yadhavabhyudhaya-chapter14

July 27, 2007

Chapter 14- Krishna marries Sathyabhama, Jambhavathi and five others.

Retrieving syamanthakamani and fight with Jambavan

Sathrajith, a vassal king on the west coast, got a gem called syamanthaka from Surya, whom he worshipped and the gem had the capacity to bestow large amount of gold everyday. Krishna asked him to give the gem to Ugrasena for the benefit of all but he refused and gave it to his younger brother Prasena for safe-keeping.

thadhEkamEkena cha labhdham EkathO

rasEna rathnAmisham arThakAnkshiNA

babhoova thath banDhuvirODHam AdhaDhath

kramAth bahoonAm vinipAthakaraNam (Yadh.14-4)

The gem , which was an object of enjoyment, rathnAmisham, (the word Amisham means bhogya vasthu, object of enjoyment as well as flesh, mAmsam) given by one (Surya) and obtained by another(Sathrajith), who was desirous of wealth, (arThakankshee) with delight, (rasena). Created enmity between the relatives, and was the cause of the downfall of many. Desika implies that it was like Amisha, flesh which was juicy (rasa). This is quite fitting to one who threw away the gold rice grains given to him by a devotee as biksha.

The implication of the sloka is this:

The brother of Sathrajith went to forest wearing the gem and was killed by a lion which took the gem. Jambavan, the celebrated bear of Ramayana was living there and he killed the lion and took the gem to decorate the cradle of his son. Sathrajith spread the rumour that Krishna had killed his brother to get the gem. Krishna went in search of it in order to clear his name and met Jambavan and this was the cause of his marrying Jambavathi, daughter of Jamabavan and later Sathyabhama, the daughter of Sathrajith.

Desika describes in detail the episode of Krishna meeting Jamabavan and marrying Jambavathi while he narrates the marriage of Krishna with others in brief. This may be due to his intention of extolling the virtues of the great devotee Jambavan and his meeting with Krishna , who was his own object of worship, Rama, in the previous yuga. Jamabavan was blessed with eternal life , chiramjeevithvam and thus he was existing in dvaparayuga also.

Krishna saw the gem near the child of Jambavan and Wanted to take it and Jambavan mistaking him for a robber tried to overcome him by his strength. Desika says that Brahma, seeing the battle between his father and his son, ( Jambavan was the son of Brahma born out of his yawn) did not prevent it because he knew that only something good would come out of it.

Krishna fought with Jambavan by wrestling for twenty one days. Krishna's body, describes Desika, splattered with the blood of Jambavan, looked like a bed of grass with scattered silk worms. He considered perhaps the fight of the great devotee Jambavan as a form of worship. Gradually Jambavan lost his strength. Krishna did not harm Jambavan but only destroyed the arrogance remembering his assistance during the war with RavaNa in His previous incarnation.

Finally Jambavan realized that his opponent was none other than Srirama Himself in His next incarnation. He said that he was told by siddhapurushas that the Lord who was in the cave of his heart would come to his cave one day. He understood that now and started praising Krishna.

Desika narrates the words of Jambavan in detail by 27 slokas in order to bring out the greatness of his devotion. The gist of the passage is as follows:

Jambavan went round the worlds when the Lord incarnated as Thrivikrama in Vamanavathara with a tumultuous cry `jaganthi viSvAni mithAni vishnunA, Lord Vishnu has measured all the three worlds.' He again served the Lord during his battle with Ravana. He said that he reaped the fruit of his staying behind on earth when Sugriva and others went to Vaikunta by seeing Krishna and felt that he has regained his youth. He foresaw that Krishna was going to lighten the burden of the earth and his leelas shine as the crown of the Vedas.

viSuddhamiSraih chathuraSravrtthakaih

aghADhathungaih pramithAmithakramaih

ananyabhAvAn anukampathE bhavAn

achinthyachinthyaiH avathAra nAtakaiH

His incarnations are dramas sometimes viSuddha, pure like Rama, sometimes mixed, miSra, like Narasimha and Hayagriva, beautiful and appropriate. They are very deep and lofty, comprehended by some but incomprehensible to others. He shows His grace to those whose mind is concentrated on Him by His incarnations which are beyond mind and intellect.

Even though the Lord is beyond action and its results, He restricts Himself to the rules laid down by Himself according to the role he plays and even the devas along with the asuras could not understand His real nature, being overpowered with the maya consisting of the three gunas.

Jambavan said that the Lord is inside and outside everything, transcendent and imminent, and the power of all beings including brahma is through His will and hence no one can vanquish Him. Even though he was a devotee right and proper he fought against the Lord without knowing His identity and for that he asked the forgiveness of Krishna. He offered his daughter Jamabavathi who was really the daughter of the ocean and also the syamanthakamani.

In the concluding slokas Desika speaks himself in the guise of Jambavan and the slokas are filled with devotion.

bhavArNavE karmavipAkavAthyayA

bhavadhbhih AvarthaganaiH paribhraman

krthOparOdhaH krpayA thvadheeyayA

bhavathpadham koolamiva prapadhyathE

One who is thrown into the ocean of samsara, the whirlwinds of the fruits of past karma toss him about and he goes revolving wo without support. Then the mercy of the Lord intervenes and he is stopped by the feet of the Lord which he grasps in anguish.

avindhathaH thvAm amithAmrthOdhaDhim

vighADa thrshnA vivaSAntharAthmanH

vigAhaneeyAH prathibhAnthi veechikAH

mareechikAnAm iva bhogasampadhAm

Those who do not resort to the Lord who is the ocean of nectar, possessed by avarice and desire, consider the hot winds of the desert in the form of sensual enjoyment as something cool and to be plunged in.

Then we see the reflection of the thought expressed by Desika at the outset describing his inability to enumerate the auspicious qualities of the Lord.(vide sloka 2 – chapter1)

guNOdhaDhim yaH pramithapramANayA

girA thvadheeyam parimAthum icchathi

sa pAthum eehEtha samagrachApalaH

payOjanALEna payaH payOnidhim

"You are the ocean of virtues. One who wants to describe You with his limited power of speech is like the one who wishes to drink the milky ocean with the stalk of a lotus."

This is similar to the verse of Kamban who says that his ambition to write Ramayana is like that of a cat who wishes to drink the milky ocean by licking.

"Osai petru uyar pArkadal utru oru poosai mutravumnakkububukkena Asai patri araiyalutrEn kAsil kotratthu irAman kadhai arO." (KR-Payiram-4)

Saying thus Jambavan fell at the feet of Krishna like an uprooted tree. Krishna uplifted him and embraced him.