Jambavan (Sanskrit: जाम्बवान्, IAST: Jāmbavān), also known as Jambavanta, is described in Hindu texts as the king of the bears. According to tradition, he emerged from the mouth of Brahma when the creator deity yawned, and he is regarded as one of the strongest divine beings in Hindu mythology.
Jambavan features prominently in the Ramayana, where he assists Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, in the search for Sita, who had been abducted by the rakshasa king Ravana. A celebrated episode credits Jambavan with reminding Hanuman of his own latent powers, just before Hanuman's famed leap across the ocean to the island of Lanka.
Tradition further places Jambavan at the Samudra Manthana, the churning of the ocean. He is also said to have circumambulated Vamana twenty-one times in a single leap, when the dwarf avatar of Vishnu was acquiring the three worlds from Mahabali. Along with Parashurama and Hanuman, Jambavan is considered to be among the few figures present at the births of both Rama and Krishna, linking him across two major avataric cycles.
In the Krishna narratives, Jambavan's daughter, Jambavati, is given in marriage to Krishna, thereby connecting the bear king to the Yadava lineage through this alliance. His long lifespan and continuous appearance across different ages contribute to his portrayal in the texts as a venerable and enduring figure.
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Jambavan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambavan.