The ancient history of Real Yadava stock of Lunar Race Kshatriyas ---

The Ancient  History of real Yadava Stock of Lunar Race Kshatriyas---

The word "Yadava " is admittedly a vedic patronymic derived from Yadu .The chiefs of this Tribe was titled as Yadava .
Mahabharat says -- "It has been remberbed the Yadavas  were the descendants of Yadu , the son of Yayati -Nahusa. "The Philologists declare that the " Y" in "Yadava  "may be replaced by "J" ,that is both the forms "Yadava " and "Jadava  "are permissible and therefore interchangeable . According to several historians (Wilson  , Elliot ) The Yadava is a Sanskrit word and it's hindi version is Jadon .From Yadavas to Jadavas and then to Jadons  was an early etymological transformation (Cunningham.A.,p.2cf ,Gahlot, J.S.pp.593-597 )
The Yadavas are again separately treated in the purans they have no right to be Kings owing to the alleged curse of Yayati.

Real Yadava (Jadava)  clans in Modern India---

The real yaduvansis or Yadava stock lunar race Rajputs  are the  modern Jadons ,Bhattis ,Jadejas, Chudasamas,  Jadhavas  ,Banafars and  Wadiyars etc and their sub -branches. Their ruling States were Karauli ,Awagarh ,Kotla , Jaisalmer ,Kutch ,Devagiri ,Dwarsamudra ,Vijayanagar and Mysore .

Yadava as a Cast Symbol started Since A.D. 1920 ---

In fact the word Yadava as a cast symbol was searched in 1920 A.D . , when many cattle bearer casts unitedly connecting themselves to Lord Krishna  in order to raise their status.They said that Krishna also a cattle bearer and was belong progeny of Lunar race king Yadu.So all these castes belong as Yadav .But it is not true . In that time real Yadavas of Lunar race kshatriyas  were using different Gotras /Surnames likes Jadon ,Bhatti ,Jadhav , Banafer , Wadiyars , Chudasama (Savaiya, Raizada ) , Jadeja and the feeling of superiority prevailed in them.
The so called historians of specific caste are creat distortion by trying to misquoting the ancient scriptures and prove the connection of their caste with the Yadu clan , which has in reality no connection to it.

Ancient History--

In very ancient  times, that is to say probably before the invasion
Of Alexander the Great (B.C. 327) , the head-quarters of the Jadav race  were  at Mathura in the North-Western Provinces, where Kansa  ruled on behalf of his father Ugrasena , Devaka , the brother of Ugrasena , had a  daughter named Devki who married Vasudeva a kinsman  of Ugrasena . On the occasion of the wedding, Kansa  to pay Devaki reapect , himself  drove the bridal chariot towards the house of Vasudeva . At this time there came a voice from heaven, saying that though he showed sech a respect  and affection for Devki her offspring by Vasudeva would kill him, On hearing this, Kansa became violently enraged and drew his sword to slay Devki and thus prevent her progeny causing his death. Vasudeva interceded for Devki and promised to hand over his sons to Kansa for slaughter if only he would spare her life. Kansa agreed , and in this manner slow the first six sons of Vasudeva  and Devki. The seventh son, Baldeva , though conceived by Devki, was miraculously  transferred to the womb  of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva's, and  was born at Gokul, a town six miles south-east of Mathura in the North-West Provinces in the house of the Ahir chief Nanda and his wife Yashoda , who was a staunch friend of Vasudeva's .Krishna was the eight son . Immediately he was born, his father Vasudeva carried him to Gokul to the house of Nanda and left him there, replacing him by a daughter of Nanda who was born that samo night. Vasudeva handed  over this infant to Kansa to slaughter as was his wont. But when Kansa attempted to kill her, the girl babe flew up ont of his hands into heaven, and said,  "Wherefore do you thus, without cause, murder the innocent children of Devki? Know that your enemy is already born and is elsewhere in safety." Kansa then issued an order for the promiscuous slaughter of all new-born male infants. The slaughter commenced but was stayed by Nárad the sage, who told him that his enemy had been born in the house of Nanda at Gokul. When Kansa thus harassed Vasudeva and Devki and the Jadavs of Mathura many Jadavs quitted Mathura and betook themselves to foreign countries. These countries are named as follows in the tenth Skandha of the Bhagvat Purána: Kurudesh, Panchaldesh, Kaikaidesh, Shalvalech, Vidarbhadesh, Naishadhadesh, Videhadesh, and Koshaladesh. During Krishna's stay at Gokul he prosecuted his amours with the Gopis or milkmaids . His most renowned mistress was the celebrated Radha or Radhika who was the daughter of Vrashabhanu ,an Ahir chief of Varsana ,a village near Gokul.

