Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.1
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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sāmbaḥ
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Sāmba
Son of Kṛṣṇa by Jāmbavatī, the bear-king's daughter given to Kṛṣṇa in SB 10.56. His name will run through this whole episode — beloved of the Yadus, protected by Balarāma.
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jāmbavatī - sutaḥ
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the son of Jāmbavatī
His lineage is named at once so the reader knows: this is no ordinary youth. He carries the blood of Kṛṣṇa and of Jāmbavān, devotee of Rāma. Insulting him will insult both lines.
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duryodhana - sutām
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the daughter of Duryodhana
Lakṣmaṇā's house is named to mark the dramatic tension: a daughter of the very Kuru prince who will later war with Kṛṣṇa's friends has been won by Kṛṣṇa's own son.
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svayaṁvara
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self-choice marriage assembly
The ancient kṣatriya custom in which a princess chooses her husband from assembled suitors. When such a choice is obstructed, kṣatriya tradition permits the chosen suitor to take her by valor — as Kṛṣṇa did with Rukmiṇī.
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samitim - jayaḥ
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victorious in battle
An epithet, not flattery — Sāmba's combat skill is real, but in this chapter even his valor will yield to Balarāma's protection, showing that the devotee's safety rests finally on the Lord, not on his own arm.
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aharat
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stole, carried off
The same verb Vyāsa uses for Kṛṣṇa carrying off Rukmiṇī. Echoing the father's act in the son's act — a deliberate cross-reference within Canto 10.
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 svayaṁvara ceremony is held so that the girl may select her husband according to her own choice. In Lakṣmaṇā’s svayaṁvara 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 svayaṁvara ceremony.”
In this sixty eighth chapter, when the kurus capture Samba, Balarama, angered by their harsh words, drags the city of Hastinapura. Samba, victorious in battle (samitinjayah), took away Laksmana, daughter of Duryodhana.
Hari-vaṁśa says: hṛto yadaiva pradyumnaḥ śambareṇātma-ghātinā / tam eva māsaṁ sāmbas tu jāmbavatyām ajāyata // When Pradyumna was taken by the abductor Śambara, Sāmba was born to Jāmbavatī. Since Pradyumna and Sāmba were thus of almost the same age, the incident told now actually happened previously. The story is now mentioned in relation to Balarāma’s prowess. According to previous comments, the birth of Pradyumna and the marriage of Kṛṣṇa with Jāmbavatī are narrated in Bhāgavatam in reverse order. Thus the order presented in the text is only the order in which Parīkṣit heard the events. Because Jāmbavatī was dear to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa was very affectionate to her son Sāmba. She prayed for a son as beautiful as Pradyumna. When Kṛṣṇa performed austerities to glorify his great devotee Śiva, Sāmba was born. He was called Sāmba because he always stayed with his mother out of affection for her according to Dāna-dharma (Mahābhārata). His name is therefore Sāmba (with his mother) not Śāmba.
Hari-vaṁśa says: hṛto yadaiva pradyumnaḥ śambareṇātma-ghātinā / tam eva māsaṁ sāmbas tu jāmbavatyām ajāyata // When Pradyumna was taken by the abductor Śambara, Sāmba was born to Jāmbavatī. Since Pradyumna and Sāmba were thus of almost the same age, the incident concerning Sāmba’s marriage told now actually happened previously. The story is now mentioned in relation to Balarāma’s prowess. Sāmba was a great warrior (samitiñjayaḥ). Thus he took Duryodhana’s daughter. Or at the svayaṁvara he defeated all the gathered kings in battle (samitiñjayaḥ). O king, this is the dharma of kṣatriyas. Or Sāmba, radiant with courage, because he was the son of Jāmbavatī, took Lakṣmaṇā. She prayed for a son as beautiful as Pradyumna. When Kṛṣṇa performed austerities to glorify his great devotee Śiva, Sāmba was born. He was called Sāmba because he always stayed with his mother out of affection for her according to Dāna-dharma (Mahābhārata). His name is therefore Sāmba (with his mother) not Śāmba.
- Where might my hesitation be hiding behind a wish to appear proper?
- How do I tell the difference between courageous action and reckless impulse?
A young falcon, born of a regal line, swoops down on a prize from a banquet of kings — fearless because the strength of the eagle who sired him still flows in his wings. Sāmba, son of Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavatī, carries off Lakṣmaṇā from Duryodhana's svayaṁvara with that same Yādava daring, knowing whose son he is.
Earlier in this same canto (SB 10.53), Kṛṣṇa Himself swept Rukmiṇī away from her own pre-arranged wedding at her urgent request, defeating Jarāsandha, Śiśupāla and the assembled kings. Sāmba is acting in the Yādava tradition his father authored.
What looks like abduction is, in kṣatriya custom, a recognized form of marriage (rākṣasa-vivāha) when the princess's heart has already chosen. Lakṣmaṇā, like Rukmiṇī before her, had inwardly elected her hero; Sāmba simply completed what her wish had begun.
My note
Source: vedabase.io