story of satyakama jabala

7/29/2019 Story of Satyakama Jabala

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THE STORY OF SATYAKMA-JBLA

satyakmo ha jblo jabl mtaram mantray cakre |brahmacarya bhavati vivatsymi kigotro nv aham asmti || Ch. Up.4.4.1 ||

Satyakma-Jbla, asked his mother Jabl O mother, I desire to live the life of abrahmacrin to study the Vedas. Please tell me to which gotra I belong.

s hainam uvca |nham etad veda tta yadgotras tvam asi |bahv aham carant paricri yauvane tvm alabhe |sham etan na veda yadgotras tvam asi |jabl tu nmham asmi |satyakmo nma tvam asi |sa satyakma eva jblo bruvth iti || ChUp_4,4.2 ||

She said, O! Child, I do not know to which gotra you belong to. I begot you in my youthwhen I was very much engrossed in my household duties. So I do not know to whichgotra you belong. I am Jabl by name and you are Satyakma by name. You tell your guruthat you are Satyakma-Jbla.

sa ha hridrumata gautamam etyovca |brahmacarya bhagavati vatsymi |upey bhagavantam iti || ChUp_4,4.3 ||

Satyakma approached Gautama, the sone of Haridrumata and said, Revered Sir, I desireto live a students life in your residence. I desire to become your pupil.

ta hovca kigotro nu somysti |sa hovca |nham etad veda bho yadgotro 'ham asmi |apccha mtaram |s m pratyabravd bahv aham carant paricari yauvane tvm alabhe |sham etan na veda yadgotras tvam asi |jabl tu nmham asmi |satyakmo nma tvam asti |

so 'ha satyakmo jblo 'smi bho iti || ChUp_4,4.4 ||

Hridrumata Gautama asked him, My dear boy, to which gotra do you belong?Satyakma replied Sir, I do not know to which gotra I belong. I asked my mother. Shetold me that she begot me in her youth when she was very much engrossed in householdduties. Therefore she did not know to which gotra I belong. She said I am Jabl byname and you are Satyakma by name! So I can tell you that I am Satyakma-Jbla.

ta hovca |naitad abrahmao vivaktum arhati |

samidha somyhara |upa tv neye na satyd ag iti |


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Hridrumata-Gautama said, A person who does not belong to the first three varnas willnot speak so truthfully. Considering this, he said to Satyakma O Good looking boy!Bring the samit sticks. I will take you as my pupil for you have not departed from thetruth.

Commentaries:

r akara : raddh tapasor brahmopsangatva pradaranya khyyik | satyakmo hanmata, ha abda aitihyrtha, jably apatya jbla jabl sv mtarammantrayacakre mantritavn | brahmacarya svdhyyagrahaya he bhavati vivatsymicryakule, ki gotroha kimasya mama gotra soa ki gotro nu ahamasmti ||

The story has been introduced with a view to show that Faith and Austerity are necessaryadjuncts of meditation on Brahman.

Satyakma-by name ; the word 'ha' indicate the fact of the story being correct; The son ofJabl-Jbla-addressed his mother Jabl -O, mother, I wish to live the life of abrahmacrin -in the family of an crya,-for the purpose of acquiring the VedicKnowledge; to which gotra do I belong? What is the name of the i to whose gotra Ibelong?

eva p jabl s ha ena putramuvca nhametat tava gotra veda, he ttayadgotrastvamasi | kasmnna vetstyukt ha bahu bhartgheparicaryjtamatithyabhygtdi caranti aha paricri paricarantti paricaraaclaivaaham, paricaraa cittatay gotrdismarae mama mano nbht | yauvane ca tatkletvmlabhe labdhavatyasmi | tadaiva te pitoparata ato anth aham, shametanna veda

yadgotrastvamasi | jabl tu nmhamasmi, satyakmo nma tvamasi, sa tva satyakmaevha jblomtycry bruvth yadycryea pa ityabhiprya ||

