Sri Vinayak or Ganesh Chaturthi
last updated 29th August 2011

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Summary of the Stealing of the Syamantaka Jewel from Srimad Bhagavatam 10:56 chapter
http://srimadbhagavatam.com/10/56/summary/en2

Quotes on Ganesh by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad

There is a popular legend regarding this context. Lord Ganesh is known to be very fond of sweet pudding or Ladoos. On one of His birthdays he was going around house to house accepting the offerings of sweet puddings.

Having eaten a good number of these, he set out moving on his mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse stumbled as it had seen a snake and became frightened with the result of that Ganeshji fell down.

His stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings came out. But Ganeshji stuffed them back into his stomach and, caught hold of the snake and tied it around his belly.

Seeing all this, the moon in the sky had a hearty laugh. This unseemly behaviour of the moon annoyed him immensely and so he pulled out one of his tusks and hurled it against the moon, and cursed that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day. If anyone does, he will surely earn a bad name.

Thus as the story passed down the generations it got accepted that anyone who looks at the moon on the night of the Ganesh Chaturthi will be falsely accused. If someone inadvertently sees the moon on this night, he/she may remedy the situation by listening to (or reciting) the story of the syamantaka jewel found in the Puranas.

Briefly, Satrajit, who secured a jewel syamantaka from Surya, did not part with it even when Krishna the Lord of Dvaraka, asked for it saying it would be safe with him. Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan of the Ramayana fame killed the lion and gave it to his son 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 recognized Him as Lord Rama.

As a repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel and also his daughter Jambavati in marriage. Krishna returned to Dvaraka with Jambavati and the jewel, and returned it 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.

The fourth day in the bright fortnight of the month of Bhaadrapada (Aug-Sept. - Hrishikesh mase) is celebrated as the festival of Lord Ganesha.  A special puujaa is performed to Ganapati. Recognising the fact that everything is ultimately meant for the service and pleasure of Lord Vishnu, the worship of Ganesh for the Vaishnava is done with the following mentality/attitude.

Thus this puujaa, for the Vaishnava is also offered to Sri Vishnu through the elephant-faced deva/demigod.

“This is also called Vinayaka Chaturthi and is celebrated in honour of Ganesha, the elephant faced god. Ganesha is the god of wisdom and success, the remover of vighna (obstacles) for which reason he is also called Vighneshwara. He is worshipped before the start of any important event. The Puranas mention that he was worshipped even by the gods. For instance, Brahma worshipped him before Creation, Vishnu before vanquishing Bali, Shiva before destroying the three cities of Tripura, Durga before vanquishing Mahishasura, Sheshanag before carrying the earth on his head, and Kaamadeva before he conquered the universe with hisarrows of love.

Ganesha had an 8unusual birth. Parvati, wife of Shiva, was barren and often felt the need of someone she could trust and call her own. One day, she rubbed the dirt off her body and mixed it with oil. From the dough she fashioned the image of a boy into which Brahma breathed life. This child, Ganesha, was made a doorkeeper by Parvati and told to guard her appartments. One day while she was bathing, Shiva, unaware of the presence of Ganesha, stormed into her apartments. Ganesha eseisted him and in the fight that ensued, Ganesha’s head was cut off. Parvati was inconsolable at the death of HER son and refused to be consoled. She asked Shiva to bring him back to life. Shiva in turn asked the assembled gods to bring him the head of the first animal they found sleeping with the head facing north. This turned out to be an elephant.

 There is another legend about the elephant head of Ganesha. Ganesha was a very good looking child, and Parvati invited all the gods to come and bless him. Shani kept his head averted and would not look at Ganesha and Parvati took offence at this. Shani explained that his look was maleficent but Parvati, the proud mother, refused to listen and insisted that he bless the child. The minute Shani looked at Ganesha, the child;s head was reduced to ashes. Parvati wailed and Shiva restired Ganesha to life by fixing a baby elephant’s head on his shoulders. Parvati was upset at her son’s disfigurements but was appeased when the gods assured her that he would be the first to receive all oblations.

