Satyabhama
Encyclopedia
Satyabhama is the third wife of Lord Krishna
, known for her strong will and tantrums.
She is believed to be a partial avatar of Bhudevi.
jewel. Satrajit, who secured the jewel from Surya, and would not part with it even when Lord Krishna the king of Dwarka
, asked for it saying it would be safe with him. Shortly thereafter, Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan, known for his role in the Ramayana
, killed the lion and gave the jewel to his daughter to play with. When Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel.
Krishna, in order to remove the stain on his reputation, set out in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavan's cave, with his child. Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, his whole body terribly weakened from the hammering of Krishna's fists, finally recognised Him as Rama
and surrendered.
As repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel and also his daughter Jambavati
in marriage. Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajit, who in turn repented for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama in marriage. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as His wife but did not accept the jewel. http://www.cix.co.uk/~ganesh/#Jewel
Narakasura
was a demon king, ruling Pragjothishyapur, the present day Assam
. He gained a boon from Brahma
that he would die only in the hands of his mother. Armed with the boon, he ruled like a despot. Narakasura was infamous for his wicked ruling and high disregard for demigods and women. His mother was Bhoomi Devi. Also his mother had obtained a boon from Lord Vishnu
that her Son should die only when she wishes for.
Addicted to power, he defeated Lord Indra
, king of demigods, and abducted 16,000 women and imprisoned them in his palace. He stole the earrings of Aditi
, the heavenly mother goddess, and usurped some of her territory. Upon this the king of the gods Indra requested Sri Krishna to conquer and kill the demon and free Devlok from his atrocities. On his request Lord Krishna attacked the capital of Narkasura on his vehicle, Garuda along with his beloved wife Satyabhama.
A terrible battle ensued between Sri Krishna and Narkasura. The demon on several occasions proved a match for Krishna and nullified several of the missiles which Krishna hurled at him. On one instance, the demon hurled a shakti towards Krishna, which hurt Krishna mildly and fell Unconscious(Falsely). This enraged Sathyabhama who inturn fired arrows at Narakasura and both Krishna & Sathyabhama killed him finally. Sathyabhama is the incarnation of Bhoomi Devi during Krishnaavatar of Lord Vishnu
and therefore the boons granted to both Bhoomi Devi and Narakasura are fulfilled. Thereafter, Krishna obtained the stolen ear-rings of the mother of the gods, Aditi. Aditi was pleased by Satyabhama's dedication towards her husband and gave her a boon of staying young and beautiful for ever. This great day is celebrated as Narak-Chaturdashi which falls in the festival of Diwali (the second important day of Diwali).
Lord Krishna's victory on Narakasura translated into freedom for all his prisoners and honouring of Aditi. Having rescued the 16,100 women, Krishna married them to restore them of their honour in society due to being in captivity for a long time.
arrived in Dwarka and in the course of conversation hinted to Satyabhama that the love that Krishna exhibits towards her is not all that real and in fact it is Rukmini
(the first wife of Krishna) who has real control over his heart. Unable to bear this, Satyabhama challenged Narada to prove it. Narada, with his way with words, tricked her into accepting a Vrata
(ritual) where she has to give Krishna away in charity to Narada and reclaim him by giving the weight of Krishna in wealth. Narada lured her into accepting this vrata by telling her that Krishna’s love to her will increase many folds if she succeeds in performing this Tulabharam. He also instigated her ego by hinting that her wealth may not be sufficient to equal the weight of Krishna. With Satyabhama's ego duly raised, she told Narada that she can mobilize so much wealth that it is a child’s play for her to outweigh Krishna. Narada warned her that if she is not able to do this, Krishna will become his slave to be done with as he pleases.