Being thus asked, Jbla said to her son: I do not know the i to whose gotra you belong,O, my child.'-Being asked-Why do you not know it?- She said In my husband'shouse, I had to show hospitality to many people who came as informed guests anduninformed guests - very devoted to my duties of attending to and showing hospitality tothem, and being entirely taken up by such service, my mind never turned towards suchinformation as regards the family to which you belong, which therefore, I do not

remember; and it was at that time, in my youth that I obtained you; and soon after yourfather died; hence, having no protector left for myself, I know not to which family youbelong to. But I am Jabl by name and you are Satyakma by name; so declare yourself toyour Guru saying I am Satyakama Jabala' if you are asked by him (2)

sa ha satyakma hridrumata haridrumatopatya hridrumata gautama etya gatvuvca- brahmacarya bhagavati pjvati tvayi vatsymi ata upeym upagaccheyaiyatay bhagavantam ityuktavanta ta ha uvca gautama ki gotra nu somya asti,vijtakulagotra iya upanetavya iti pa pratyha satyakma | sa ha uvca-nhametadveda bho, yadgotrohamasmi ki tu apccha pavnasmi mtaram s may

p mm pratyabravnmt bahvaha caranttydi prvavat tasy aha vaca smarmisoa satyakmo jblomi bho iti ||


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He, Satyakma Jbla, having gone to Hridrumata-Gautama, the son of Haridrumata,Gautama, being his family name, said to him- Revered Sir, I wish to live as a brahmacrinunder You,-and live with you,-I would approach You Sir, as a disciple' - When he saidthis, Gautama said to him-'O! What gotra are you, my boy?'- as a disciple has to be

admitted only when his lineage and gotra are fully known. Being thus asked, SatyakmaJbla said Sir, I do not know of what gotra I am; but I asked my mother; and on beingasked by me, my mother said to me In my youth, I attended upon many people and soon- as before. I remember her words; so, Sir, I am Satyakma-]bla.- (3-4)

ta ha uvca gautama- naitadvaca abrhmao vieea vaktumarhatirjavrthasayuktam | javo hi brhma netare svabhvata | yasmnna satynbrhmaajtidharmt ag nopetavnasi, ata brhmaa tvmupaneye atasaskrrtha homya samidha somya hara.

Gautama said to him-No one who is not a Brhmaa could speak out so openly andstraightforwardly; It is Brhmaas alone, not others, who are, by their very nature,straight-forward. Since you have not flinched from the truth-which is the jti-dharma ofthe Brhmaa jti (caste), I accept you as a Brhmaa and am going to initiate you;therefore, for the purpose of the saskras preparations fetch samit sticks my Boy, for thefire-rites.

r Vrarghava : bhavatti sabuddhi | pjye ! ityartha | vivatsymiti | vivsa-dentaravsa | bahucaranttyanenaiva sarvaparicarae pi sugrahe paricriityuktitcchlyt tadekaparatay gotrdyavagamotkah virahajpanya | kati kati hyadyatvepikulagotrdikamajnn kulastriya | yauvana iti lajj, anupayuktasallajjprthadhvaikalyam, bhart pardhnat, bhartu groparati ca vyajyante |

Bhavati indicates calling out. O Worshippable one ! vivatsym means leaving home i.e.,staying in another place. By saying bahucaranti though she was engaged in servingeveryone, still it means she was serving everyone in her own home and being accustomedto that and because of being completely intent on that, she said I do not know your gotraand other such details of lineage because of not having sufficient knowledge because of itnot being specifically made known to me. Oftentimes, even today there are many womenfrom noble lineages who are not conversant with the lineage and gotra. Yauvana meansbashfulness, means, because of lack of boldness, no unimportant conversation could take

place because of my being completely devoted to my husband and it is indicated that hedied early.

abrhmaa padasya dra ityarthavarana brhmaavat katriya-vaiyorapividydhikritvt| brhmaatva nirdhraameveto bhavattyapi suvacambrhmaatvbhveya svamtara nna gotrdi na pcchet | kintu ko na purohitogururiti | spi damuttara na vakyati | yato rjanya-vi purohitagotrdanyat

prtisvika gotra na vartate | na ca drasya gotramiti | mt putra vacanasaray hyatra,asti kicidasdhraa tasya gotram | tattu na budhyata ityeva jayata | tadayabrhmaa iti na caiva , tadabhvanidharie ca pravtte: iti strabhydau katha

draparatay vykhynamiti akyam, antata iha, abrahmaapadasya agotravidynadhikta itydyarthe paryavasna manasiktya tathokterityalamatra | na vivaktumiti


