Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Yadu included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Yadu
The founder of 岹 ղṃśa or Yadu ղṃśa.
Genealogy.
From վṣṇ were descended in the following order:��Atri�Candra�Budha�ʳܰū�Āܲ�ṣa�۲پ�Yadu.
Yadu ղṃśa (岹 ղṃśa).
The origin of Yadu ղṃśa is from Atri. Candra, ٳܰ and ٲٳٰⲹ Muni were the sons of Atri by Բū. Budha was born to Candra, ʳܰū was born to Budha, Āܲ was born to ʳܰū, and ṣa was born to Āܲ. Two children, Āⲹپ and ۲پ were born to ṣa. ۲پ had two wives, Śṣṭ and ٱ𱹲ī. Three sons, Druhyu, Anudruhyu and ū were born to Śṣṭ. The ū vaṃśa takes its origin from ū. ۲پ had two sons by ٱ𱹲ī. They were Yadu and Turvasu. The descendants of Yadu are the 岹s.
Four sons, Sahasrajit, Kroṣṭā, Nala and Ripu were born to Yadu. Sahasrajit had a son, Śٲᾱ. Three sons Ѳⲹ, ձⲹ and Hehaya were born to Śٲᾱ. Of them Hehaya became famous under the name of 첹ī and founded the Hehaya vaṃśa. The Hehayas and were on terms of enmity. Dharma was born to Hehaya, and Kunti or ṇi was born to Dharma. ṇi had four sons—Sadājit, ṣm, Bhadrasena and Durdama. Dhanaka was the son of Bhadrasena and Dhanaka had four sons�ṛtīⲹ, Kṛtāgni, ṛt and ṛtᲹ. Of them, ṛtīⲹ who was the eldest, was the father of ٲīܲԲ. From here, Yadu vaṃśa continues from ٲīܲԲ. He had five sons, Jayadhvaja, ŚūԲ, ṛṣ, Madhu and Ūrjjita. ṛṣṇi was the son of Madhu, the fourth of them. From this point, Yadu vaṃśa continues from ṛṣṇi. 岹 vaṃśa from this stage is also known as ṛṣṇi vaṃśa. ṛṣṇi had four sons�Sumitra, ۳ܻᾱ, Vasu and ܳ. Yadu vaṃśa continues from ۳ܻᾱ. He had two sons, ŚԾ and Nimna. ŚԾ’s son was Satyaka and Satyaka’s son was ٲⲹ쾱. ٲⲹ쾱 had another name, ۳ܻܲԲ. Jaya was ٲⲹ쾱’s son. ṇi was the son of Jaya, Anamitra was the son of ṇi and ṛśn was the son of Anamitra. ṛśn’s sons were Citraratha and Ś첹. վḍūrٳ and Kukūra were born to Citraratha. Śū was the son of վḍūrٳ. ŚԾ was the son of Śū, Bhoja was the son of ŚԾ, ṛdī첹 was the son of Bhoja. Four sons, Devavāha, Gadādhanvā, Kṛtaparvā and Śū, were born to ṛdī첹. Śū married ṣ� and their children were Vasu, ٱ𱹲岵, ٱ𱹲ś, ĀԲ첹. ṛñjⲹ, Kākānīka, Ś峾첹, Vatsa, Kavūka and Vasudeva. Vasudeva married ٱ𱹲ī, the sister of ṃs. Śrī ṛṣṇa was their son. Pradyumna was the son of Śrī ṛṣṇa. Aniruddha was the son of Pradyumna and Vajra was the son of Aniruddha. The last known link of that branch of Yadu vaṃśa was Vajra.
ṃs also belonged to Yadu vaṃśa. Kukūra who was the brother of վḍūrٳ was the ancestor of ṃs. Ugrasena who was a lineal descendant of Kukūra, was the father of ṃs. The ʳܰṇa mention ٱ𱹲ī, the mother of Śrī ṛṣṇa as ṃs’s sister. But in fact she was not his direct sister. Ugrasena, ṃs’s father, had a brother named Devaka. This Devaka had three sons, Devāpa, Upadeva and Sudeva. ٱ𱹲ī, Śrī ṛṣṇa’s mother was the daughter of Devāpa. ٱ𱹲ī had six sisters who were�Śܳٲ, ŚԳپ, 貹, Śī, ٱ𱹲ṣi and .
