Jambavati

Jambavati (Sanskrit: जाम्बवती, romanized: Jāmbavatī) is chronologically the second Ashtabharya of the Hindu god Krishna. She is the only daughter of the bear-king Jambavan. Krishna marries her when he defeats her father, Jambavan, in his quest to retrieve the stolen Syamantaka jewel.

Jambavati, a patronymic, means daughter of Jambavan. Sridhara, a commentator on the Bhagavata Purana, identifies her with Krishna's wife Rohini. However, another commentator, Ratnagarbha, disagrees. The Harivamsa also suggests that Rohini may be an alternate name of Jambavati. Jambavati is also given the epithets Narendraputri and Kapindraputra.

In the epic Mahabharata, Jambavan is introduced as Jambavati's father. The Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa calls him the king of bears.

Jambavati is an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, along with the junior wives of Krishna, as well as the Ashtabharya.

The marriage of Jambavati and Satyabhama to Krishna is closely linked with the story of Syamantaka, the precious jewel, which has its mention in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. The precious jewel originally belonged to the sun-god, Surya. Surya, pleased with his devotee – the Yadava nobleman, Satrajit, gave him the dazzling gem as a gift. When Satrajit returned to the capital city of Dvaraka with the jewel, people mistook him for Surya because of his dazzling glory. Krishna, impressed by the lustrous stone, asked him to present the jewel to Ugrasena, Mathura's king and Krishna's grandfather, but Satrajit did not comply.

Subsequently, Satrajit presented the Syamantaka to his brother Prasena, who was a counsellor. Prasena, who wore the jewel often, was attacked by a lion one day while hunting in the forest. He is killed in a fierce battle, and the lion fled with the jewel. The lion failed to retain the jewel, as shortly after the battle, it enters Jambavan's mountain cave, only to get killed. Jambavan, who seized the glittering jewel from the clutches of the lion, gives it to his young son to play with.

Back in Dvaraka, following the disappearance of Prasena, it was rumoured that Krishna, who had an eye on the Syamantaka jewel, had Prasena murdered and stolen the jewel. Krishna, who was accused of this false allegation, went out with other Yadavas in search of Prasena to establish his innocence by finding the jewel. He followed the trail that Prasena had taken and discovered the corpses of Prasena. He then followed the trail of the lion and reached the cave, where the dead lion was lying. Krishna told his fellow Yadavas to wait outside, while he entered the cave alone. Inside he saw a little child playing with the priceless jewel. As Krishna approached Jambavan's son, the child's nanny cried aloud, alerting Jambavan. The two then engaged in furious combat for 27–28 days (as per Bhagavata Purana) or 21 days (as per Vishnu Purana). As Jambavan gradually grew tired, he realized that Krishna was none other than his benefactor Rama from the Treta Yuga. In gratitude and devotion to Krishna who spared his life, Jambavan gave up his fight and returned the jewel to Krishna. Jambavan offered his maiden daughter Jambavati in marriage to Krishna, along with the Syamantaka jewel. Krishna accepted the proposal and married Jambavati. They then moved to Dvaraka.

Meanwhile, Yadavas who accompanied Krishna to the cave had returned to the kingdom presuming Krishna as dead. Every member of the royal family had assembled to mourn his death. After returning to Dvaraka, Krishna narrated the story of the recovery of the jewel and his marriage to Jambavati. He then returned the jewel to Satrajit in the presence of Ugrasena. Satrajit felt shy and ashamed to receive it, as he had realized his error of judgment and his greediness. He then offered his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to Krishna, along with the precious jewel. Krishna married Satyabhama, but refused the gem.