The Brihaddharma Purana (abridged)

by Syama Charan Banerji | 1915 | 50,976 words

The English translation of the Brihaddharma Purana, one of the several minor or Upa Puranas, and represents an epitome of several important (Major) Puranas. In this book one can observe the attempts made to reconcile the three main forms of Hindu worship, viz. the Shaiva Vaishnava and Tantrika (worship of God in the form of Kali, Durga, Ganga, and ...

Chapter 61 - Exploits of Sri Krishna (continued, 2)

Thereafter Sri Krishna went and lived at Dvarka [Dvaraka]. There he heard that Rukmini the daughter of King Bhishmaka was about to choose her husband in an open Swayamvara[1] meeting and that she was inclined to fix her choice on him. He forthwith went to the assembly, and defeating Sisupala and other mighty kings carried off Rukmini. By her he had a charming son named Pradyumna. Pradyumna’s son was the mighty-armed Aniruddha whose wife was Usha.

Sri Krishna married two other wives Satyabhama and Jambavati under the following circumstances:—

Satrajika, a close friend of Surya[2], got a gem called Syamantaka from the latter, and brought it to Dvarka [Dvaraka]. This gem had the virtue of yielding eight loads of gold every day. Satrajika gave it to his brother, Prasena, who wore it round his neck.

One day, while Prasena was roving in a forest, he was killed by a lion who, in his turn, was killed by a bear named Jambavana who. came into the possession of the gem.

It was, however, generally suspected that Prasena had been murdered by Sri Krishna for the sake of the gem So Sri Krishna, with a view to prove his innocence, went out armed in quest of Prasena He entered the forest in which the latter had been killed, and saw a big hole there, through which he overheard some conversation which Jambavana’s maid-servant was holding with his little child.

She was saying,

“Do not cry good child, here is a gem for you. A lion got it from Prasena after killing him, and your father killed the lion and got possession of it. Take it, it is yours.”

No sooner did Sri Krishna hear this talk than he rushed inside the hole and snatched away the gem from the maid-servant. He was coming out of the hole when the maid-servant’s cries attracted Jambavana to the spot, and a fierce fight ensued which lasted for several days. At last Jambavana came to know that his adversary was no other than another incarnation of his former master, Rama, the husband of Janki [Janaki]; so he worshipped him and gave him his daughter, Jambavati, in marriage along with the gem.

Sri Krishna came back to Dvarka [Dvaraka] with Jambavati and the gem, and returned the latter to Satrajika. Satrajika was thereupon highly ashamed of laving suspected Sri Krishna, and, returning the gem to him, gave him his daughter, Satyabhama, in marriage.

By and by, Sri Krishna was the husband of sixteen thousand, one hundred and eight wives, and became a great householder. He assumed as many forms as he had wives, and pleased every one of them by affording her the pleasure of his company.

He was-a great friend of the five Pandavas and helped them in every way. In the great Rajasuya[3] sacrifice performed by Yudhishthira he killed Sisupala; and, thereafter, in the great fight which took place between Pandavas and Kauravas, he brought about the destruction of Duryodhana and his followers by acting as the charioteer of Arjuna. He exterminated sin from the earth by causing the destruction of the whole Yadu race, and, thereafter, went back to heaven after establishing his creed among people.

After his departure from this earth, Kali Yuga held a firm sway over men who became lezy [lazy?], unrighteous and short-lived.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

In olden times kings occasionally convened meetings of all the kings who were considered elegible [eligible?] husbands for their daughters, and the brides were allowed to choose their husbands from among them.

[2]:

The sun.

[3]:

A Vedic sacrifice prescribed for kings.

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