The scene was soon set for the vrata. Satyabhama gave Krishna away in charity (dana
) in spite of the other wives’ pleadings. Krishna, always the mischievous cowherd, meekly submitted to this drama. After donating Krishna to Narada, Satyabhama arranged for a big scale to be put up and sends with all assurance for her huge treasure of gold and jewellery. All that she has is soon put on the scale, but it didn’t budge. Narada started taunting her and threatening her that if she can’t put enough gold or diamonds, he will be forced to auction Krishna as a slave to someone else. Satyabhama, in frantic panic, swallowed her pride and begged all the other wives to give their jewels. They agreed out of love for Krishna but alas, it is of no use.
Krishna remained a mute witness to all this drama and rubbed salt into the open wounds of Satyabhama’s ego that he has now to become a slave to some cowherd and will have to suffer the separation from his dear wife. Narada suggested to Satyabhama that Rukmini may be able to get her out of the predicament. She finally swallowed her pride and appealed to the devoted first wife of Krishna. Rukmini came and with a prayer to her husband put a single leaf of the sacred Tulasi on the scale (tula). Lo and behold, the scales became all at once so heavy that even after removing all the jewels, the scales were weighed down on the side of the Tulasi leaf.
While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi
leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending. This story is oft repeated to enunciate the significance of Tulsi and how a humble offering to God is greater than any material wealth.
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, known for her strong will and tantrums.
She is believed to be a partial avatar of Bhudevi.
Marriage
Satyabhama was the daughter of Satrajit who owned the SyamantakaSyamantaka
Syamantaka mani, or the Syamantaka Jewel, is perhaps the most famous jewel in Indian Mythology, supposed to be blessed with magical powers.- Origin :...
jewel. Satrajit, who secured the jewel from Surya, and would not part with it even when Lord Krishna the king of Dwarka
Dwarka
Dwarka also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka , also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country...
, asked for it saying it would be safe with him. Shortly thereafter, Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan, known for his role in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, killed the lion and gave the jewel to his daughter to play with. When Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel.
Krishna, in order to remove the stain on his reputation, set out in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavan's cave, with his child. Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, his whole body terribly weakened from the hammering of Krishna's fists, finally recognised Him as Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and surrendered.
As repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel and also his daughter Jambavati
Jambavati
Jambavati is the only daughter of the king-bear Jambavan. Her story is told in the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana. She received the famous "Syamantaka Jewel" as a gift from her father and she married to Lord Krishna and occupied the third most prominent position of his eight principal queens...
in marriage. Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajit, who in turn repented for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama in marriage. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as His wife but did not accept the jewel. http://www.cix.co.uk/~ganesh/#Jewel
Killing of Narakasura
Narakasura
In Hindu beliefs, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava king...
was a demon king, ruling Pragjothishyapur, the present day Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. He gained a boon from Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
that he would die only in the hands of his mother. Armed with the boon, he ruled like a despot. Narakasura was infamous for his wicked ruling and high disregard for demigods and women. His mother was Bhoomi Devi. Also his mother had obtained a boon from Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
that her Son should die only when she wishes for.
Addicted to power, he defeated Lord Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, king of demigods, and abducted 16,000 women and imprisoned them in his palace. He stole the earrings of Aditi
Aditi
Aditi in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. In the Vedas Aditi is mother of the gods from whose cosmic matrix the heavenly bodies were born...
, the heavenly mother goddess, and usurped some of her territory. Upon this the king of the gods Indra requested Sri Krishna to conquer and kill the demon and free Devlok from his atrocities. On his request Lord Krishna attacked the capital of Narkasura on his vehicle, Garuda along with his beloved wife Satyabhama.
A terrible battle ensued between Sri Krishna and Narkasura. The demon on several occasions proved a match for Krishna and nullified several of the missiles which Krishna hurled at him. On one instance, the demon hurled a shakti towards Krishna, which hurt Krishna mildly and fell Unconscious(Falsely). This enraged Sathyabhama who inturn fired arrows at Narakasura and both Krishna & Sathyabhama killed him finally. Sathyabhama is the incarnation of Bhoomi Devi during Krishnaavatar of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and therefore the boons granted to both Bhoomi Devi and Narakasura are fulfilled. Thereafter, Krishna obtained the stolen ear-rings of the mother of the gods, Aditi. Aditi was pleased by Satyabhama's dedication towards her husband and gave her a boon of staying young and beautiful for ever. This great day is celebrated as Narak-Chaturdashi which falls in the festival of Diwali (the second important day of Diwali).
