Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 68: The Marriage of Sāmba

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.68.1

śrī-śuka uvāca

duryodhana-sutāḿ rājan

lakṣmaṇāḿ samitiḿ-jayaḥ

svayaḿvara-sthām aharat

sāmbo jāmbavatī-sutaḥ

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said; duryodhana-sutām — the daughter of Duryodhana; rājanO King (Parīkṣit); lakṣmaṇām — named Lakṣmaṇā; samitim-jayaḥ — victorious in battle; svayaḿ-varain her svayaḿ-vara ceremony; sthām — situated; aharat — stole; sāmbaḥSāmba; jāmbavatī-sutaḥ — the son of Jāmbavatī.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, Jāmbavatī's son Sāmba, ever victorious in battle, kidnapped Duryodhana's daughter Lakṣmaṇā from her svayaḿ-vara ceremony.

PURPORT

In Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this event as follows: "Duryodhana, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, had a marriageable daughter by the name of Lakṣmaṇā. She was a very highly qualified girl of the Kuru dynasty, and many princes wanted to marry her. In such cases the svayaḿ-vara ceremony is held so that the girl may select her husband according to her own choice. In Lakṣmaṇā's svayaḿ-vara assembly, when the girl was to select her husband, Sāmba appeared. He was the son of Kṛṣṇa by Jāmbavatī, one of the chief wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa. This son Sāmba is so named because, being a very bad child, he always lived close to his mother. The name Sāmba indicates that this son was very much his mother's pet. Ambā means "mother," and sa means "with." So this special name was given to him because he always remained with his mother. He was also known as Jāmbavatī-suta for the same reason. As previously explained, all the sons of Kṛṣṇa were as qualified as their great father, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Sāmba wanted the daughter of Duryodhana, Lakṣmaṇā, although she was not inclined to have him. Therefore Sāmba kidnapped Lakṣmaṇā by force from the svayaḿ-vara ceremony."

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