The Syamantaka Gem: The Sun-God's Precious Ornament

The Symantaka Gem was an ornament of the Sun God. It was a magical charm which had strange effects on its possessor. It did good to a virtuous person and bad to an evil one. When Surya, pleased with his devotee, Prince Satrajit, bestowed the gem on him, no one foresaw the violent upheavals it would cause, least of all the prince himself. Satrajit gave the gem to his brother, Prasena, who was killed by a lion. Jambava, king of the bears, killed the lion and carried the gem away. Since Krishna had admired the gem, he was suspected of having stolen it. To save his honor, Krishna went on a desperate gem hunt into the jungle. The adventures that follow make interesting reading and are narrated in this book, based on the version that appears in the Bhagwat Purana. It is said that Krishna had looked at the moon on Chaturthi (the fourth day after the full moon) and soon after was accused of having stolen the gem. To this day, the superstitious will not look at the moon on Chaturthi, lest they be accused of theft.