ū who went to Ambāḍi also belonged to another branch of Yadu vaṃśa. ṛśn who was of the ninth generation from ṛṣṇi, had two sons—Citraratha and Ś첹. ū was the son of Ś첹.
Other details about Yadu ղṃśa
(i) Once ۲پ wanted his son Yadu to transfer the latter’s youthfulness to ۲پ. The son refused to oblige the father who therefore pronounced a curse that Yadu’s descendants would not enjoy kingship. (For detailed story, see under ۲پ).
(ii) Yadu’s descendants are called 岹s. (Ѳٲ Ā徱 Parva, Chapter 95, Verse 10).
(iii) Yadu was the son of ٱ𱹲ī and the grandson of Śܰ峦ⲹ. Although Yadu was a hero, he was dullwitted. He did not obey his father. He used to despise his father and brothers. His capital city was Ჹپܰ. He became dull-witted after the loss of his kingdom by the curse of his father. (Ѳٲ Udyoga Parva, Chapter 149).
The end of Yadu ղṃśa.
Śrī ṛṣṇa was one of the most important members of the Yadu ղṃśa. That family continued only for 36 years more after the end of the ٲ Yuddha. At the end of the thirtysix years, evil omens began to appear in ٱ. Whirlwinds began to blow furiously. Frightened birds began to fly helterskelter. Rivers began to flow upwards. The whole land was enveloped in mist. Comets continued to drop from heaven, scattering sparks of fire. The sun’s disc was eclipsed with clouds of dust.
At that time, one day, the sages վś峾ٰ, ṇv and 岹 happened to come to ٱ. A band of 岹s, under the leadership of 峾, gathered round the sages to make fun of them. They dressed 峾 like a pregnant woman and asked the sages what child "she" would bear. The enraged sages replied that the "Child" would be an iron pestle which would be the cause of the death of all the 岹s. Besides, they added that, with the exception of 峾, (Balabhadra 峾) and ṛṣṇa, the whole of 岹 ղṃśa would come to ruin.
Next day 峾 did give birth to an iron pestle. The frightened 岹s recalled the curse of the sages. They reported the matter to their king. The king, in deep gloom, had the pestle filed into dust and ordered his men to throw the dust into the sea.
People recalled Իī’s curse on Śrī ṛṣṇa after the ٲ Yuddha. The curse was that the family of Śrī ṛṣṇa who was the cause of all mischief, would be wiped out within a period of 36 years.
At that time, women began to be stolen from ٱ every night by a dark woman monster. Śrī ṛṣṇa’s weapon, Cakra slipped out of ṛṣṇa’s grip and rose up to heaven, in the very presence of the ṛṣṇis. Seeing these evil omens, the alarmed ṛṣṇis and Andhakas began to leave the place on a pilgrimage. They reached the shore of Prabhāsa tīrtha. The Uddhavas parted company with the 岹s there. Nobody prevented the Uddhavas. Śrī ṛṣṇa who saw that the end of the 岹s was approaching, also kept silent. The 岹 leaders in despair, took to drinking. Intoxicated by drinking they began to quarrel. The particles of the iron pestle thrown into the sea, were carried and deposited on the shore by the waves. They began to sprout into a kind of grass. The blades of this grass soon transformed themselves into iron pestles. The 岹s pulled them out and began attacking each other with them. Most of them were beaten to death by their own kinsfolk. Śrī ṛṣṇa who was in a state of trance in "۴DzԲ", was hit on his toe by an arrow shot by a hunter and he fell into . Balabhadra 峾 renounced his body and went to .
After that the sea advanced and submerged the whole of ٱ. (Ѳٲ Mausala Parva).