Shloka 23
उत्पातदर्शनम् — Portents and Kāla among the Vṛṣṇis
मणि: स्यमन्तकश्नैव यः: स सत्राजितो5भवत् । तां कथां श्रावयामास सात्यकिर्मधुसूदनम्,उस समय सात्यकिने मधुसूदनको सत्राजितके पास जो स्यमन्तकमणि थी उसकी कथा कह सुनायी (अर्थात् यह बताया कि कृतवमने ही मणिके लोभसे सत्राजितका वध करवाया था)
maṇiḥ syamantakaś caiva yaḥ sa satrājito 'bhavat | tāṃ kathāṃ śrāvayāmāsa sātyakir madhusūdanam ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच— मणिः स्यमन्तक एव यः स सत्राजितोऽभवत्। ततः सात्यकिः मधुसूदनं प्रति तां कथां सम्यक् श्रावयामास— मणिलोभेन कृतवर्मणा सत्राजितो वधाय प्रेरित इति।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical danger of lobha (greed): attachment to a coveted object (the Syamantaka jewel) becomes a catalyst for violence and wrongful death, underscoring the need for restraint and accountability.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Sātyaki narrates to Kṛṣṇa the background of the Syamantaka jewel—specifically that it belonged to Satrājit and that greed for it led to Satrājit’s killing being engineered.