Shloka 4
The Syamantaka Jewel: Accusation, Recovery, and Kṛṣṇa’s Marriage to Satyabhāmā
स तं बिभ्रन् मणिं कण्ठे भ्राजमानो यथा रवि: । प्रविष्टो द्वारकां राजन् तेजसा नोपलक्षित: ॥ ४ ॥
sa taṁ bibhran maṇiṁ kaṇṭhe bhrājamāno yathā raviḥ praviṣṭo dvārakāṁ rājan tejasā nopalakṣitaḥ
కంఠంలో మణిని ధరించిన సత్రాజితుడు సూర్యునివలె ప్రకాశిస్తూ ద్వారకలో ప్రవేశించాడు. ఓ రాజా, ఆ మణి తేజస్సు వల్ల అతడు గుర్తుపట్టబడలేదు.
FAQs
In this verse, the Syamantaka jewel is shown to radiate such brilliance that the wearer appears sunlike, and that very effulgence can even obscure recognition—setting the stage for the misunderstandings that follow in the Syamantaka narrative.
Śukadeva explains that Prasena’s identity was not easily perceived because the jewel’s intense tejas (radiance) made him appear dazzling and indistinct—his brilliance itself became a veil.
External brilliance—wealth, status, or visibility—can attract attention yet still hide the real person; the verse encourages cultivating inner clarity and humility so one is known by character, not merely by shine.