Chapter 275 - Description of the dynasty of Yadu (yaduvaṃśa)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Fire-god said:

l. Yadu had five sons—Nīlāñjika, Raghu, Kroṣṭu, Śatajit and Sahasrajit and Sahasrajit was the eldest among them.

2. Śatajit had three (sons)—Haihaya, Reṇuhaya and Haya. Dharmanetra (was the son) of Haihaya. Saṃhana (was the son) of Dharmanetra.

3. Mahimā was (the son) of Saṃhana. Bhadrasenaka (was born) from Mahimā. Durgama was (born) from Bhadrasena. Kanaka was (born) from Durgama.

4. Kṛtavīrya, Kṛtāgni, Karavīraka and Kṛtaujas were the four (sons) of Kanaka. Arjuna (Kārtavīryārjuna) (was born) from Kṛtavīrya.

5-9. Suzerainty over the seven continents of the earth, (possession of) thousand arms and invincibility by the enemy in the battle and certain death at the hands of (Lord) Viṣṇu in case of leading an unrighteous life were conferred on (Kārtavīrya) Arjuna who was doing penance. That king Arjuna performed ten thousand sacrifices. By the remembrance of him (his name) there was no loss of property in the kingdom. The kings would not certainly attain the position of Kārtavīrya by (doing) sacrifices, (giving) gifts, (performing) penances, by valour and by learning. Among the hundred sons of Kārtavīrya (the following) five (were) foremost—Śūrasena, Śūra, Dhṛṣṭokta, Kṛṣṇa and Jayadhvaja. (Jayadhvaja) was a great king among the Āvantayas.

10-11. Tālajaṅgha (was born) from Jayadhvaja. The sons of Tālajaṅgha formed the five branches of the Haihayas—Bhojas, Āvantas, Vītihotras, Svayaṃjātas and Śauṇḍikeyas. Ananta was (born) from Vītihotra. Durjaya (was) king from Ananta.

12. I shall describes the race of Kroṣṭu in which (Lord) Hari Himself was born. Vṛjinīvān (was born) from Kroṣṭu. Svāhā was (born) from Vṛjinīvān.

13. Ruṣadgu (was) the son of Svāhā and Citraratha (was) his son. Śaśabindu (was born) from Citraratha. He was a great monarch and a staunch devotee of (Lord) Hari.

14-15. Among the ten thousand intelligent, handsome, wealthy and radiant sons of Śaśabindu, Pṛthuśrava was the foremost. Suyajñaka was his son. Uśanas (was) the son of Suyajña. Titikṣu (was) the son of Uśanas.

16-18. Marutta was (born) from Titikṣu. Kambalabarhiṣa (was born) from him. (Rukmakavaca was born from him). Fifty (sons) were (born) from Rukmakavaca (among whom) Rukmeṣu, Pṛthurukmaka, Havis, Jyāmagha and Pāpaghna (were) most prominent. Jyāmagha was a hen-pecked husband. Vidarbha was (born) from Jyāmagha through Sevyā. Kauśika, Lomapāda and Kratha (were) his sons. From the excellent Lomapāda, Kṛti (was born) and Cidi (was) the son of Kauśika. His successor kings were hence known as Caidyas.

19. Kunti (was born) from Kratha, the son of Vidarbha. Dhṛṣṭaka (was the son) of Kunti. Nidhṛti (was the son) of Dhṛṣṭa. His (son was) known as Udarka. Vidūratha (was his son).

20. Vyoma (was) the son of Daśārha (Vidūratha). It is said that Jīmūta was (born) from Vyoma. Vikala was the son of Jīmūta. Bhīmaratha (was) his son.

21. Navaratha (was born) from Bhīmaratha. Dṛḍharatha was (born) then. Śakunti (was born) from Dṛḍharatha. Karambhaka (was) from Śakunti.

22. Devarāta was from Karambha. Devakṣetra was his son. (A son) by name Madhu (was) from Devakṣetra. Dravarasa was from Madhu.

23. Puruhūta was from Dravarasa. Jantu was his son. Sātvata, the Yādava king of good quality, (was) the son of Jantu.

24. Bhajamāna, Vṛṣṇi, Andhaka and Devāvṛdha were the four (sons) of Sātvata. Their races were renowned.

25-26. Bāhya, Vṛṣṭi, Kṛmi and Nimi were (the sons) of Bhajamāna. Babhru was from Devāvṛdha. The following verse is sung about him: “We hear his virtues sung close by (in the same way) as we had heard from a distant place. Babhru is the foremost among men and (considered) by the celestials as equal to Devāvṛdha.”