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| dracet, svasya guru aparigrahaaky kimapyeka gotrdyropya vadediti bhva |vivaktu vieea vaktum | vieo vailakayam | vilakaa e vacana sarair gotrarahitasya adhyayannadhiktasya tadarthino na bhavatti | drmiti strtilaghinmitiea ||

Because just like brhmaas, katriya and vaiya too have adhikra to the vidya, themeaning of the term abrhmaa means dra. The ascertainment of his being a brhmaais certain here, when he calls his mother, for, if there is no brhmaatva, he will certainlynot ask his mother about his gotra. Rather, he will ask who is our purohita guru. she toowill not reply the way she does. Since, for katriyas and dras, there is no own gotraother than that of the purohita. Nor is there a gotra for a dra. By seeing the way thediscussion took place between the mother and son, it is only known that There is someextraordinary gotra of yours (i.e., you have an extraordinary gotra), but I do not know it.

That he is a brhmaa is ascertained, not a dra, but there is a doubt as to how can the

commentary to the stra tadabhvanidharie ca pravtte(1.3.37) be in a manner ofshowing that it only refers to dra when it is only said abrmaa (non-brhmaa) forabrhmaa may refer to anyone other than a brhmaa such as even a katriya or a vaiya.Finally here, by the term abrhmaa, it means one who is without a gotra and thereforedoes not have adhikra to vidya and therefore concluding in his mind that he is not adra, he (Gautama) says so. He says na vivaktum. It means, if he were a dra, becauseof apprehension that he will be rejected by his guru, he will somehow plant details likegotra, lineage etc and tell them. That is the purport. Vivaktum means saying due to aspecial quality. Special quality means something which differentiates from others. Thedifference is seen from the line of discussions that one who does not have gotra, who doesnot have adhikra for studying Vedas, to him this studying of vedas does not apply. Theconclusion is that dra means one who disregards the stras.

r Baladeva (Govinda-Bhya 1.3.37): saskrbhva drahayatichndogye evanham etad veda bho yad-gotroham asmi [ch.u. 4.4.4] iti satya-vacas jblasyadratvbhve nirdhrite sati, naitad abrhmao vivaktum arhati samidha somyharopatv neye na satyd ag [ch.u. 4.4.5] iti gautamasya guros tat saskrdau pravtte cabrhmaa-padopalakita-traivarikatvam eva saskra-prayojakam avagamyate, ato nadrodhikr ||37||

The dras lack of saskras is emphasized here. In the Chndogya Upaniad (4.4.4),

from Jblas truthful statement that I do not know to which gotra I belong, SageGautama ascertained the absence of drahood in Jbla, and from the statement byGautama that a non-brhmaa will not speak in this way, gentle one, bring the samit (firesticks), I will accept you. You did not deviate from the truth. Thus Jbla was taught theVedas because Gautama made arrangements in performing saskras for him. Here, onlyfor being one of the twice-born as characterized by the word the brhmaa, does thesaskra have any purpose and therefore, dra does not have any adhikra.

Few additional points:

a)

The name of the boy, viz., Satyakma means, one who has true desire. This is oneof the names of the tma-guas of the soul as explained in the same upaniad


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(8.1.5): ea tmpahatappm vijaro vimtyur vioko vijighatso 'pipsa satyakmasatyasakalpa. This is the atman which is opposed to all that is defiling, freefrom old age, death, sorrow, hunger and thirst, has true desire and true will.These are all the auspicious qualities attained by the soul one being liberated.

b) It is said in Manu-smti (2.30) that the nma-karaa or name-giving must be doneon the 10th or 12th day after the child is born. In the next verse it is said:magalyam brhmaasya syt katriyasya balnvitam vaiyasya dhana-sayuktam... The name given should be indicative of auspiciousness for abrhmaa, strength for katriya and wealth for vaiya. The name Satyakma isvery auspicious and therefore it is known that the boy Satyakma was a brhmaaby birth.