 On Ganesha Chaturthi day, devotees are forbidden to look at the moon because the Moon laughed at Gaesha. One day Ganesha had eaten more modaks (sweet rice balls) than he could digest. Uncomfortable, he decided to go for an airing to the forest. He was seated on his mount, the mouse, and thye were going merrily into the forest when the snake Vasuki slid across their path. The mouse took fright and reared, throwing Ganesh down. At this sudden fall, his overstuffed belly burst and the modaks rolled out. Ganesha rose and hurried after the rolling modaks. He picked them up one by one, stuffed them back into his stomach and, to prevent them from falling out again, tied his stomach up, using the snake Vasuki as a belt. The Moon and his wives were watching him and burst out laughing. Indignant Ganesha cursed the Moon, and that is why the Moon has a scar on it. He also said that no one should look at the Moon, and that if anyone did, he would suffer a calamity.* The Moon, frightened at the curse, begged foregiveness for his insolence. Ganesh relented and granted that people would not look at him only on Ganesha’s birthday (Padma Puran).

(*In other places it is mentioned that this calamity is that one will be accused of being a theif. And the example quoted is Lord Sri Krishna when he was accused of stealing the Syamantaka jewel of Satrajit, that had been given to his brother Prasena who had been killed by a lion. The lion was in turn killed by Jambavan, who fought with Krishna, realised Who He was as His worshipful Lord  and returned the jewel… see the full story at the end of this document.)

 On Ganesh Charuti the devotees bathe and then worship the clay image of Ganesha. Offerings include sweets, particularly modaks, for which Ganesha has a special weakness. Later the image of the deity is taken out in procession accompanied by the singing of devotional songs. The image is worshipped for 10 days before it is immersed in the sea or river. While it is being immersed, the people chant:
 Ganapati bappa morya
 Mangal moorti morya…
 Purchchya varshi laukar ya…

Father Ganapati, come again !
Auspicious one, come again !
Come again soon next year.

As he is the god who grants a good harvest, clay is brought in from the immersion site and thrown into the barns and fields for good luck.” (Shakti M Gupta. 1991. Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India. page 111-112. Clarion books, Shahdara, Delhi 110095.)

The consciousness of the sadhaka is most important. As stated in the following purport:
"When one engages in the Supreme Lord’s devotional service, he is in a transcendental position. Even though one may be situated in the mode of goodness in the material world, he is susceptible to pollution by the modes of passion and ignorance. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of passion, one worships the sun-god, Vivasvän. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of ignorance, he worships Ganapati, or Ganesha. When the mode of passion is mixed with the mode of ignorance, one worships Durgä, or Käli, the external potency. When one is simply in the mode of ignorance, he becomes a devotee of Lord Shiva because Lord Shiva is the predominating deity of the mode of ignorance within this material world. However, when one is completely free from the influence of all the modes of material nature, he becomes a pure Vaishnava on the devotional platform." (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. Madhya lila 24:330. purport.)

Therefore as aspiring Vaishnavas we are only interested in WORSHIPPING Krishna as the supreme personality of Godhead. However, understanding the position of His empowered devotees in their functional roles, we do not neglect to offer respects to ALL living beings, especially the powerful, empowered Devas.

In fact Srila Prabhupad encourages us to ask for help in our clearing the path to pure unalloyed service to the Supreme Lord Krishna - while in other places condeming the separate worship of demigods for fruitve material gain.
"One should begin the worship of the demigod Ganapati (Ganesha), who drives away all impediments in the execution of devotional service. In the Brahma-samhitä it is stated that Ganapati worships the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva and in that way has become auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments. Therefore, all devotees should worship Ganapati." (A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Nectar of Devotion, chapter 8. Offenses to be avoided.)

