2402:800:F5C6:5ABF:249C:A69:BB7D:CCEE at 04:19, 6 March 2025

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{{short description|Second queen consort of Hindu god Krishna}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Mysore painting.jpg
| consort = [[Krishna]]
| caption = Jambavati and the other Ashtabharya of Krishna, Mysore painting.
| children = [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]], Sumitra, Purujit, Shatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravida, and Kratu
| other_names = Narendraputri, Rohini
| abodes = [[Dvaraka]]
| affiliation = [[Devi]], [[Ashtabharya]], [[Lakshmi]], [[Rohini (Krishna's wife)|Rohini]]
| texts = [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Mahabharata]], [[Harivamsa]], [[Srimad Bhagavatam]]
| dynasty = [[Yadu dynasty|Yaduvamsha]] (by marriage)
| father = [[Jambavan]]
| mother =
| temple =
| member_of = [[Ashtabharya]]
}}

'''Jambavati''' ({{Langx|sa|जाम्बवती|translit=Jāmbavatī}}) is chronologically the second ''[[Ashtabharya]]'' of the [[Hindu]] god [[Krishna]]. She is the only daughter of the bear-king [[Jambavan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Books |first=Kausiki |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zpg3EAAAQBAJ&dq=Lakshmi+jambavati&pg=PT262 |title=Brahma Vaivartha Purana: 7 Sri Krishna Janana Khanda Part 4: English Translation only without Slokas: English Translation only without Slokas |date=2021-07-09 |publisher=Kausiki Books |language=en}}</ref> Krishna marries her when he defeats her father, Jambavan, in his quest to retrieve the stolen [[Syamantaka]] jewel.<ref name=Jamba>{{cite web|url=http://srimadbhagavatam.com/sb/10/56/en|title=Chapter 56: The Syamantaka Jewel|access-date=27 February 2013|publisher=Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928211736/http://srimadbhagavatam.com/sb/10/56/en|archive-date=28 September 2011}}</ref>

==Nomenclature==
[[File: Jambavati weds Krishna.jpg|thumb|An artistic depiction of the wedding of Jambavati, where she is shown as a human-bear.|260x260px]]
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.<ref name="Wilson1870">{{cite book|author=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishńu Puráńa: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RO8oAAAAYAAJ|year=1870|publisher=Trübner|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RO8oAAAAYAAJ/page/n82 79]–82, 107}}</ref> The ''[[Harivamsa]]'' also suggests that Rohini may be an alternate name of Jambavati.<ref name="hopkins">{{cite book|author=Edward Hopkins Washburn|author-link=Edward Washburn Hopkins|title=Epic mythology |url=https://archive.org/stream/epicmythology00hopkuoft#page/n147/mode/2up/|year=1915|publisher=Strassburg K.J. Trübner|isbn=0-8426-0560-6|page = 13}}</ref> Jambavati is also given the epithets Narendraputri and Kapindraputra.<ref name="hopkins"/>

== Legend ==
In the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'', [[Jambavan]] is introduced as Jambavati's father.<ref name="hopkins" /> The ''Bhagavata Purana'' and the ''Harivamsa'' calls him the king of bears.<ref name="hopkins" /><ref>[http://vedabase.net/sb/10/83/9/en1 Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 83 Verse 9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927085815/http://vedabase.net/sb/10/83/9/en1 |date=27 September 2013 }}. Vedabase.net. Retrieved on 2013-05-02.</ref>

Jambavati is an incarnation of the goddess [[Lakshmi]], along with the [[Junior wives of Krishna|junior wives]] of Krishna, as well as the Ashtabharya.<ref>[http://vedabase.net/sb/10/83/10/en1 Bhagavata Purana 10.83.10] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928114618/http://vedabase.net/sb/10/83/10/en1 |date=28 September 2013 }}. Vedabase.net. Retrieved on 2013-05-02.</ref>

=== Marriage to Krishna ===
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 [[Dvārakā|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.<ref name="Jamba" />

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.<ref name="Jamba" /><ref name="Draupadi">{{cite web|url=http://krsnabook.com/ch83.html|title= Draupadi Meets the Queens of Krishna|access-date=3 February 2013|publisher=Krishnabook.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp106.htm Vishnu Purana]. Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved on 2013-05-02.</ref>