c) The boy asks the mother what is my gotra and the mother replies, I do not knowyour gotra. She does not say you do not have a gotra, but says you have a gotra

which I do not know. That means he is not a dra. Again, when she says yourgotra, it means they are coming in line from a particular i and are not katriyasand vaiyas, for katriyas and vaiyas use the the gotra of their family priest.

d) It may seem extraordinary that the girl did not know her husbands gotra. It is saidin 7.11.25:str ca pati-devn tac-churnuklat |tad-bandhuv anuvtti ca nitya tad-vrata-dhraam ||

To serve the husband, to always have a favorable tendency towards the husbandand to be equally disposed toward the husband's relatives and friends, and tofollow the vows of the husband these are the principles to be followed bywomen described as chaste.

There are many examples of women being so attentive to her husbands needs thatshe does not bother about anything else but what the husband wants of her.Examples are Devahti of rmad-Bhgavatam and Bhmat, wife of Vcaspati-mira. Jabl, being from an extraordinary lineage was very engrossed in str-dharma viz., relentless favourable service to her husband and his guests.

e) When she does not know what is their gotra, Jabl names her son after her ownnme. He is called Satyakma-Jbla. This happens very rarely as generally the sonis named after the father or his gotra. When a mother gives her name to the child,it means that the mother is from an extremely noble lineage. In the last chapter ofBhadrayaka-upaniad the parapara through which the knowledge of theupaniad is passed on is given.

atha vaa | pautimputra ktyyanputrt | ktyyanputro gautamputrt |gautamputro bhradvjputrt | bhradvjputra prarputrt | prarputraaupasvastputrt | aupasvastputra prarputrt | prarputra ktyyanputrt|

ktyyanputra kauikputrt | kauikputra lambputrc ca vaiyghrapadputrc ca| vaiyghrapadputrah kvputrc ca kpputrc ca | kpputra || BrhUp_6,5.1||


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treyputrt | treyputro gautamputrt | gautamputro bhradvjputrt |bhradvjputra prarputrt | prarputro vtsputrt | vtsputra

prarputrt | prarputro vrkrunputrt | vrkruputro vrkruputrt |vrkruputra rtabhgputrt | rtabhgputra augputrt | augputra

snktputrt | stputra lambyanputrt | lambyanputra lambputrt |lambputro jyantputrt | jyantputro mkyanputrt | mkyanputromkputrt | mkputra ilputrt | ilputro rthtarputrt |rthtarputro bhlukputrt | bhlukputra kraucikputrbhym | kraucikputrauvaidabhtputrt |vaidabhtputra krakeyputrt | krakeyputra

prcnayogputrt | prcnayogputra sjvputrt | sjvputra prnputrdsurivsina | prnputra suryat | suryaa sure | suri| BrhUp_6,5.2 ||

In the list, there are about 38 sages whose names are given after their mother. Thisindicates that the mothers are from very elevated lineage and not just the fathers.

When the mother Jabl says If your Guru asks for gotra, tell your name which isderived from my name it means that her name was famous and by hearing hername, the guru would understand that he is from a good family of brhmaas.

f) The reason the sage got pleased was because of his quality of rjavam (earnesty). Itis not just truth. This rjavam is a special quality that is inborn only in a brhmaaand not otherwhise. This is apparent from the verbatim repetition by the boy ofwhat his mother told him. Sage Gautama being realised could easily identifyrjavam. It is said in BhagavadGt (18.42) amo damas tapa auca kntirrjavam eva ca | jna vijnam stikya brahma-karma svabhvajam ||

Equanimity, sense-control, austerities, cleanliness, tolerance, straightforwardness,knowledge, realised knowledge and acceptance of God and Scriptures are activitiesarising out of the inborn nature of a brhmaa.

g) Jabl was therefore in a proper brhminical household setup and due toengrossment and complete dedication in service to her husband and his guests andbecause of her shyness to boldly ask anything from her husband and there beingno practical need to know the gotra and her husband passing away very early, shedid not get to know the husbands gotra.

story of satyakama jabala

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