Jambvan was the King of the Bears though many ancient scriptures have also described him
as a monkey. He was created by Lord Brahma, to assist Lord Ram in his battle against demon
King Ravana. Jambavan is the only one to witness both Ramayana and Mahabharaat. He was
present during the churning of the ocean and circled Vamana seven times when he was
acquiring the three worlds from Mahabali. Unfortunately, there is little information about his
wife Jambavan but his daughter Jambavati is documented as chronologically the second
Ashtabharya of the Hindu God Krishna.
As per the story, Lord Krishna married Jambvati when he defeated her father, Jambavan, in his
quest to retrieve the stolen Syamantaka jewel. Jambavati is believed to be an incarnation of
Goddess Lakshmi. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Jambavati was the mother of Samba
who was the reason why the Yadav clan was perished. Her other offsprings include Sumitra,
Purujit, Shatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravida, and Kratu. The Vishnu
Purana says that she has many sons headed by Samba.