Devotee: Shrila Prabhupäda, if... Since Krishna is the power that gives the demigods the ability to render everything, then why is it recommended in the Nectar of Devotion that a Vaishnava should worship Ganapati?
Prabhupäda: Krishna worship, everyone. Just like we worship also ordinary man if it gives us facility to worship Krishna. We go to somebody and worship him, flatter him, because he will give some money, and it will be engaged in Krishna’s service. The man is not worshipable, but he will help us to worship Krishna. Thereby he will be helped and we will be also helped, and Krishna will be satisfied. Krishna will be satisfied that “My devotee has brought some money from this rascal. All right.” That is... (laughter) So Ganapati is also devotee. So Ganapati, it is not required, but sometimes we do. Just like gopis, they worshipped Goddess Durgä, Kätyäyani. They did not require, but the social system is that. But they asked that Mother Kätyäyani, give us the opportunity to have Krishna as our husband.” The aim is Krishna. Generally, they go to worship Devi Durgä for asking material benefit. Dhanam dehi rüpam dehi yasho dehi, the things which we want in material... But the gopés, they do not go for any material things. For Krishna. Similarly, we can go to any demigod. Why Ganapati? Everyone. But our prayer should be, “Please give us Krishna.” Then it is correct. (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 10th January 1974. Morning Walk conversation. Los Angeles)

"Gurukrpä: When we were just traveling this last time and collecting, Shrila Prabhupäda, everyday we were offering some incense to Gaëeça, and this prayer in the Brahma-samhitä, yat-päda-pallava...
Prabhupäda: Pallava-yugam vinidhäya kumbha...
Gurukrpä: We were saying this, saying, “Give us facility to collect nice lakshmi to use to build the temple in Vrindävana.”
Yashodänandana: To build the temple for Krishna and Balaräma in Vrindävana.
Prabhupäda: Yes. That is good. Whatever possible facility is available from any person, we beg for it for Krishna’s service, not for our personal benefit. (break) ...they forget Krishna. They forget Krishna. When they go to worship some other demigod, they forget Krishna, kämais tais tair hrta-jnänäh, because they have got so strong material desires that they forget Krishna. That is harmful. Antavat tu phalam teshäm. They get some benefit out of the demigod, but that will not stay. Alpavat, er, antavat. Antavat tu phalam teshäm. But if you take Krishna, then it is not antavat, it will go on increasing. If you take to Krishna consciousness, it will never end. It will increase. Änandämbudhi-vardhanam, increasing. The ocean does not increase, but Krishna consciousness is such a great ocean that it increases only. Änandämbudhi-vardhanam." (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 10th January 1974. Morning Walk conversation. Los Angeles)

"I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Ganesha upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three worlds." (Brahma Samhita 5:50.)
PURPORT
The power of destroying all obstacles to mundane prosperity has been delegated to Ganesha who is the object of worship to those who are eligible to worship him. He has obtained a rank among the five gods as Brahmä possessing mundane quality. The self-same Ganesha is a god in possession of delegated power by infusion of the divine power. All his glory rests entirely on the grace of Govinda." (Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati. August, 1932. Brahma Samhita 5:50 purport.)

"Just like in the Brahma-samhitä, we are giving respect to all the demigods. We are giving respect to Lord Shiva, we are giving respect to Durgä, we are giving respect to Ganesha, we are giving respect to the sun-god. They are very big demigods. Lord Shiva, or Durgä, Ganesha, and Brahmä, and... We don’t disrespect. We give respect even to the ant. Why not to Lord Shiva or Lord Brahmä? They should have their due respect, but that does not mean we consider them as the Supreme Lord." (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 24th May 1969. Srimad Bhagavatam lecture SB 1:5:8-9.)

Indian man (2): If we become completely Krishna conscious...
Prabhupäda: Hm?
Indian man (2): If we follow the Krishna conscious path... Now, take for example our wedding ceremonies. Now, the first thing that we take, the Ganapati, there is Ganasyainava(?), and there is various other deities that we have to respect. Now, what happens in his case?
Prabhupäda: If you are actually Krishna conscious, then to worship Ganapati, there is no harm. But if you take Ganapati as independent God, then your Krishna consciousness is hampered.
Indian man (2): But in certain ceremonies these things are...
Prabhupäda: Any ceremony. If you know the constable is constable and the president is president, then it is all right. But if you think constable is president, then you are misguided.
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 12th October 1975. Morning Walk. Durban, South Africa.)

