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Satyabhama (IAST : Satyabhāmā) , also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen consort of the Hindu deities Krishna. Satyabhama is described as an incarnation of Bhudevi, an aspect of
/ref> According to some traditions, she is regarded to have aided Krishna in defeating the asura Narakasura.
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 as Rama 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.
According to Harivansh Puran, along with Satyabhama, her two sisters Vratini and Prasvapini also married him. https://www.dvaipayana.net/harivamsa/harivamshaparva/hv_1_38.html
Satyabhama bore Krishna 10 sons: Bhanu, Svabhanu, Subhanu, Bhanuman, Prabhanu, Atibhanu, Pratibhanu, Shribhanu, Bruhadbhanu, and Chandrabhanu.
Narakasura defeated Indra and abducted 16,000 women, imprisoning them in his palace. He stole the earrings of Aditi, 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 free Devaloka from his atrocities. At his request, Krishna sieged the city of Narkasura with the assistance of his Vahana, Garuda, along with his wife Satyabhama.
A terrible battle ensued between Krishna and Narkasura, which ended with the asura being slain by the deity's Sudarshana Chakra. 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 of Diwali.
Krishna'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 his junior wives.
Scriptural references
Seeing Vasudeva in that condition, Satyabhama fanned him with chamaras and Garuda, with his wings. Krishna, finding relief and regaining consciousness, gave Satyabhama his bow Sarnga, which can be wielded in battle only with difficulty due to its great weight, and told her: "Devi, battle now with Naraka. I am suffering and I am tired from the fighting." When Devi Satyabhma was told thus, she, the noble one who always spoke the truth, began to battle with the evil Naraka. Satya, the wife of the wielder of Sarnga, pierced Naraka with sharp narachas, crescent-shaped arrows and with bhallas.”
Mahabharata
In the city of Nirmochana that hero slew six thousand Asuras, and cutting into pieces innumerable keen-edged shafts, he slew Mura and hosts of Rakshasas, and then entered that city. It was there, that an encounter took place between the mighty' Naraka and Vishnu of immeasurable strength. Slain by Krishna, Naraka lay lifeless there, like a Karnikara tree uprooted by the wind. Having slain the Earth's son, Naraka, and also Mura, and having recovered those jewelled ear-rings, the learned Krishna of unparalleled prowess came back, adorned with beauty and undying fame.
Harivamsa
Seeing the trident, decorated with gold, arriving, Krishna of wonderful deeds, split it in two with a sharp edged arrow (Kshurapra). The war with the asura of terrible form (Naraka) became terrible. The war with the great soul naraka was with various weapons. The slayer of Madhu Krishna fought naraka for some time. With his sparkling discus, he(Krishna) cut the terrible naraka in two. His body, split in two by discus fell on the earth, like the peak of a mountain split by the vajra of indra in two parts.
Harivamsa, Vishnu Parva chapter 63
Srimad Bhagavatam
Together with Queen Satyabhama, the Lord mounted His carrier Garuḍa and traveled to the capital of Narakasura's Kingdom. On a field outside the city He decapitated the asura Mura with His disc. Then He fought Mura's seven sons and sent them all to the abode of death, after which Narakasura himself entered the battlefield on the back of an elephant. Naraka threw his sakti lance at Sri Krishna, but the weapon proved ineffective, and the Lord cut the demon's entire army to pieces. Finally, with His sharp-edged disc Krishna cut off Narakasura's head.
Vishnu Purana
Having slain Mum, Hayagriva, and Pancajana, the wise Hari rapidly reached the city of Pragjyotiṣa: there a fierce conflict took place with the troops of Naraka, in which Govinda destroyed thousands of demons; and when Naraka came into the field, showering upon the deity all sorts of weapons, the wielder of the discus, and annihilator of the asura tribe, cut him in two with his celestial missile. Naraka being slain, Earth, bearing the two earrings of Aditi, approached the lord of the world.
Vishnu Purana, Book 5 chapter 29
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 single tulasi leaf upon the other scale, after chanting a prayer, which balanced the scales. This legend is often interpreted to demonstrate that one's Bhakti matters more than material offerings. While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending.
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.
In the Ashvamedha Parva, when Bhima arrived in Dvaraka to give the invitation of an ashvamedha to Krishna, Krishna was served by Satyabhama.
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