The Bhagvat Purana does not mention Radha by name, but who is fully described, and an account of her marriage with Krishna is given in the Krishnajanma Khanda, which is a portion of the Brahma Vaivarta Purána. Radha is associated with Krishna in his worship throughout India, but Hindus generally look on Radha
as Krishna's mistress and not as his wife, relying probably on the omission her name in the Bhagvat. Nevertheless the Krishnajamna  Khanda says that Brahma performed the marriage ceremony  between them. Kansa employed many stratagems to destroy Krishna , but all were unsuccessful. Eventually, after Krishna  had attained eleven  years, Kansa  invited him and Nanda to his court , intending to put him  to death on his arrival. But Krishna foiled all his schemes  and finally killed Kansa  himself. And as Kansa had imprisoned his own father  Ugrasena for taking the part of Devki and Vasudeva , Krishna released  him, and commenced to rule in his name. Now  Asti aml Prasti,  the widows of Kansa , were of daughter of Jarasandh the Chandravanshi king of Magadh. He therefore seventeen times   invaded the Mathura territory to revenge the death of Kansa , but was each time repulsed and defeated by both brothers Krishna and Balrama .

Things were in this state, when Kalayavan, a Mechlin chieftain, hold as army  against  Mathura , on hearing which Jarasandh resolved to raise another army and make an eighteenth attempt against that kingdom of Yadava  Krishna and Baldeva his brother heard of the invasion  of Kalayavan and the intention of Jarásandh, they despaired of being able to resist them. They accordingly founded the city of Dwarka , and transported thither all the inhabitants of Mathura .Then  returning to Mathura, Krishna barefooted and without armour sought the camp of Kalayavan, whose army had reached the place. In those days it was one of the conditions of holy  warfare or
Dherma-Yuddh , that the challenged should adopt the same weapens as the challenger. Kalayavan therefore came to meet Krishna  in battle, also barefooted and devoid of armour. When Krishana saw Kalayavan advancing, he fled before him towards Mount Girnar . Here lay sleeping the dread king Muchukunda, of whom it had been foretold that he should slay with his fiery glance whoever should dare to arouse him from his slumbers. Krishna , aware of this prophecy, oovered Muchukunda with his own scarf, so that the sleeping monarch was easily mistaken for him by his infuriated pursuer, while Krishna  concealed himself in a neighbouring cave. Kalayavan seeing the prostrate king mistook him for Krishna,  and kicked fim to arouse him to the combat. In a moment the fiery glance of Muchukunda burned him to a heap of ashes. Krishna now returned to Mathura and plundered Kalayavan's camp, and set out with his brother Baldeva for Dwarka laden with his spoils. While thus occupied they were attacked by Jarasandh who carried off the entire plunder of Kalayavan's camp and forced Krishna and Baldeva to flee to Dwarka .Jarasandh pursued the fugitives to a certain mountain covered with dense forest, on which they took refuge. Here, unable to discover them, he set fire to the forest and returned to Magadh. Krishna and his brother reached Dwarka in safety. On his way to Dwarka , Krishna is said by the Bhagvat Puranas to have passed  through the following countries: Kurudesh, Jangaldesh, Panchaldesh ,  Surasendesh, Yamunadesh, Brahmavartdesh, Kurukshetra, Matsyadesh, Sarasvatdesh, Marudesh, and Dhanvadesh. Having passed through these countries he came to Sanvira and Abhira and finally to Anartadesh of which Dwarka was the capital.

Ancient history of Kushashathli /Dwaraka --

The ancient name of Dwarka was Kushasthali , and it was the chief city of Anartaloka. The former ruler was Raja Revata , father of Revati, wife  of Krishna's elder brother Baldeva . Revata  appears to have afterwards quited Dwarka for the Girnar which is still called Revatachal after him.Owing to Baldeva alliance with Raja Renata's daughter the Jadava first become acquainted with Dwaraka.
Krishna now commenced to rule at Dwaraka on the behalf of Ugrasena , and married many wives , the most renowned among whome  were  Rukmini , Satyabhama and Jambuvati. Rukmini  was the daughter of Bhishmak  king of Kundanpur, the capital of Vidarbhadesh  (possibly the modern Katpur) and was carried off by Krishna in spite   of the opposition of her brother Rukmaiyo . The marrige of Krishna  and Rukmini was celebrated at Madhavpur, and these they returned to Dwarka. The other suitor for the hand of Rukmini was Shishupal, Raja of Chedideh, and to him Rukmaiyo wished to give his sister . This Shishupal was afterwards slain by Krishna at Indraprastha .