And as a pre-caution to stop devotees from becoming mundane fruitive demigod worshipers, Prabhupad often and sturnly told us "No, there is no need for worshipping Ganapati, and the facility for such worship is not available in your country. Worshipping Krishna is sufficient." (Letter to Vrindavan Chandra dasa. 13th April 1971. Bombay.)

"So far worshipping Ganesa is concerned, that is not necessary. Not that it should be done on a regular basis. If you like you can pray to Ganapati for removing all impediments on the path of Krishna Consciousness. That you can do if you like." (Letter to Shivananda. 25th August 1971. London.)

The Devas are attracted to the service of Lord Krishna, and as His empowered devotees become more attracted at every opportunity. "While watching the räsa dance performed by Lord Krishna and the gopis, Lord Shiva beheld the beautiful face of Krishna and immediately began to dance and beat upon his small dindima drum. While Lord Shiva was dancing in ecstasy, his eldest son, Ganesha, joined him." (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Nectar of Devotion chapter 27.)

"With offerings such as prokshana one should worship Durgä, Vinäyaka, Vyäsa, Vishvaksena, the spiritual masters and the various demigods. All these personalities should be in their proper places facing the Deity of the Lord."(SB 11:27:29.txt)
PURPORT
According to Shrila Jiva Gosvämi, the Ganesha and Durgä mentioned in this verse are not the same personalities present within the material world; rather, they are eternal associates of the Lord in Vaikuntha. In this world Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva, is famous for awarding financial success, and the goddess Durgä, the wife of Lord Shiva, is famous as the external, illusory potency of the Supreme Lord. The personalities mentioned here, however, are eternally liberated associates of the Lord who reside in the spiritual sky, beyond the material manifestation. Shrila Jiva Gosvämi quotes from various Vedic literatures to prove that the name Durgä may also indicate the internal potency of the Lord, who is nondifferent from Him. The external, or covering, potency of the Lord expands from this original Durgä. The Durgä of the material world, called Mahä-mäyä, assumes the function of bewildering the living entities. Thus a devotee should not fear becoming polluted by worshiping the Durgä mentioned here, who has the same name as illusion, but rather the devotee must show respect to these eternal servitors of the Supreme Lord in Vaikuntha. (Hridayananda das Goswami. Srimad Bhagavatam 11:27:29. purport.)

Shridhara Mahäräja: I can’t remember that particular... But Shiva, this side also Shiva, in the nirvishesha, on the lower side of the nirvishesha is also Shiva, and the higher side of the nirvishesha is also Shiva. Then Näräyana.
Prabhupäda: Here, he’s Bhütanätha, leaders of the atheistic-class of men.
Shridhara Mahäräja: Atheistic class. And his paraphernalia is Nandibhrìgi, bhüta, and his, and his eldest son is Vinäyaka, and he misguided... The leader of the misguided, Vinäyaka, Ganesha.
Prabhupäda: Oh, Vinäyaka. Vi-gata...
Shridhara Mahäräja: Vinäyaka. Not proper näyaka. Vikrta-näyakah.
Prabhupäda: Vikrta-näyakah.
Shridhara Mahäräja: Vinäyanikapamode-shuddha-prabhu, (?) that are protected by Krishna, and they, they...
Prabhupäda: But in Brahma-samhitä Ganesha is described: vighna-näsha.
Shridhara Mahäräja: Vighna-näsha, but with the help of Nrsimhadeva on his kumbha.
Prabhupäda: Oh, I see. Yat-päda-pallava-yugam vinidhäya.
Shridhara Mahäräja: With the help of His lotus feet, he’s able to... Otherwise, he’s Vinäyaka.
Prabhupäda: (laughs) Vinäyaka. Ganesha.
Shridhara Mahäräja: (Bengali) posasas ca...
Prabhupäda: Misleader.
Shridhara Mahäräja: Misleader, misguider, Ganesha, his eldest son. And he give support, Shiva. Just as C.R. Das, he encouraged the Subash Bose and the other members of opposition party but he himself was a little common person. (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada discussion with B.R. Shridhar Maharaj. 27th June 1973. Navadwip, India.)