27. Babhru (had) four sons. (Those were) kings and devotees of (Lord) Vāsudeva (Hari). (They were Kuhura, Bhajamāna, Śini and Kambalabarhiṣ.

28. Dhṛṣṇu (was the son) of Kuhura. Dhṛti (was) the son of Dhṛṣṇu. Kapotaromā was from Dhṛti. Tittiri (was) his son.

29. Nara (was) the son of Tittiri. Candanadundubhi (was) his (son). Punarvasu (was) his son. Āhuka (was) the son of Āhukī (wife of Punarvasu).

30-33. Devaka was born from Āhuka and Ugrasena was born then. Devavān and Upadeva are known to be the sons of Devaka. They had seven sisters. (Devaka) gave them in marriage to Vasudeva. They were Devakī, Śrutadevī, Mitradevī, Yaśodharā, Śrīdevī, Satyadevī and Surāpī. Ugrasena had nine sons among whom Kaṃsa was the eldest, (the others being) Nyagrodha, Sunāman, Kaṅku, Śaṅku (the protector of earth), Sutanū, Rāṣṭrapāla, Yuddhamuṣṭi and Sumuṣṭika.

34. Vidūratha, the chief among the charioteers (was) the son of Bhajamāna. The powerful king Śūra was the son of Vidūratha.

35. Śoṇāśva and Śvetavāhana (were) the two sons of that mighty monarch. Śamī, Śatrujit and others were the five sons of Śoṇāśva.

36-37. Pratikṣetra (was) the son of Śamī and Bhojaka (was the son) of Pratikṣetra. Hṛdika (was) the son of Bhoja. Hṛdika had ten sons—Kṛtavarmā, Śatadhanvā, Devārha, Bhīṣaṇa and others. Kambalabarhis (was born) from Devārha. Asamaujas was (then born from Kambalabarhis).

38-39. Sudaṃṣṭra, Suvāsa and Dhṛṣṭa were (born) from Asamaujas. Gāndhārī and Mādrī were the wives of Dhṛṣṭa. Sumitra was born to Gāndhārī. Mādrī gave birth to Yudhājit. Anamitra and Śini (were the descendants) from Dhṛṣṭa. Devamīḍhuṣa (was born) then.

40-43. Nighna (was) the son of Anamitra. Prasenaka and Satrājit (were the sons) of Nighna. When Prasena was wearing the syamantaka jewel got from Sun god by Satrājit and wandering in the forest, a lion killed him and carried away the gem. The lion was killed by Jāmbavān (the king of bears) and Jāmbavān was conquered by (Lord) Hari (Viṣṇu). He got the jewel and Jāmbavatī (the daughter of Jāmbavān) and went to the city of Dvārakā (on the western coast of India in Gujarat). (He) gave (the gem) to Satrājit. Śatadhanu killed him (Satrājit). The famous Kṛṣṇa killed Śatadhanu, recovered the gem and entrusted the gem to Akrūra in the presence of Bala (deva) and the Yādava chiefs.

44. Kṛṣṇa thus got rid of the false accusation on him that he had killed Satrājit. One who reads (this account) would go to the heaven. Satyabhāmā (the daughter of Satrājit) became the wife of Kṛṣṇa.

45. Śini was born from Anamitra. Satyaka (was) the son of Śini. Sātyaki was born from Satyaka. Dhuni was (born) from Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki).

46. Yugandhara (was) the son of Dhuni. Svāhya was (born from him). He was invincible in battle. Ṛṣabha and Kṣetraka (were) his (sons). Śvaphalkaka [Svaphalkaka?] (was born) from Ṛṣabha.

47. Akrūra (was) the son of Śvaphalka [Svaphalka?]. Sudhanvaka (was born) from Akrūra. Vasudeva and others (were born) from Śūra. Pṛthā (Kuntī) was the wife of Pāṇḍu.

48. Yudhiṣṭhira was born to Kuntī (wife) of Pāṇḍu, from Dharma (god of virtue), Vṛkodara (Bhīmasena) from Vāya (Wind god), Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) from Indra and Nakula and Sahadeva to Mādrī (the other wife of Pāṇḍu).

49-51. (Bala) rāma, Sāraṇa and Durdama (were born) to Rohiṇī from Vasudeva. Susenaka was born first to Vasudeva through Devakī. (The other sons were) Kīrtimān, Bhadrasena, Jārukhya, Viṣṇudāsaka and Bhadradeha. Kaṃsa killed these six children. Then Bala (rāma), Kṛṣṇa, Subhadrā, that speaks sweet and Cārudeṣṇa (were born). Sāmba and others were the sons of Jāmbavatī from Kṛṣṇa.