Verse 1.15.195

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.15.195:

নগ্নজিত্, জনক, ভীষ্মক, জাম্বুবন্ত পূর্বে তাঙ্’রা যেহেন হৈলা ভাগ্যবন্ত ॥ ১৯৫ ॥

नग्नजित्, जनक, भीष्मक, जाम्बुवन्त पूर्वे ताङ्’रा येहेन हैला भाग्यवन्त ॥ १९५ ॥

nagnajit, janaka, bhīṣmaka, jāmbuvanta pūrve tāṅ’rā yehena hailā bhāgyavanta || 195 ||

nagnajit, janaka, bhismaka, jambuvanta purve tan’ra yehena haila bhagyavanta (195)

English translation:

(195) Kings of the past like Nagnajit, Janaka, Bhīṣmaka, and Jāmbavān all experience good fortune.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Nagnajit was a most pious kṣatriya king of Ayodhyā. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s queen, Satyā, appeared as his beloved daughter, so according to the name of her father she was also known as Nāgnajitī. According to the stipulation put forward by Nagnajit, Lord Kṛṣṇa easily subdued seven ferocious, sharp- horned, indomitable bulls who could not tolerate even the scent of their opposition and thus duly married Śrīmatī Satyā, or Nīlā-devī.

For a description of the incidents related with Nagnajit one should see Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.58.32-55) and the incidents related with Karṇa’s conquest in the Ghoṣa-yātrā-parva of the Mahābhārata, Vana-parva.

Janaka, the King of Videha, or Mithila, was the eldest son of Hrasvaromā. He was also known as Śīradhvaja. While plowing a tract of land to be used for a sacrificial performance, he obtained a self-manifest daughter from the tip of the plowshare and therefore he became known as Śīradhvaja and that daughter became known as Sītā. His duly begotten daughter was named Ūrmilā, and her younger brother’s name was Kuśadhvaja.

Previously, after the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice, Lord Śiva entrusted his own bow to the hands of Devarāta, who was the predecessor of Janaka. With a desire to offer his self-manifest adopted daughter, goddess Sītādevī, to a suitable heroic groom, Janaka established a test of valor (in other words, whoever was able by great strength to pull the string of the above-mentioned bow would alone receive this jewel-like daughter as his wife). But what to speak of pulling the string of Lord Śiva’s bow, kṣatriya kings of various kingdoms who came to Mithila with a desire for the hand of Sītādevī were not even able to pick up the bow. One day the great sage Viśvāmitra came to the saintly King Janaka’s sacrificial arena accompanied by Lord Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, the two sons of Daśaratha, the King of Ayodhyā. When they heard the stipulation of Janaka, the King of Videha, on the following day, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra, on the signal of Viśvāmitra and Janaka, easily pulled the string of Lord Śiva’s enormous bow in front of innumerable spectators and broke it in two pieces with a tumultuous sound. Thereafter He duly married His Mahā-Lakṣmī, Śrīmatī Sītādevī.

Regarding this pastime, one should refer to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (9.13.18), the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (4.5.12), and the Mahābhārata, in the portion of the Vana-parva (273.9) dealing with Draupadī’s kidnapping and in the Sabhā-parva (8.19).

His conversation with Aṣṭāvakra Muni is found in the Vana-parva, Chapters 132-134; his conversation with Pañcaśikha Muni on spiritual topics is found in Śānti-parva, Chapters 221 and 324; his conversation with his wife regarding a kṣatriya’s duty and necessity for maintaining

his subjects is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 18; his conversation with the brāhmaṇa named Aśma is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 27; his displaying heaven and hell to his soldiers is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 99; his remaining fixed in consciousness even upon the burning of Mithila is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 223; Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s coming before him and their conversation is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 333; his conversation with Māṇḍavya Muni is found in the Śānti-parva, Chapter 296; and his conversation with Yājñavalkya Muni regarding the creation of the living entities is found in the in the Śānti-parva, Chapters 315-323.

For a description of his dynasty, one should refer to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto, Chapter 13; the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part 4, Chapter 5; and the Vāyu Purāṇa, Chapter 89. Apart from these, one should refer to the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ādi-kāṇḍa, Chapter 31, verses 6-13, Chapter 47, verse 19, Chapter 48, verse 10, Chapter 50, Chapter 65, verses 31-49,

Chapter 66, Chapter 70, verses 19 and 45, Chapter 71, Chapter 72, verse

18, Chapter 73, verses 10-36, and Chapter 74, verses 1-7.

Bhīṣmaka was the King of Vidarbha, or Kuṇḍina. He had five sons—Rukmī, Rukmaratha, Rukmabāhu, Rukmakeśa, and Rukmamālī—and one daughter named Rukmiṇī, who was nondifferent from Mahā-Lakṣmī.

