DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

C. S. Mahadev

SRIMAD Bhagavata tells us about the story of Syamantakamani, a very powerful diamond, which brought prosperity, fame and wealth to its possessor. This diamond has travelled all over the world. Nobody knows actually where it is now. It has been the cause for the rise and fall of empires. If the peregrinations of the diamond are true, then the Mahabharata is not a myth.

The story of the legendary gem is fascinating. Sage Suka narrates it inspiringly to king Parikshit. Satrajit, who lived in Dwaraka, during the time of Lord Krishna was a chieftain of the Yadavas. He was a devotee of the Sun god. Pleased by his devotion and penance, the Sun-god appeared before him and said, "my son, I am satisfied with your penance. I shall give you a gift." So saying the Sun-god presented him a rare gem called the Symantakamani. Satrajit wore it on his neck on a gold chain and went about the streets of Dwaraka. The rays of the rare Gem resembled the rays of the Sun. The people said, "the Sun-god is coming to pay his respects to Lord Krishna". They went to the palace of the Lord and told him: "Your majesty, the Sun-god is coming to pay his respect to you". The Lord said, "It is not Sun-god but Satrajit who wears the Symantakamani".

Satrajit went home and after placing the gem in his puja room worshipped it. Everyday, by miracle, he got eight tonnes of gold. There was prosperity everywhere. The longivity of the people increased. Honey flowed with milk. Theft was un-known. So too were disease and premature death.

Knowing full well the power of the Gem, Lord Krishna asked Satrajit to give it to king Ugrasena because such a powerful Gem should be in the palace of the king who is interested in the prosperity of the people. But Satrajit said; "No I am not going to give it and I cannot give".

The Satrajit had a brother called Prasenan who approached Satrajit and asked; "dear brother, why not you allow me to wear the Gem for a day". Satrajit allowed. Prasenan went for hunting. Seeing the ray of the Gem, a Lion killed him and took the Gem. Jambhavan who saw this, killed the Lion and took away the Gem to his cave and gave it to his child to play with.

Satrajit got worried when be heard that his brother, Prasenan who had gone for the hunt did not return. He started spreading scandals about Lord Krishna saying that the Lord would have killed him to appropriate the Gem for Ugrasenan. The people too believed. It is common place for people to believe any scandal about big people. They would not ask themselves, "Will the Lord do it, The Lord is above all and what is this Gem for Him?" Yet, Lord Krishna wanted to establish his bonafides. May be he has also an ulterior purpose and that is to marry Satyabhama, daughter of Satrajit.

The Lord, along with his other devotees, went to the forest and searched for Prasenan. There he saw the skeletons of the Lion and Prasenan. The Lord thought; "there is a third person involved in it". They wandered about and reached the cave of Jambhavan. The Lord asked the devotees to remain outside and entered the cave where he saw Jambhavan's child playing with Gem. So, he tried to snatch it away. The child cried. The nurse came on the scene and seeing the child's Gem being snatched away, shouted for help. Jambhavan came and there ensued a fierce battle. The Lord could not be subdued. Jambhavan cried "Ram, Ram".

Lord Krishna told Jambhavan that he was himself Ram in his previous incarnation and Jambhavan being an immortal lived to see him in the next incarnation too. On hearing this, Jambhavan fell at the Lord's feet and said "You can have the Gem and also my daughter Jambhavati as your consort."

The devotees of the Lord got worried as he did not come out of the cave for long and so appealed to goddess Durga who said that "nothing would happen to the Lord" as he has divinity in full. They went back to the cave where they saw the Lord with Jambhavati and Gem. The Lord apprised of what happened to his devotees and gave the Gem to Satrajit who was so happy that he gave his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to the Lord. It happened exactly as the Lord wanted it to happen.

The journey of the Gem did not stop here. Akrurar and satvata Kritavarman persuaded a Yadava leader, to snatch the Gem from Satragit, Satatanva had a personal grievance in the matter. He wanted to marry Satyabhama, daughter of Satrajit. When he heard that Satyabhama had been given in marriage to the Lord, he wanted to wreak vengeance on Satrajit. He killed Satrajit and took away the Gem. But Satyabhama reported the matter to the Lord, who with his brother Balarama declared war on Satatanva who was killed, but they could not trace the Gem as he had already handed over the same to Akrurar. Balarama said that "the Gem must be with some other person". Again, the Lord wanted to prove his bonafides. He found out that wherever Akrurar went, there was prosperity and whichever place he left behind, prosperity had declined.

The Lord concluded; "So the Gem is with Akrurar". He called him to his court and stated "Akrura, the Gem is with you. Satvata gave the Gem to you and ran away and he has been killed". Being a devotee of the Lord Akrurar gave it to the Lord and said:" My intention is not to possess it myself, but to make people prosperous". The Lord said "Take it, you are my best devotee, you can have it; as you alone can worship it'. For many years Dwaraka was prosperous which was free from poverty, disease and premature deaths. After the submergence of Dwaraka, the Gem disappeared.

Wherever the Gem goes first it brings prosperity, and then misery. Satrajit's brother Prasenan was killed by a Lion. The Lion too was killed, Jambhavan had to fight a battle, Satrajit was murdered, Satatanvan was also killed. Dwaraka got submerged. Thus prosperity and misery alternated with the journey of the Gem.