10 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

men, including even Akrira and Krtavarma, who were devotees of Lord
Krsna, to take the jewel from Satrajit. Akrira and Krtavarma joined the
conspiracy because they wanted the jewel for Krsna. They knew that
Krsna wanted the jewel and that Satrajit had not delivered it properly.
Others joined the conspiracy because they were disappointed in not having
the hand of Satyabhama. Some of them incited Satadhanva to kill Satrajit
and take away the jewel.

The question is generally raised, Why did a great devotee like Akrira
join this conspiracy? And why did Krtavarma, although a devotee of the
Lord, join the conspiracy also? The answer is given by great authorities like
Jiva Gosvami and others that although Akrura was a great devotee, he was
cursed by the inhabitants of Vrndavana because of his taking Krsna away
from their midst. Because of his wounding their feelings, Akrura was
forced to join the conspiracy declared by sinful men. Similarly, Krtavarma
was a devotee, but because of his intimate association with Kamsa, he was
also contaminated by sinful reaction, and he also joined the conspiracy.

Being inspired by all the members of the conspiracy, Satadhanva one
night entered the house of Satrajit and killed him while he was sleeping.
Satadhanva was a sinful man of abominable character, and although due
to his sinful activities he was not to live for many days, he decided to kill
Satrajit while Satrajit was sleeping at home. When he entered the house to
kill Satrajit, all the women there began to cry very loudly, but in spite of
their great protests, Satadhanva mercilessly butchered Satrajit without
hesitation, exactly as a butcher kills an animal in the slaughterhouse.
Since Krsna was absent from home, His wife Satyabhama was also present
on the night Satrajit was murdered, and she began to cry, “My dear father!
My dear father! How mercilessly you have been killed!” The dead body of
Satrajit was not immediately removed for cremation because Satyabhama
wanted to go to Krsna in Hastinapura. Therefore the body was preserved
in a tank of oil so that Krsna could come back and see the dead body of
Satrajit and take real action against Satadhanva. Satyabhama immediately
started for Hastinapura to inform Krsna about the ghastly death of her
father.

When Krsna was informed by Satyabhama of the murder of His father-
in-law, He began to lament like an ordinary man. His great sorrow is, again,
astrange thing. Lord Krsna has nothing to do with action and reaction, but
because he was playing the part of a human being He expressed His full
sympathy for the bereavement of Satyabhama, and His eyes filled
with tears upon hearing about the death of His father-in-law. He thus began
to lament, “Oh, what unhappy incidents have taken place!” In this way
