Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 57
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Subject matter: "Killing of Satrājit and Śatadhanvā."
After Akrūra visited Hastināpura and he reported the condition of the Pāṇḍavas to Kṛṣṇa, there were further development, that the Pāṇḍavas were transferred to…
(break) …made of shellac, and later on set fire into the house, and everyone understood that the Pāṇḍavas, with their mother Kuntī, were killed. This information was also sent to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Both of Them consulting together decided to go to Hastināpura to show sympathy to the relatives in their bereavement, although everything was known to Him. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma knew it certainly that the Pāṇḍavas could not be killed in that fire devastation, but in spite of their knowing to the contrary, They wanted to go to Hastināpura to take part in the bereavement.
After going there, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma first of all saw Bhīṣmadeva, because he was the chief man of the Kuru dynasty. Then They saw altogether with Kṛpācārya and Vidura, Gāndhārī and Droṇa, other members of the Kuru dynasty, they were not sorry because they wanted that the Pāṇḍavas with their mother might be killed. But other family members, headed by Bhīṣma, they were actually very sorry for the incidence, and Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma expressed equally sorrow with them without any disclosure of the actual situation.
When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was out of the city of Dvārakā, there was a conspiracy to take away the jewel known as Syamantaka from Satrājit, and the chief of the conspiracy was Śatadhanvā. It appears from the fact that Śatadhanvā along with others wanted to marry Satyabhāmā, the beautiful daughter of Satrājit. But Satrājit, although superficially promised everyone that he would give in charity his beautiful daughter to so many candidates, but later on the whole decision was changed and Satyabhāmā was given to Kṛṣṇa along with the jewel, Syamantaka, by Satrājit in order to be free from the awkward position. Satrājit had no desire to give the jewel Syamantaka to Kṛṣṇa, but as Kṛṣṇa formally wanted the jewel from him he delivered it with his daughter to Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa, knowing his mentality, accepted his daughter but returned the jewel.
Satrājit actually did not want to separate with the jewel, and after getting it back from Kṛṣṇa he was satisfied and keeping it with him always. So in the absence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma there was a conspiracy by all men, even including Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā, who were devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā joined the conspiracy because they wanted the jewel for Kṛṣṇa. They knew that Kṛṣṇa wanted the jewel and Satrājit had not delivered it properly. He wanted to keep it by so many devices. Śatadhanvā and others joined the conspiracy because they were disappointed in not having the hand of Satyabhāmā. So in that big conspiracy, some of them incited Śatadhanvā to kill Satrājit and take away the jewel from him.
The question is generally raised, why a great devotee like Akrūra joined also this conspiracy? True also—why Kṛtavarmā also joined this conspiracy, although both of them were devotees of the Lord? The answer is given by great authorities like Jīva Gosvāmī and others that Akrūra, although he was a great devotee, he was cursed by the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana on account of his taking away Kṛṣṇa from their midst. So on account of their feelings being wounded by Akrūra, he was forced to join this conspiracy made by the sinful men. Similarly, Kṛtavarmā, although he was a devotee, but on account of his intimate association with Kaṁsa he also contaminated some sinful reaction, therefore he also joined the conspiracy.
So in this way, Śatadhanvā being inspired by all the members of the conspiracy, one night he entered in the house of…
(break) …and killed him while he was sleeping. Śatadhanvā was a sinful man of abominable character, and although he was not to live for many days on account of his sinful activities, still, he decided to kill Satrājit while he was sleeping at home. When he entered the house for killing Satrājit, all the women inmates of the house began to cry very loudly, and in spite of great protest by crying, Śatadhanvā mercilessly butchered Satrājit without any hesitation exactly like a butcher kills an animal in the slaughterhouse.
When Kṛṣṇa was absent from home, His wife Satyavatī (Satyabhāmā), the daughter of Satrājit, was also present on that night of his killing, and she became too much afflicted on account of father being mercilessly killed and thus began to cry, "My dear father! My dear father! How you have been mercilessly been killed!" The dead body of Satrājit was not immediately moved for cremation because Satyabhāmā immediately wanted to go to Kṛṣṇa in Hastināpura. Therefore, the whole body was preserved in a oil tank so that Kṛṣṇa may come back and see the dead body of Satrājit so that He could take real action against Śatadhanvā. Satyabhāmā immediately started to inform Kṛṣṇa about the ghastly death of his father…, of her father.
