,gifted him a special gem called Syamantaka gem,which would bestow lots of gold everyday,and also there wouldn't be any physical or mental distress,famine,or any sorts of ill happenings surrounding it's presence.Once Satrajita wore it and went around Dwaraka,and due to it's effulgence,he appeared very bright! People mistook him to be Surya himself and went and told Krishna who was playing dice, that Surya had come to visit him! Krishna laughed and told them that it was Satrajita who was wearing the Syamantaka gem and not Surya.Later, once Krishna told Satrajita that such gems would be better to be with King Ugrasena rather than himself as the king could help many people with it.But Satrajita didnot agree.After this,one day, his brother by name Prasena wore the gem in his necklace and went for hunting.In the forest however,he was killed by a lion, which took the gem attracted by it.Later the lion too was killed by Jambavan, the chief of bears,who again took the gem to his cave and gave it to his child to play with.Now when Prasena didn't turn up even after two days, Satrajita got worried and blamed Krishna that he himself had killed his brother for want of the gem.People too got a negative opinion on Krishna.Krishna however, not getting perturbed, decided to get rid of the ill fame upon him. He went along with some elders to the forest.There he found the dead body of Prasena near which there were footprints of the lion.They all followed the lion's footprints and next found the dead body of the lion and next to it the footprints of a bear.They then followed those footprints and reached Jambavan's cave.Krishna told the elders to wait outside and went inside the cave.He there saw a baby bear playing with the Syamantaka gem in the cradle.Krishna tried to take the gem when the mother bear saw him and screamed! Jambavan immediately came out and fell on Krishna.Both fought fiercely but none could win or lose.The fight went on for twenty eight days and finally Jambavan realized that Krishna was none other than Rama whom he had served in Tretayuga.He stopped fighting and saluted Lord Krishna saying he knew who he was.Krishna then touched him softly all over and all his wounds and pain disappeared.He then told Jambavan about the gem, and Jambavan gave him the gem.He also gave his daughter Jambavati in marriage to him.Krishna then went out of the cave but saw that all the elders had returned to Dwaraka.Krishna then came to Dwaraka and showed everyone the gem and cleared his ill fame.He then gave it to Satrajita and told him all that had happened.Satrajita felt ashamed for blaming Krishna.In order to get rid of his guilt,he offered the gem to Krishna himself along with his daughter Satyabhama in marriage.Krishna accepted Satyabhama but gave him back the gem.

        After this incident, Krishna and Balarama went to Indraprastha to attend the Rajasuya yaga of the Pandavas.Now, Satrajita had once promised Akrura,Kritavarma, and Shatadhanva, the three Yadavas that he would give his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to any one of them.But since he gave her in marriage to Krishna, the three got angry with Satrajita and conspired to kill Satrajita.The other two provoked Shatadhanva to kill Satrajita and take the gem.Accordingly one night Shatadhanva killed Satrajita and taking the gem,ran away! In the morning, Satyabhama, seeing her father dead,got shocked and rushed to Indraprastha to tell Krishna about this.Krishna and Balarama went in search of the three Yadavas.Now Akrura and Kritavarma,on hearing that Krishna was after them, left Shatadhanva and went into hiding.Shatadhanva gave the gem to Akrura and ran away.Krishna and Balarama found Shatadhanva and chased him upto Mithila where Krishna killed Shatadhanva from his discus.But he didn't find the gem with him.Now Balarama went to Mithila to become the guest of the king there while Krishna went in search of Akrura.It was at this time that Duryodhana came to Mithila and learnt the art of mace fighting from Balarama.Krishna, on coming back to Dwaraka went in search of Akrura and finally found him.Akrura apologized to Krishna and gave him the gem.Krishna told him that he would just show the gem to people so that he would get rid of his blame but told him to keep the gem himself though it was to belong to his and Satyabhama's son.Accordingly, Krishna showed the gem to people again and thus clearing his blame,gave it back to Akrura.Akrura was basically a devotee of Lord Krishna but somehow involved in the conspiracy.It is said that it was due to the curse of Gopis of Vrindavana for his mistake of separating Krishna from them.Thus everything settled.