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.<ref name="Jamba" /><ref name="Draupadi" />

=== Birth of Samba ===
The ''Mahabharata'' and the ''[[Devi Bhagavata Purana]]'' narrate a story of the birth of Samba, Jambavati's chief son. Jambavati was unhappy when she realized that only she had not borne any children to Krishna while all the other wives had many children. She approached Krishna to find a solution and to be blessed with a son like the handsome [[Pradyumna]], Krishna's first-born son from his chief wife [[Rukmini]]. Then Krishna went to the hermitage of the sage [[Upamanyu]] in the [[Himalayas]] and as advised by the sage, he started to pray to the god [[Shiva]]. He did penance for six months in various postures; once holding a skull and a rod, then standing on one leg only in the next month and surviving on water only, during the third month he did penance standing on his toes and living on air only. Pleased with the austerities, Shiva finally appeared before Krishna as [[Ardhanarishvara]], the half-female-half-male form of the god, asked him to ask a boon. Krishna then sought a son from Jambavati, which was granted. A son was born soon thereafter who was named [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]], after the form Shiva had appeared before Krishna.<ref name="Parmeshwaranand">{{cite book|author=Swami Parmeshwaranand|title=Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism|year=2004|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HQvbJDacNDMC|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-427-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HQvbJDacNDMC/page/n68 62]}}</ref><ref name="Mani">{{cite book | author= Vettam Mani| title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: a Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature | url= https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft| publisher = Motilal Banarsidass Publishers | year = 1975  | isbn = 978-0-8426-0822-0 | author-link = Vettam Mani|pages = [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/342 342], 677}}</ref>

=== Children ===
According to the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', Jambavati was the mother of Samba, Sumitra, Purujit, Shatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravida, and Kratu.<ref>[http://vedabase.net/sb/10/61/10-12/en Bhgavata Purana] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430183452/http://vedabase.net/sb/10/61/10-12/en |date=30 April 2008 }}. Vedabase.net. Retrieved on 2013-05-02.</ref> The ''Vishnu Purana'' says that she has many sons headed by [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]].<ref name="Wilson1870"/>

Samba grew up to be a nuisance to the [[Yadava]]s, Krishna's clan. His marriage to Lakshmana, the daughter of [[Duryodhana]] (the head of the [[Kaurava]]s) ended up in his capture by Duryodhana. He was finally rescued by Krishna and his brother [[Balarama]]. Samba once pretended to be a pregnant woman and his friends asked some sages who would raise the child. Offended by the mischief, the sages cursed that an iron pestle will be born to Samba, and would destroy the Yadavas. The curse came true, leading to the death of Krishna's clan in the [[Mausala Parva]].<ref name = "Mani"/>

=== Death ===
After the disappearance of Krishna, Jambavati along with Rukmini and other ladies [[Sati (practice)|ascended the funeral pyre]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m16/m16007.htm|title = The Mahabharata, Book 16: Mausala Parva: Section 7}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
In Puranic literature, Jambavati has been an epic character in ''Bhagavata Purana'', ''Mahabharata'', ''Harivamsa,'' and ''Vishnu Purana''. The legend of the fight between Jambavan and Krishna over the Syamantaka jewel has been prominently featured.<ref name="hopkins" /><ref name="Srinivasachariar1974">{{cite book|author=M. Srinivasachariar|title=History of Classical Sanskrit Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4dVRvVyHaiQC&pg=PA85|year=1974|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0284-1|page=85}}</ref> The [[Vijayanagara]] emperor, [[Krishnadevaraya]], composed a drama called the ''Jambava Kalyanam''. Ekaramantha wrote a poem with the theme ''Jambavati Parinayam'' (meaning: Jambavati's marriage).<ref name="Srinivasachariar1974" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Krishna}}

[[Category:Consorts of Krishna]]
[[Category:Characters in the Bhagavata Purana]]

Jambavati - Revision history

2402:800:F5C6:5ABF:249C:A69:BB7D:CCEE at 04:19, 6 March 2025