The Story of Samba: Krishna’s Son, His Curse, and the End of the Yadava Dynasty

Samba was the son of Lord Krishna and Jambavati.

All of the other wives of Krishna had given birth to many children, whereas on the other hand, Jambavati hadn’t given birth to any child. Jambavati, the second wife of Krishna, was the one without any children. She approached Krishna and requested him to give her a son.

Krishna went to the hermitage of Sage Upamanyu, and per his advice, started doing penance to please Lord Shiva. After six months, Shiva was pleased and appeared before Krishna in his Ardhanarishwara form (half-male, half-female). Krishna asked for a son, and the wish was granted.

Krishna wanted his son Samba to be exactly like Shiva, and as we all know Shiva's main function is to destroy. Soon, a son was born to Jambavati. Since Shiva’s Ardhanarishvara form is also called Samba, Jambavati’s son was named Samba.

Samba ended up being the cause for the destruction of the entire Yadava race. It is said that Krishna being the supreme power, already knew what was coming and was well aware that the Yadus are powerful & cannot be defeated by anyone. He knew it was time for the Yuga (epoch) to come to an end and so, he brought his son Samba into this world, to destroy the clan.

Samba wedding with Lakshamana.

Samba grew up to become a very handsome prince. In the meantime, Duryodhana's beautiful daughter, Lakshamana, came of age. There was a svayamvar, where she had the freedom to choose her own future husband, a great many kings and princes attended the ceremony. Samba was also present at the ceremony. However, instead of waiting to see who she choose, he abducted her by force and took her away, right in front of the shocked crowd. Duryodhana's family was outraged and embarrassed. They all got into their own chariots and chased Samba. He was finally caught and arrested in the kingdom of the Kauravas.

Samba was kept in jail, where he was treated very badly and was humiliated in every way possible. The news of the capture eventually reached Krishna's ears. Considering his son's heinous crime and the fact that the Kauravas were his worst enemies, he decided not to rescue Samba.

Krishna’s brother, Balarama, was extremely fond of his nephew. He decided to bring him back from the Kauravas' kingdom. He approached Duryodhana and requested him, but Duryodhana flatly refused to release the prince. Balarama used his weapon, the plough, to break down the walls of the prison. He destroyed all the soldiers who tried to stop him in his tracks. The Kauravas were alarmed seeing Balarama's sheer power and quickly released Samba.

Not satisfied with his nephew's release, Balarama demanded that Lakshamana be wedded to Samba. Duryodhana, out of fear for Balarama's power, let his daughter leave with Balarama. Balarama already knew that Lakshamana was secretly in love with Samba and was happy with the way things were turning out for his dear nephew.

They then returned to Dwaraka, Krishna's kingdom, along with Samba and Lakshamana. Krishna, the Pandavas, and the Kauravas were essentially Kshatriyas – they belonged to the warrior caste. In this society, it was acceptable to abduct a bride, though it was generally done only with the mutual consent of all the parties involved. Lakshamana was happy at the turn of events, as she had loved Samba for a very long time, and was unable to tell anyone about it. Soon enough, they both settled down into happy married life.

The Curse by Sages to Samba.

Once, three great sages decided to visit Krishna's palace in Dwaraka. Krishna, who was resting at that time, told his attendants that he would be there shortly. Samba heard of the sages' arrival, and he, along with some of the other young relatives present in the palace decided, to play a prank on the sages. They had Samba dress up as a pregnant woman and approach the sages. The young men said to the sages, “This woman is with a child. Please, can you tell us whether she will give birth to a boy or a girl?

Since the sages had an occult vision, they immediately saw that the young men were mocking them. They became furious. Enraged, they told Samba they were well aware of his identity and cursed him that he will give birth to an iron lump, which will bring about the destruction of Krishna’s entire clan.

In due course of time, Samba gave birth to a huge iron bolt. Realizing that the curse was working and fearful that their end was probably nearing, Samba and his young relatives went to Krishna and begged him to save them. Krishna thought for a while, scolded Samba for his crude and irresponsible behavior, and advised him to visit King Ugrasena, who would have a solution for them. The King asked him to powder the iron bolt and then cast this powder into the Prabhas Sea. Samba and his young friends started grinding the mace, finding it too tedious a task, threw it into the sea, without fully grinding it. In time, this powder grew along the seashore in the form of eraka grass. A piece of this same iron fell into the sea and was swallowed by a fish. This fish was caught by a hunter called Jara.

Krishna Departs from this Mortal Earth.

Jara applied the iron to the tip of his arrow and left on his hunting trip. At that time, Krishna was resting in the woods, leaning against a tree. Jara mistook the tip of Krishna's left foot to be the ear of a deer and shot his arrow at it, injuring Krishna severely. Jara repented, Krishna consoled him and said that this was all meant to happen. Krishna then departed from his mortal body and went back to Vaikuntha.

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