After hearing from the mouths of people about the attractive form, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Rukmiṇīdevī mentally accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as her husband. Lord Kṛṣṇa also considered Rukmiṇīdevī as an appropriate wife and decided to marry her. But the evil-minded Rukmī, who was most envious of Lord Kṛṣṇa, decided to offer his sister to the hands of Śiśupāla, the son of Damaghoṣa, the King of Cedi. When Rukmiṇīdevī came to know of this plan, she became extremely morose and one day before the marriage she sent a letter with a reliable brāhmaṇa messenger to Lord Kṛṣṇa. After the brāhmaṇa handed Rukmiṇī’s letter to Lord Kṛṣṇa and revealed her appeal, Kṛṣṇa left for Vidarbha on a chariot pulled by horses that were so fast that they arrived on the same night. Kṛṣṇa then sent the brāhmaṇa messenger to Rukmiṇī

with assurance of His willingness to accept her hand in marriage. When Balarāma heard that Kṛṣṇa had gone alone to Vidarbha, He took many Yādava soldiers and also went to Vidarbha. With a desire to fight Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Śiśupāla, who was the born enemy of Kṛṣṇa, also came to Vidarbha with like-minded persons like Śālva, Jarāsandha, Dantavakra, Pauṇḍraka, and Vidūratha. Meanwhile, out of affection for his son Rukmī, Bhīṣmaka, the King of Kuṇḍina, made elaborate arrangements for offering his daughter to Śiśupāla. When Vidarbha-nandinī Rukmiṇī slowly came near Kṛṣṇa after worshiping goddess Ambikā in a temple on the day of the marriage, Kṛṣṇa immediately snatched her in front of all the enemy kings just as a lion snatches its prey, and with the help of Baladeva He completely defeated Śiśupāla, Jarāsandha, and all the other kings who were desirous of fighting and thereafter returned to Dvārakā and duly married Mahā-Lakṣmī.

One may further refer to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter 52, verses 16-26, Chapter 53, verses 7-21, 32-38, and 55-57, Chapter 54,

verses 1-53, Chapter 61, verses 20-40; Mahābhārata, Sabhā-parva,

Chapter 4, verse 37, and Chapter 32, verse 13; Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part Five, Chapters 26 and 28, verses 6-28; and Hari-vaṃśa, Second Parva, Chapters 103 and 118.

Jāmbavān, the king of the bears, was a wise devotee of Śrī Rāma and one of the four ministers of Sugrīva, the emperor of the monkeys and King of Kiṣkindhyā. It is said that he was born during the yawning of grandfather Brahmā. He was the father of Mahā-Lakṣmī Jāmbavatī-devī, the queen of Lord Kṛṣṇa. On account of worshiping the sun-god, Satrājit, a king in the Sātvata dynasty, received the precious Syamantaka jewel from him.

When Lord Kṛṣṇa requested the Syamantaka jewel on behalf of Ugrasena, the King of the Yadus, he refused. One day, when Prasena, the brother of Satrājit, went out hunting wearing the Syamantaka jewel on his neck, a lion attacked and killed him and took the Syamantaka jewel within its cave. Later, Jāmbavān, the king of the bears, killed that lion and gave the jewel to his son to play with.

Meanwhile, when Lord Kṛṣṇa heard that people were accusing Him of killing Prasena, He took some residents of Dvārakā and went to search for Prasena in order to free Himself from this accusation. They first found that Prasena had been killed by a lion and later found that the lion had been killed by Jāmbavān at the foot of the mountain. Thereafter Kṛṣṇa ordered the residents to wait outside as He entered the bear king’s formidable mountain cave, wherein He saw the jewel being played with in the hands of a boy. As soon as He attempted to take the jewel away, the nurse cried loudly out of fear due to seeing a strange human form.

Hearing the nurse’s cry, Jāmbavān, the king of the bears, appeared on the scene in a very angry mood and, being bewildered by the illusory energy of Viṣṇu, he wrestled with Kṛṣṇa day and night for twenty-eight days without understanding the glories of Kṛṣṇa, who is nondifferent from his worshipable Lord Rāmacandra. Finally he became completely exhausted, and his body began to shiver as he offered prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa, realizing that He was his worshipable Lord, Śrī Rāmacandra. As a result of receiving the Lord’s mercy, he regained his strength, and then the Lord revealed His purpose to him. Thereafter Ṛkṣarāja, Jāmbavān, presented the Syamantaka jewel and his daughter, Jāmbavatī, to Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord then returned to Dvārakā and duly married Jāmbavatī. One should refer in this connection to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter 56, verses 14-32; Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Fourth Canto, Chapter 13, verses 18-33; Mahābhārata, Sabhā-parva, Chapter 57, verse 23, Vana-parva, in the section related with Draupadī’s kidnapping, Chapter 279, verses 23, Chapter 282, verse 8, Chapter 288, verse 13, and Chapter 289, verse 3.

Apart from these, one may see the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa, Chapter 39, verse 26, Chapter 41, verse 2 (pitāmaha-sutaṃ caiva jāmbavantaṃ mahaujasam—“The most powerful Jāmbavān was the son of Grandfather Brahmā.”), Chapter 65, verses 10-35, Chapter 66, Chapter 67, verses 31-35, Sundara-kāṇḍa, Chapter 58, verses 2-7, Chapter 60,

verses 14-20, Laṅkā-kāṇḍa, Chapter 27, verses 11-14, Chapter 50, verses

8-12, and Chapter 74, verses 13-35.