| Satyabhama | |
|---|---|
| Member ofAshtabharya | |
 12th-13th century sculpture of Satyabhama | |
| Other names | Satrajiti |
| Devanagari | सत्यभामा |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Satyabhāmā |
| Affiliation | Devi,Lakshmi, Avatar ofBhudevi,Ashtabharya |
| Abode | Dvārakā |
| Texts | Vishnu Purana,Mahabharata,Harivamsa,Bhagavata Purana,Garga Samhita |
| Gender | Female |
| Festivals | Naraka Chaturdashi |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Krishna |
| Children | Bhanu |
| Dynasty | Yaduvamsha |
Satyabhama (IAST: Satyabhāmā) , also known asSatrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen consort of theHindu godKrishna. Satyabhama is described as an incarnation ofBhumi, an aspect ofLakshmi. She is the goddess and the personification of the Earth.[1][2] According to some traditions, she is regarded to have aided Krishna in defeating theasuraNarakasura.[3]
The nameSatyabhama comes from the Sanskrit wordsSatya meaning 'truth',Bha meaning 'brilliance', andMa meaning 'Lakshmi' and 'glory'.[4][5] Other nicknames include
Satyabhama was the daughter of Yadava KingSatrajita, the royal treasurer of Dvaraka, who was the owner of theSyamantaka jewel. Satrajita, who secured the jewel from the sun-godSurya and would not part with it even whenKrishna, the king ofDvaraka, asked for it saying it would be safe with him. Shortly thereafter, Prasena, the brother of Satrajita, went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion.Jambavan, known for his role in theRamayana, killed the lion and gave the jewel to his daughterJambavati. When Prasena did not return, there were accusations of Krishna murdering Prasena for stealing the jewel for himself.
Krishna, in order to remove the stain on his reputation, set out with his men in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavan's cave, with his daughter. Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, whose whole body was terribly weakened from the incisions of Krishna's sword, finally recognized him asRama and surrendered to him.
As repentance for his deeds, Jambavan returned the jewel back to Krishna and requested him to marry his daughter Jambavati. Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajita. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama, in marriage. Krishna accepted them, but refused the jewel.[6]
Satyabhama bore Krishna 10 sons: Bhanu, Svabhanu, Subhanu, Bhanuman, Prabhanu, Atibhanu, Pratibhanu, Shribhanu, Bruhadbhanu, and Chandrabhanu.[7][8]
Narakasura was adanava tyrant, who captured and governed the city ofPragjyotisha, believed in Assamese tradition to be located in the present-dayAssam. He was the son ofBhumi, the goddess of the earth. Narakasura was infamous for his wicked ruling and high disregard for demigods and women.
Narakasura defeatedIndra and abducted 16,000 women, imprisoning them in his palace. He stole the earrings ofAditi, the heavenly mother goddess and usurped some of her territories. Upon this, the king of the devas, Indra, requested Krishna to conquer and kill the asura and freeDevaloka from his atrocities. At his request, Krishna sieged the city of Narkasura with the assistance of hismount,Garuda, along with his wife Satyabhama.
A terrible battle ensued between Krishna and Narkasura, which ended with the asura being slain by the deity'sSudarshana Chakra.[9] Thereafter, Krishna obtained the stolen ear-rings of the mother of the gods, Aditi. Aditi was pleased by Satyabhama's dedication towards her husband and granted her the boon of perpetual youth. This is celebrated as the regional occasion of Naraka Chaturdashi, which falls on the first day of the festival ofDeepavali.
Krishna and Satyabhama’s victory against Narakasura liberated the asura's prisoners. Having rescued the 16,000 women, Krishna married them upon their request to restore them of their honour in society, making them hisjunior wives.
The legend of the tulabharam is a folktale fromOdisha, and is absent in the major scriptures pertaining to Krishna's life. In the tale, Satyabhama is regarded to have prided herself on the love Krishna had for her, and her grasp over his heart. On one contrived occasion, the sageNarada arrived inDvaraka, and during the course of a conversation, hinted to Satyabhama that the love that Krishna's favourite wife wasRukmini, and not her. Angered by his remark, Satyabhama challenged Narada to prove it. Narada, with his way with words, tricked her into accepting avrata ritual, where she had to give Krishna away in charity to Narada, and reclaim him by offering the weight of Krishna in wealth. Narada is said to have persuaded her into accepting this vrata by telling her that Krishna's love for her would increase multifold if she succeeded in the tulabharam.
The scene was soon set for the vrata. Satyabhama gave Krishna away in charity, in spite of the other wives' pleadings. Krishna agreed to sit by and watch the proceedings unfold. After donating Krishna to Narada, Satyabhama arranged for a big scale (tula) to be put up, and sent for her huge treasure of gold and jewellery. The scales did not budge. Narada warned her that if she was unable to balance the scales, he would be forced to auction Krishna as a slave to someone else. Satyabhama, in frantic panic, swallowed her pride, and begged all the other wives to give up their jewels. The entire weight of the jewellery of Krishna's wives did not succeed in balancing the scales. In the end, Rukmini was able to resolve the situation by offering a singletulasi leaf upon the other scale, after chanting a prayer, which balanced the scales. This legend is often interpreted to demonstrate that one'sdevotion matters more than material offerings. While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of thetulasi leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending.[10]
This episode is also recounted in the Devi Bhagavata Purana:
Satyabhama tied down Hari against a tree and presented Him as a gift to Narada; afterwards she, the passionate woman, freed Krishna on paying an equivalent of gold coins. - chapter 25, book 4, Devi Bhagavata Purana.[11]
TheVana Parva, Book 3 of theMahabharata, shows the friendship between Satyabhama andDraupadi. Krishna and Satyabhama visit Pandavas and Draupadi in the forest ofKamyaka. When the two women were alone, Satyabhama asks several questions of Draupadi about her married life or 'stridharma'. Draupadi, then, advises her and shares the secrets to a content marriage from her experience. Some of the themes which the two women discuss are: family, relationships, respect, work, etc.[12]
In the Ashvamedha Parva, when Bhima arrived in Dvaraka to give the invitation of anashvamedha to Krishna, Bhima was served by Satyabhama.
Satyabhama and few other dear wives of Krishna entered the woods, resolved to set themselves to the practice of penances. They began to live on fruits and roots and pass their time in the contemplation of Hari. Going beyond the Himavat, they took up their abode in a place called Kalpa.[13]
'Bhama Kalapam' is aKuchipudi dance-drama that narrates the story of Satyabhama. Traditionally, every Brahman in the village ofKuchipudi was expected to perform the role of Satyabhama at least once in a lifetime.[14] In a sequence of the play, the dancer is introduced as Satyabhama and claims that she is the most beautiful and intelligent wife of Krishna. This is known to be the Patra Pravesa Daruvu.[citation needed]
'Satyabhama' is Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by M. S. Mani and produced by T. E. Vasudevan.
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