Kṛṣṇa, being informed of the sudden murdering of His father-in-law from Satyabhāmā, began to lament like ordinary man, expressing His great sorrow in the incidence. Lord Kṛṣṇa, although He had nothing to do with the action and reaction of this world, still, because He was playing the part of a human being, He expressed His full sympathy with the bereavement of Satyabhāmā, and His eyes were filled with tears upon hearing about the death of His father-in-law. He thus began to lament, "Oh, what unhappy incidents have taken place!" Needless to say, both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma along with Satyabhāmā, the wife of Kṛṣṇa, immediately returned to Dvārakā and began to make different plans how to kill Śatadhanvā and take away the jewel from him. Śatadhanvā, although he was a great outlaw in the city, still he was very much afraid of Kṛṣṇa’s power, and thus he became very much afraid of Him.
Understanding the plan of Kṛṣṇa for killing Śatadhanvā, with a desire of being saved from being killed by Kṛṣṇa in that conspiracy, he immediately went to take shelter of Kṛtavarmā, and on his approach Kṛtavarmā began to say as follows: "I shall never be able to offend Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, because They are not ordinary persons. They are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who can be saved from death if one has offended Rāma and Kṛṣṇa? Nobody can be saved from Their wrath." Kṛtavarmā continued to say that "Kaṁsa, so powerful and assisted by so many demons, could not be saved from the wrath of Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of Jarāsandha, who was defeated eighteen times by Kṛṣṇa in the fight, and at last Jarāsandha had to retire from the fighting in disappointment."
In this way, when Śatadhanvā was refused help by Kṛtavarmā, he went to Akrūra for the same purpose, implored him to help him in that awkward condition. Akrūra also replied that both Rāma and Kṛṣṇa were Themselves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and anyone who knows Their unlimited strength would never dare to offend Them or fight with Them.
He informed Śatadhanvā that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were so powerful that by simply willing They are creating the whole cosmic manifestation, maintaining and dissolving it. Unfortunately, persons who are bewildered by the illusory energy cannot understand the strength of Kṛṣṇa, although the whole cosmic manifestation is fully under His control.
He cited the examples exhibited by Kṛṣṇa, even at the age of seven years old, and how He lifted the Govardhana Hill and continued to hold up the mountain for seven days, exactly like a child carries a small umbrella. Akrūra plainly informed Śatadhanvā that he offered his most respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, that He is the Supersoul of everything that is created and the original cause of all causes. When Akrūra also refused to give shelter to Śatadhanvā, he decided to deliver the Syamantaka jewel unto him. Riding on a horse which could run at great speed up to four hundred miles at a stretch, he ran away from the city on the back of that horse.
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were both informed of running away of Śatadhanvā. Therefore, They immediately also got up on Their chariot, unfurled with the flag which was marked by the photo of Garuḍa. Kṛṣṇa was specifically angry upon Śatadhanvā and wanted to kill him because he had killed a superior personality, Satrājit. Satrājit happened to be the father-in-law of Kṛṣṇa, and it is the injunction of the śāstras that anyone who has had rebelled against a superior person, guru-druha, such person must be punished in proportion to the volume of offense. So Śatadhanvā killed Satrājit, the father-in-law of Kṛṣṇa; therefore, He was determined to kill him by any way.
The horse being too much exasperated died immediately near a garden house of Mithilā. So Śatadhanvā, when he was unable to take help of the horse, he began to run away on legs with great speed. In order to make justice to Śatadhanvā, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma left Their charity (chariot) and began to follow Śatadhanvā on Their legs. Both Śatadhanvā and Kṛṣṇa were running on legs, but Kṛṣṇa immediately took His disc and cut off the head of Śatadhanvā separated from his body. When Śatadhanvā was killed, Kṛṣṇa searched out the jewel Syamantaka from his clothings, but He could not find it out.
When the jewel could not be found out, Kṛṣṇa came back to Balarāma and said that "We have uselessly killed this person because the jewel is not found in his body." Śrī Baladeva suggested to Kṛṣṇa that "The jewel might have been kept in custody of some other man in Dvārakā, so You better return to Dvārakā City to search out the jewel by proper investigation." Śrī Balarāma expressed His desire to remain in the Mithilā City for some days because He was very intimately in friendship with the king and He wanted to stay there for some days. So Śrī Balarāma did not return, but Kṛṣṇa returned to Dvārakā and Balarāma entered the city of Mithilā.
When the king of Mithilā saw the arrival of Śrī Balarāma in his city, he became very much pleased and received the Lord with great honor and hospitality. Immediately he presented so many valuable things before Balarāmajī in order to seek His pleasure on the occasion. Śrī Balarāma lived in that city for several years. The king of Mithilā, namely Janaka Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, was very honorably receiving Baladevajī. During this time, Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, took the opportunity of coming to Balarāma and learn from Him the art of fighting with club.
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Kṛṣṇa also, after killing Śatadhanvā, returned back to Dvārakā, and in order to please His wife Satyabhāmā He informed her of the death of Śatadhanvā, the killer of her father. But He also informed her that the jewel was not found in his possession. Then, according to religious principle, Kṛṣṇa along with Satyabhāmā performed all kinds of ceremonies after death of His father-in-law, Satrājit. In that ceremony all friends and relatives of the family joined together.