How the Brahma-Madhwa Vaishnava's observe Ganesh Chaturthi:
The icon of Ganapati made of clay by artists of Udupi is brought to baDage maaLige during an auspicious period on that day.  The entire area is decorated artistically with different kinds of decorations. A huge rangavalli of Ganesha is constructed in front of the icon.  This is a feast to the eyes for the next four days.

After worshipping the special Ganapati icon for four days the icon is taken out in procession and then immersed in the Madhva-Sarovara.

At the entrance of the shrine also there is a small icon of Ganapati.  Special worship is arranged there to the Lord Vishnu in the form of Sri Vishvambhara.  The priests perform a sacrifice known as gaNahoma.  The Swamiji offers prasaada of Lord Vishvambhara to Ganapati and performs aarati.

A special icon of Ganapati made of five metals is present at Ananteshwara and is worshipped every day.  Here also, the festival of Ganesha is celebrated with pomp.

I was going to mention it in the chapter containing the initial reference to Ananteshwara but because of incomplete memory of the story I didn't. It goes along the lines -- the icon had been worshipped in a fort (can't remember where) and when the fort was attacked by marauding Muslims the icon was removed and eventually placed in the Ananteshwara temple for safe keeping. Even after the Muslims had been driven back, the icon remained in the Ananteshwara temple.

During Ganesha-chaturthii, special festivals are held here during the night and it is a magnificent sight. The whole of the temple is lit up with oil lamps and the people queue up to view the icon. Because of all the oil lamps this is the best time to view the icon.

