THE SHYAMANTAKA JEWEL

This game is to be played in a forest or large area with many hiding places and can last up to two hours. If the children do not already know the story of the Shyamantaka jewel, the teacher should first narrate it to them. Two teams are formed. The first team leaves to hide an object, the Shyamantaka jewel, deep in the forest. On their way they give clues of the trail to be followed. They draw arrows in the sand or the dirt. They make arrow signs with leaves or twigs. They draw arrows with chalk on tree trunks. They hang pieces of yarn or cloth on the branches of the trees. Now and then (every thirty yards [30m] or so) they hide a paper in a Shyamantaka jewel at that stage of Krishna’s search for it. There are fourteen stages before the final recovery of the jewel, so they will hide fourteen messages. Then they finally hide the Shyamantaka jewel, which can be an object like a ball. The second team starts the search about half an hour after the first group has gone. They must find each message and finally the jewel. The team hiding the Shyamantaka jewel must be fast enough not to be seen or caught by the searching team. The papers to be hidden have the following numbered messages, in the order presented:

1.    King Satrajit visits Dwaraka with the Shyamantaka jewel.
2.    Krishna requests Satrajit to offer the jewel to king Ugrasena. King Satrajit refuses and installs the jewel in the temple for worship.
3.    His brother Prasena, to make a show of his material opulence, puts the Shyamantaka jewel around his neck and rides on horseback through the town to the forest.
4.    A lion kills Prasena in the forest. Jambavan, king of the monkeys, kills the lion, takes the jewel, and gives it to his son.
5.    King Satrajit spreads the rumor that Lord Krishna killed Prasena to steal the jewel.
6.    Krishna goes to the forest with some of the leaders of Dwaraka to search for Prasena. He finds his dead body, then the dead lion.
7.    Lord Krishna enters the cave leading to jamb van’s dwelling and sees jamb van’s son playing with the Shyamantaka jewel. Lord Krishna and Jambavan fight for twenty-eight days.
8.    Jambavan recognizes Krishna as the Supreme Lord, returns the jewel to Him, and offers Krishna his daughter Jambavati in marriage.
9.    Lord Krishna returns to Dwaraka. Satrajit offers Him the Shyamantaka jewel as well as his daughter Satyabhama. Krishna recommends that king Satrajit worship the jewel in the temple.
10.     Krishna and Balarama leave for Hastinapura. Shatadhanva steals the jewel and kills Satrajit.
11.     Knowing that Krishna plans to kill him and recover the jewel, Shatadhanva seeks shelter from his accomplices Kritavarma and Akrura who both refuse to help him. Shatadhanva gives the jewel to Akrura and flees.
12.     Krishna kills Shatadhanva but does not find the jewel. He returns to Dwaraka.
13.     Akrura and Kritavarma flee from Dwaraka.
14.     Krishna recalls Akrura and gives him custody of the Shyamantaka jewel until the birth of Satyabhma’s first son, the rightful person to inherit the jewel.