Lord Krishna's victory on Narakasura translated into freedom for all his prisoners and honouring of Aditi. Having rescued the 16,100 women, Krishna married them to restore them of their honour in society due to being in captivity for a long time.
Tulabharam (weighing by scale)
Satyabhama prided herself about the love Krishna had for her and her grasp over his heart. On one contrived occasion, Rishi NaradaNarada
Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
arrived in Dwarka and in the course of conversation hinted to Satyabhama that the love that Krishna exhibits towards her is not all that real and in fact it is Rukmini
Rukmini
In Hinduism, Rukmini is the principal wife and queen of Krishna at his city of Dwarka. Krishna heroically kidnaps her from an un-wanted marriage at her request . Of Krishna's 16,108 queens, Rukmini is the first and most prominent...
(the first wife of Krishna) who has real control over his heart. Unable to bear this, Satyabhama challenged Narada to prove it. Narada, with his way with words, tricked her into accepting a Vrata
Vrata
In the context of Hinduism and Hindu mythology, the term vrata denotes a religious practice to carry out certain obligations with a view to achieve divine blessing for fulfillment of one or several desires. Etymologically, vrata, a Sanskrit word , means to vow or to promise...
(ritual) where she has to give Krishna away in charity to Narada and reclaim him by giving the weight of Krishna in wealth. Narada lured her into accepting this vrata by telling her that Krishna’s love to her will increase many folds if she succeeds in performing this Tulabharam. He also instigated her ego by hinting that her wealth may not be sufficient to equal the weight of Krishna. With Satyabhama's ego duly raised, she told Narada that she can mobilize so much wealth that it is a child’s play for her to outweigh Krishna. Narada warned her that if she is not able to do this, Krishna will become his slave to be done with as he pleases.
The scene was soon set for the vrata. Satyabhama gave Krishna away in charity (dana
Dana (Buddhism)
Dāna is generosity or giving. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is the practice of cultivating generosity. Ultimately, the practice culminates in one of the perfections : the perfection of giving - dāna-pāramitā...
) in spite of the other wives’ pleadings. Krishna, always the mischievous cowherd, meekly submitted to this drama. After donating Krishna to Narada, Satyabhama arranged for a big scale to be put up and sends with all assurance for her huge treasure of gold and jewellery. All that she has is soon put on the scale, but it didn’t budge. Narada started taunting her and threatening her that if she can’t put enough gold or diamonds, he will be forced to auction Krishna as a slave to someone else. Satyabhama, in frantic panic, swallowed her pride and begged all the other wives to give their jewels. They agreed out of love for Krishna but alas, it is of no use.
Krishna remained a mute witness to all this drama and rubbed salt into the open wounds of Satyabhama’s ego that he has now to become a slave to some cowherd and will have to suffer the separation from his dear wife. Narada suggested to Satyabhama that Rukmini may be able to get her out of the predicament. She finally swallowed her pride and appealed to the devoted first wife of Krishna. Rukmini came and with a prayer to her husband put a single leaf of the sacred Tulasi on the scale (tula). Lo and behold, the scales became all at once so heavy that even after removing all the jewels, the scales were weighed down on the side of the Tulasi leaf.
While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi
Tulsi
Ocimum tenuiflorum Ocimum tenuiflorum Ocimum tenuiflorum (also tulsi, tulasī, or Holy Basil is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae which is native throughout the Old World tropics and widespread as a cultivated plant and an escaped weed. It is an erect, much branched subshrub 30–60 cm...
leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending. This story is oft repeated to enunciate the significance of Tulsi and how a humble offering to God is greater than any material wealth.