The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel
There was a king of the name Saträjit within the jurisdiction of Dvärakä-dhäma. He was a great devotee of the sun-god, who awarded him the benediction of a jewel known as Syamantaka. Because of this Syamantaka jewel, there was a misunderstanding between King Saträjit and the Yadu dynasty Later the matter was settled when Saträjit voluntarily offered Kåñëa his daughter, Satyabhämä, along with the Syamantaka jewel. Not only Satyabhämä but also Jämbavaté, the daughter of Jämbavän, was married to Kåñëa on account of the Syamantaka jewel. These two marriages took place before the appearance of Pradyumna, as described in the last chapter. How King Saträjit offended the Yadu dynasty and how he later came to his senses and offered his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel to Kåñëa are described as follows.
Since he was a great devotee of the sun-god, King Saträjit 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. When Saträjit 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 Dvärakä, and people thought that the sun-god had come into the city to see Kåñëa. They knew that Kåñëa, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was sometimes visited by the demigods, so while Saträjit was visiting the city of Dvärakä all the inhabitants except Kåñëa took him to be the sun-god himself. Although King Saträjit was known to everyone, he could not be recognized because of the dazzling effulgence of the Syamantaka jewel.
Mistaking Saträjit to be the sun-god, some of the important citizens of Dvärakä immediately went to Kåñëa to inform Him that the sun-god had arrived to see Him. At that time, Kåñëa was playing chess. One of the important residents of Dvärakä spoke thus: “My dear Lord Näräyaëa, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Your plenary portion as Näräyaëa, or Viñëu, You have four hands with different symbols—the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower. You are actually the owner of everything, but in spite of Your being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, You descended in Våndävana to act as the child of Yaçodämätä, who sometimes used to tie You up with her ropes, and You are celebrated, therefore, by the name Dämodara.”
That Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, as accepted by the citizens of Dvärakä, was later confirmed by the great Mäyävädé philosophical leader Çaìkaräcärya. By accepting the Lord as impersonal, he did not reject the Lord’s personal form. Everything which has form in this material world is subject to creation, maintenance and annihilation, but because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, does not have a material form subject to these limitations, Çaìkaräcärya, to convince the less intelligent men who take Kåñëa to be an ordinary human being, said that God is impersonal. This impersonality means that He is not a person of this material condition. He is a transcendental personality without a material body.
The citizens of Dvärakä addressed Lord Kåñëa not only as Dämodara but also as Govinda, which indicates that Kåñëa is very affectionate to the cows and calves; and just to refer to their intimate connection with Kåñëa, they addressed Him as Yadunandana because He was born the son of Vasudeva in the Yadu dynasty. In this way, the citizens of Dvärakä concluded by addressing Kåñëa as the supreme master of the whole universe. They addressed Kåñëa in many different ways, proud of being citizens of Dvärakä who could see Kåñëa daily.
When Saträjit was visiting the city of Dvärakä, the citizens felt great pride to think that although Kåñëa was living in Dvärakä like an ordinary human being, the demigods were coming to see Him. Thus they informed Lord Kåñëa that the sun-god, with his glaring bodily effulgence, was coming to see Him. The citizens of Dvärakä confirmed that the sun-god’s coming into Dvärakä was not very wonderful, because people all over the universe who were searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead knew that He had appeared in the Yadu dynasty and was living in Dvärakä as one of the members of that family. Thus the citizens expressed their joy on this occasion. On hearing the statements of His citizens, the all-pervasive Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, simply smiled. Being pleased with the citizens of Dvärakä, Kåñëa informed them that the person they described as the sun-god was actually King Saträjit, who had come to visit Dvärakä City to show his opulence in the form of the valuable jewel obtained from the sun-god.
Saträjit, however, did not come to see Kåñëa; he was instead overwhelmed by the Syamantaka jewel. He installed the jewel in a temple to be worshiped by brähmaëas he engaged for this purpose. This is an example of a less intelligent person worshiping a material thing. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is stated that less intelligent persons, in order to get immediate results from their fruitive activities, worship the demigods created within this universe. The word materialist means one concerned with gratification of the senses within this material world. Although Kåñëa later asked for this Syamantaka jewel, King Saträjit did not deliver it; on the contrary, he 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. A quantity of gold is counted by a measurement called a bhära. According to Vedic formulas, one bhära is equal to about twenty-one pounds, and one mound equals about eighty-two pounds. The jewel was producing about 170 pounds of gold every day. 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.
Lord Kåñëa wanted to teach the world that the best of everything should be offered to the ruling chief of the country. King Ugrasena was the overlord of many dynasties and happened to be the grandfather of Kåñëa, so Kåñëa asked Saträjit to present the Syamantaka jewel to King Ugrasena. Kåñëa pleaded that the best should be offered to the King. But Saträjit, being a worshiper of the demigods, had become too materialistic and, instead of accepting the request of Kåñëa, thought it wiser to worship the jewel to get the 170 pounds of gold every day. Materialistic persons who can achieve such huge quantities of gold are not interested in Kåñëa consciousness. Sometimes, therefore, to show special favor, Kåñëa takes away one’s great accumulations of materialistic wealth and thus makes one a great devotee. But Saträjit refused to abide by the order of Kåñëa and did not deliver the jewel.
