Question
Past life of Satyabhama
Answer
Previous life of Satyabhama is described in Kaartika Masa Mahatmya, Vaishanava Khanda of Skanda Mahapurana.
Satyabhama herself asked Sri Krishna about her previous birth. Satyabhama was Gunavati, daughter of Devasharma a Brahmana who belonged to Aithreya Gotra. He gave (in marriage) his daughter Gunavati to Candra.
When her father and husband went to forest, they were killed by a Rakshasa. Then Gunavati did Ekadasi vrata and Kaartika Masa vrata every year and finally she went to vaikunta. Thereafter, when Devas requested, Lord Vishnu (Sri Krishna) married her she when was born as Satyabhama.
Srikrsna replied:
O beloved, listen with concentration how you observed meritorious holy rites in your previous birth. I shall narrate everything to you.
There was an excellent Brahmana named Devasarma in Mayapuri towards the end of Kirtayuga. He belonged to the Atreya Gotra. He was master of Vedas and Vedangas. When he had become pretty old, he begot a daughter named Gunavati.
He had no son. He gave his daughter (in marriage) to his disciple named Candra. He considered him his son and the disciple of perfect self-control (honoured him) like his own father.
Once those two went to a forest in order to bring Kusa grass, sacrificial twigs and fuel. They were killed by a Raksasa as hideous in form as the god of Death.
Both of them went to the world of Visnu due to the power of their respective merits.
On hearing that both of them had been killed by a Raksasa, Gunavati became extremely distressed, having been separated from her husband as well as her father. She lamented in a pitiable manner. She quickly sold all the furniture, utensils etc. and performed according to her capacity their obsequies and other holy rites for (their) happiness in the other world. Living like a dead person, she continued to stay in the same city.
Two Vratas were perfectly observed by her throughout her life till death, viz. the Vrata of Ekadasi and the holy rite of Karttika. Thus Gunavati performed the Vratas every year. Once that slender-bodied one became afflicted with fever. She was in great physical pain. O my beloved, with great difficulty she went slowly to Ganga for taking her bath. When she entered the water, she became distressed with chillness. She shivered.
By that time the lady in distress saw an aerial chariot that had come from the sky. She got into that aerial chariot and went to the world of Vaikuntha. Thanks to the merit of Karttikavrata, she came to my presence.
When I came to the earth at the request of the Devas headed by Brahma, all those groups (of Devas) also came along with me. O beautiful lady, all these Yadavas are my own attendants.
Your father Devasarma now has the name Satrajit. He who had been called by the name Candra is Akrura now and you are that splendid Gunavati.
You gave me great delight, thanks to the merit of the Kārtikavrata.
You can read rest of the chapter to know story behind Kaartika Masa Mahatmya which corresponds to months of October and November.
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