The gem which gave Lord Krishna two wives

 The Story of Syamantaka Gem, Jambavant duel with Lord Krishna and his marriage

Syamantaka gem, is a rare gem which had the power to bestow all sorts of good things to the person holding it. This jewel originally was with Sun God, who gave this to Satyajit, who was an ardent devotee of Sun God. Satyajit brought this gem to Dwarka, where Lord Krishna instructed him to give it to Ugrasena, but Satyajit did not listen.

Satyajit gave this to Prasen, who was once killed by a lion while he was wearing this gem. Shortly after, it was attacked by Jambavant, described as king of the ‘bears’ , who killed it after a fierce fight and took off with the bounty.

Lord Krishna and Jambavant

Lord Krishna and Jambavant

Prasen’s disappearance fed to rumour that Shri Krishna killed him, as he wanted the Gem himself. To get himself rid of this, he decided to solve the mystery, Soon he found the Prasen’s corpse, followed it and found Lion’s corpse and finally discovered Jambavant’s cave.

Soon a fierce battle was ensued between these two. After 28 days, Jambavant got tired and he wondered that who is this person who can stand up to him for a fight? He realized that he was none other than Lord Vishnu himself. He happily handed over the gem to Lord Krishna and got his daughter, Jambavati married to Lord.

Meanwhile, Lord Krishna’s companions, who waited for Krishna to come out of the cave, returned to Dwarka despondent. All of Krishna’s friends and family members became extremely sorrowful and began regularly worshiping Goddess Durga to assure the Lord’s safe return. Soon,  Krishna entered the city in the company of His new wife. He summoned Satrajit to the royal assembly and, after recounting to him the entire story of the Syamantaka jewel’s recovery, gave the jewel back to him.

Satrajit accepted the jewel, but with great shame and remorse. He went back to his home, and there he decided to offer Lord Krishna not only the jewel but also his daughter so as to atone for the offense he had committed against the Lord’s lotus feet. Sri Krishna accepted the hand of Satrajit’s daughter, Satyabhama, who was endowed with all divine qualities. But the jewel He refused, returning it to King Satrajit.

Lord Krishna and Satyabhama

Lord Krishna and Satyabhama

Note: Incidentally Lord Krishna’s battle with Jambavant is because of a boon given by Lord Rama. Jambavant, the played a major role in during the building of the bridge, appears in the Mahabharat. Lord Rama was pleased with Jambavant’s devotion and told him to ask for a boon. Jambavant wished for a duel with Lord Rama, which he granted, saying that it would be done in his next avatar.

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