After this incident, Saträjit’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. While Saträjit’s brother, who was known as Prasena, was moving here and there in the forest, a big lion attacked him, killing both him and the horse on which he was riding, and took away the jewel to his cave. News of this was received by the gorilla king, Jämbavän, who then killed that lion in the cave and took away the jewel. Jämbavän had been a great devotee of the Lord since the time of Lord Rämacandra, so he did not take the valuable jewel as something he very much needed. He gave it to his young son to play with as a toy.
In the city, when Saträjit’s younger brother Prasena did not return from the forest with the jewel, Saträjit became very upset. He did not know that his brother had been killed by a lion and that the lion had been killed by Jämbavän. He thought instead that because Kåñëa wanted that jewel, which had not been delivered to Him, Kåñëa might have therefore taken the jewel from Prasena by force and killed him. This idea grew into a rumor, which Saträjit spread in every part of Dvärakä.
The false rumor that Kåñëa had killed Prasena and taken away the jewel spread everywhere like wildfire. Kåñëa 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. Taking with Him some of the important inhabitants of Dvärakä, Kåñëa went to search out Prasena, the brother of Saträjit, and found him dead, killed by the lion. At the same time, Kåñëa also found the lion killed by Jämbavän, who is generally called Åkña. It was found that the lion had been killed by the hand of Åkña without the assistance of any weapon. Kåñëa and the citizens of Dvärakä then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Åkña’s house. Kåñëa knew that the inhabitants of Dvärakä would be afraid to enter the tunnel; therefore He asked them to remain outside, and He Himself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Åkña, Jämbavän. After entering the tunnel, Kåñëa saw that the valuable jewel known as Syamantaka had been given to the son of Åkña as a toy. To take the jewel from the child, Kåñëa approached and stood before him. When the nurse taking care of Åkña’s child saw Kåñëa standing before her, she was afraid, thinking He might take away the valuable Syamantaka jewel, and she cried loudly out of fear.
Hearing the nurse crying, Jämbavän appeared on the scene in a very angry mood. Jämbavän was actually a great devotee of Lord Kåñëa, but because he was angry he could not recognize his master and thought Him to be an ordinary man. This brings to mind the statement of the Bhagavad-gétä in which the Lord advises Arjuna to get free from anger, greed and lust in order to rise to the spiritual platform. Lust, anger and greed run parallel in the heart and check one’s progress on the spiritual path.
Not recognizing his master, Jämbavän challenged Him to fight. There was then a great fight between Kåñëa and Jämbavän, in which they fought like two opposing vultures. Whenever there is an eatable corpse the vultures fight heartily over the prey. Kåñëa and Jämbavän 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. Each expected victory over the other, but the fighting continued for twenty-eight days, both in daytime and at night, without stopping.
Although Jämbavän 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 Çré Kåñëa. Feeling very tired, with perspiration all over his body, Jämbavän was astonished. Who was this opponent who was fighting so hard with him? Jämbavän was quite aware of his own superhuman bodily strength, but when he felt tired from being struck by Kåñëa, he could understand that Kåñëa was no one else but his worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This incident has special significance for devotees. In the beginning, Jämbavän could not understand Kåñëa because his vision was obscured by material attachment. He was attached to his boy and to the greatly valuable Syamantaka jewel, which he did not want to spare for Kåñëa. In fact, when Kåñëa came there he was angry, thinking that Kåñëa had come to take away the jewel. This is the material position: although one is very strong in body, that cannot help him understand Kåñëa.
In a sporting attitude, Kåñëa wanted to engage in a mock fight with His devotee. As we have experienced from the pages of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the propensities and instincts of a human being. Sometimes, in a sportive spirit, He 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. Kåñëa desired this pleasure of mock fighting with Jämbavän. Although Jämbavän was a devotee by nature, he was without knowledge of Kåñëa while giving service to the Lord by his bodily strength. But as soon as Kåñëa was pleased by the fighting, Jämbavän immediately understood that his opponent was none other than the Supreme Lord Himself. The conclusion is that he could understand Kåñëa by his service, for Kåñëa is sometimes satisfied by fighting also.
Jämbavän therefore said to the Lord, “My dear Lord, I can now understand who You are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viñëu, the source of everyone’s strength, wealth, reputation, beauty, wisdom and renunciation.” This statement of Jämbavän’s is confirmed by the Vedänta-sütra, wherein the Supreme Lord is declared to be the source of everything. Jämbavän identified Lord Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality, Lord Viñëu: “My dear Lord, You are the creator of the creators of the universal affairs.” This statement is very instructive to the ordinary man, who is amazed by the activities of a person with an exceptional brain. The ordinary man is surprised to see the inventions of a great scientist, but the statement of Jämbavän confirms that although a scientist may be a creator of many wonderful things, Kåñëa is the creator of the scientist. He is the creator of not only one scientist but of millions and trillions, all over the universe. Jämbavän 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.” 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 Kåñëa. This is actual scientific understanding. 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.