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Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā, who were the prominent two members in the conspiracy for killing Satrājit and incited Śatadhanvā to kill him, when both of them heard of the death of Śatadhanvā by Kṛṣṇa, and they heard also that Kṛṣṇa had returned to Dvārakā, immediately both of them, namely Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā, left Dvārakā. The city of Dvārakā was faced with many kinds of pestilence and natural disturbances on account of the absence of Akrūra from the city. Actually, this impression of the citizen of Dvārakā was a kind of superstition, but in fact, while Lord Kṛṣṇa was present there, there cannot be any pestilence, famine or natural disturbances.
The superstition that in the absence of Akrūra there was evidences of inauspicity in Dvārakā was due to the following reason: Sometimes back in the province of Kāśī (within bracket) (Vārāṇasī) there was severe drought and practically no rainfall. At that time the king of Kāśī arranged the marriage of his daughter, known as Gāndinī, with Śvaphalka, the father of Akrūra. This was done by the king of Kāśī on the advice of some astrologer, and actually it was effective that after the marriage of the king’s daughter with Śvaphalka there was sufficient rainfall in that province.
On the strength of this supernatural power of Śvaphalka, his son Akrūra was also considered equally powerful, and people were under impression that wherever Akrūra or his father would remain, there would be no natural disturbance, famine or drought. Actually, that kingdom is considered to be happy where there is no famine, pestilence, excessive heat and cold, and people are happy mentally, spiritually and bodily. As soon as there is some disturbance on this condition of life, people would adduce the cause to some extraordinary man in the city. Thus there was a great rumor that on account of absence of Akrūra things inauspicious are happening.
So after the departure of Akrūra, some of the elderly members of the town began to perceive that on account of the absence of the jewel Syamantaka from the city, there were some inauspicious signs. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard all this rumor made by the people, He decided to call back Akrūra from the kingdom of Kāśī.
Akrūra was in relationship with Kṛṣṇa His uncle; therefore, when he came back to Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa first of all welcomed him befitting a superior person. Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul in everyone’s heart; therefore, He knows everything what is going on in everyone’s heart. He knew everything what had happened in connection with Akrūra’s conspiracy with Śatadhanvā. Therefore, He smilingly began to address Akrūra in the following words.
He addressed him as the chief of the munificent men. "My dear uncle, it is already known to Me that the jewel Syamantaka was left by Śatadhanvā with you. Although presently there is no direct claimant of the Syamantaka jewel from you, because King Satrājit has no male issue, his daughter Satyabhāmā, although is not very much anxious for this jewel, but still her expected son would be the legal claimant of the jewel after performing the regulative principles of inheritance, as grandson of Satrājit."
In other words, Lord Kṛṣṇa indicated by this statement that Satyabhāmā was already in pregnancy and "Her son would be the real claimant for the jewel and would certainly take the jewel from you. This jewel is so powerful that no ordinary man will be able to keep it. I know that you are very much pious in activities, so there is no objection of the jewel being kept with you. There is one difficulty, that My elder brother, Śrī Balarāma, does not believe My version that the jewel is with you. I therefore request you, O the large-hearted, to show Me the jewel only once before My other relatives so that they may be pacified from various kinds of rumors. You cannot, however, deny that the jewel is not existing with you, because actually We can see how you have enhanced your opulence and how you are performing different kinds of sacrifices on the altar made of gold only."
As already stated before that wherever the jewel would remain, the keeper would get every day almost about nine maunds of pure gold produced by the jewel. Akrūra also getting in the same proportion, and he was distributing gold very profusely on the occasion of performing different kinds of sacrifices. Lord Kṛṣṇa gave Akrūra positive evidence of his possessing the Syamantaka jewel on account of his lavishly spending in gold.
In this way, when Lord Kṛṣṇa, in friendly terms and in sweet language, impressed Akrūra about the real fact and Akrūra understood that nothing could be concealed from the knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, at that time he brought the valuable jewel, shining like the sun, covered by cloth and presented it before Kṛṣṇa. In this way, Lord Kṛṣṇa took the Syamantaka jewel in His hand and showed it to all His relatives and friends present there, and again He returned the jewel to Akrūra so that they would know that the jewel was actually in Dvārakā City kept by Akrūra.
This story of Syamantaka jewel is very significant. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that anyone hearing about the story of the Syamantaka jewel or describing about it or simply by remembering it, one would be free from all kinds of defamation and reaction of all impious activities, and thus would attain highest perfectional condition of peace.
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Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-seventh Chapter of Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "Killing of Satrājit and Śatadhanvā."