Jämbavän 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. And 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. By studying all factors in the right perspective, one can see that You are the supreme controller and Lord of everything. My dear Lord, I can therefore understand that You are the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whom I worship as Lord Rämacandra. My Lord Rämacandra 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. And when the whole ocean became agitated, the living entities like the whales, alligators and timiìgila fish all became perturbed. [The timiìgila fish in the ocean can swallow big aquatics like whales in one gulp.] In this way the ocean was forced to give way and allow Rämacandra to cross to the island known as Laìkä [now supposed to be Ceylon. This construction of a bridge over the ocean from Cape Comorin to Ceylon is still well known to everyone.] After the construction of the bridge, a fire was set all over the kingdom of Rävaëa. During the fighting with Rävaëa, every part of his limbs was slashed to pieces by Your sharp arrows, and his heads fell to the face of the earth. Now I can understand that You are none other than my Lord Rämacandra. No one else has such immeasurable strength; no one else could defeat me in this way.”
Lord Kåñëa was satisfied by the prayers and statements of Jämbavän, and to mitigate Jämbavän’s pain, He began to stroke the lotus palm of His hand all over Jämbavän’s body. Thus Jämbavän at once felt relieved from the fatigue of the great fight. Lord Kåñëa then addressed him as King Jämbavän because he, and not the lion, was actually the king of the forest, having killed the lion with his bare hands, without a weapon. Kåñëa informed Jämbavän that He had come to ask for the Syamantaka jewel because ever since the Syamantaka jewel had been stolen His name had been defamed by the less intelligent. Kåñëa plainly informed him that He had come there to ask for the jewel in order to be free from this defamation. Jämbavän understood the whole situation, and to satisfy the Lord he immediately delivered not only the Syamantaka jewel but also his daughter Jämbavaté, who was of marriageable age, and presented her to Lord Kåñëa.
The episode of Jämbavaté’s marriage with Kåñëa and the delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the mountain cave. Although the fighting between Kåñëa and Jämbavän went on for twenty-eight days, the inhabitants of Dvärakä waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after that they decided that something undesirable must have happened. They could not understand for certain what had actually happened, and being very sorry and tired they returned to the city of Dvärakä.
All the members of the family, namely Kåñëa’s mother, Devaké, His father, Vasudeva, and His chief wife, Rukmiëé, along with all other friends, relatives and residents of the palace, were very sorry when the citizens returned home without Kåñëa. Because of their natural affection for Kåñëa, they began to call Saträjit ill names, for he was the cause of Kåñëa’s disappearance. They went to worship the goddess Candrabhägä, praying for the return of Kåñëa. The goddess was satisfied by the prayers of the citizens of Dvärakä, and she immediately offered them her benediction. Simultaneously, Kåñëa appeared on the scene, accompanied by His new wife, Jämbavaté, and all the inhabitants of Dvärakä and relatives of Kåñëa became joyful. The inhabitants of Dvärakä were as joyful as someone receiving a dear relative back from the dead. They had concluded that Kåñëa had been put into great difficulties due to the fighting; therefore, they had become almost hopeless of His return. But when they saw that Kåñëa had actually returned, not alone but with a new wife, Jämbavaté, they immediately performed a ceremony of celebration.
King Ugrasena then called for a meeting of all important kings and chiefs. He also invited Saträjit, and Kåñëa explained before the whole assembly the incident of the recovery of the jewel from Jämbavän. Kåñëa wanted to return the valuable jewel to King Saträjit. Saträjit, however, was ashamed because he had unnecessarily defamed Kåñëa. He 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. Then he thought about how he could clear himself of the abominable act he had performed by defaming Kåñëa. He was conscious that he had offended Kåñëa very grievously and that he had to find a remedial measure so that Kåñëa would again be pleased with him.
King Saträjit 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 Kåñëa, he sincerely wanted to rectify it. From within, Kåñëa gave him good intelligence, and Saträjit decided to hand over to Kåñëa both the jewel and his beautiful daughter, Satyabhämä. There was no alternative for mitigating the situation, and therefore he arranged the marriage ceremony of Kåñëa and his daughter. He gave in charity both the jewel and his daughter to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Satyabhämä was so beautiful and qualified that Saträjit, in spite of being asked for her hand by many princes, was waiting to find a suitable son-in-law. By the grace of Kåñëa he decided to hand his daughter over to Him.
Lord Kåñëa, being pleased with Saträjit, 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,” He said, “and every one of us will derive benefit from the jewel. Because of the jewel’s presence in the city of Dvärakä, there will be no more famines or disturbances created by pestilence or excessive heat and cold.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-sixth Chapter of Kåñëa, “The Story of the Syamantaka Jewel.”