At certain Jadav  of Dwarka, named Satrajit, had a valuable diamond  which Krishna asked him to give to him, but Satrajit  was unwilling to part with it. One day Prasen, brother of Satrajt went to hunt wearing this diamond. A lion slew him in the forest and took the Jewel. But Jambuvan the Bear, who had accompanied Rama  in his expedition to Lanka, was residing in the forest ;  he met and killed the lion, and took the diamond from him. Satrajit , who was unaware of what had pecurred, accused  Krishna  of having killed Prasena  in order to obtain the diamond, and the latter  to clear himself from this calumny, took some Jadavs with him and went forth into the forest to search for Prasen. They soon found him lying  dead, with his horse also dead beside him, and footprints  of a lion near his body. On following the tracks they shortly   came to the dead body of a lion , from which went the footprints of a bear , which  they tracked to an an adjacent cave. Krishna  on entering the cave, found Jambuván there , who immediately  attacked him, but after some time was forced to yield to Krishna's  prowess , adored him as an incarnation of his old master Ráma .Jambuvan  then gave Krishna his daughter Jambuvati in marriage, together with the diamond. After this Krishna returned to Dwarka with  Jambuvati  and the diamond, and convinced Satrajit that he was guiltless of the death of Prasen, and restored to him the diamond. Satrajit, however, feared lest Krishna should remember this against him, and accordingly, in order to appease him, he gave him his daughter Satyabhama in marriage together with the diamond.

Krishan favoured the side of the Pandavas in the great war of the Mahabharata, because they were the sons of his father's sister Kuntis ,  who had married the Raja Pandvas.After the victory of the Pandavas in Mahabharata war Yudhishthir was seated on the throne of Hastinapura and Krishna returned to Dwarka.

Rukmini gave birth to Pradyumana who married Rukhmavati the daughter of Rukhmaiyo (brother of Rukmni  ) who since the abduction of his sister by Krishna  had left Kundanpur and taken up his residence at Bhojkat (the modden Bhadrod near Mahuva). Pradyumna's son Aniruddh by Rukhmavati, married Rakhminiyo's granddaughter Rochana  at Bhojkat, and afterwards esponsed Okha, the daughter of Banasur king of Shronitpar in Northern India. It is said that Okhamandal derives its name from the fair Okha, and is after her called Okha's country or Okhamandala ; but the true derivation is probably from Usha or Ukha salt and mandal country.

By his wife Jambuvati, Krishna had a son Sámb who resided in Dwarka with his mother Jambuvati. He was much addicted to practical joking, and on one occasion when Durvása and other Rishis had come to Dwarka on a pilgrimage, and were performing Shraddh at Pindtárak a few miles from Dwarka, he dressed up as a woman, and went with other Jadav boys to tease the Sages The boys representing that Samb was a pregnant woman, asked the sages whether the pretended woman would bring forth a son or a daughter. The Sages understanding the trick which was being played on them, became much enraged, and cursed the boys, saying that the woman would bring forth an iron pestle which should prove the destruction of their race. Now the boys had tied cloths in front of Samb so as to make him look like a pregnant woman. When these cloths were taken off, an iron pestle was found among them. The boys were much terrified, and came with it to Ugrasena who advised them to reduce it to powder on n sword-grinder's wheel. They accordingly took the pestle into the Gomti and there rubbed it on a grind-stone until the greater part was reduced to powder, and but a small piece of iron remained. This, together with the powder, they threw into this river. But this dust was borne into tho sea , and was awept down the coast to Somnath.Here the iron filings grew into Pán reeds, while the piece of iron was swallowed by a fish. This fish was caught by a Bhil  hunter who put the plece of iron as a point to one of his arrows.

Much terror still possessed the Jadavs  as to the curse pronounced against them by the Rishis, and to remove this Krishna induced  all the able-bodied Jadavs  to perform the pilgrimage to Somnath .They went there and got intoxicated and fought amongst themselves with these Pan reels until all of their number were killed except Krishna , Baldeva, their charioteer, and four or five others.So great was the confusion that the two brothers Pradyumna and Samb fought together and the former was slain. Legend asserts that Samb escaped and went to Mathura dreading to return to Dwarka. Baldeva in grief performed Samadhi ,  and thus passed away, and Krishna and the charioteer Daruk alone remained. Krishna , while sleeping under a pipal tree near Somnath, was shot through the foot by a Bhil huntsman, who was named Jara , with the very arrow that was pointed with the iron of the pestle. This was done in mistake, the Bhil mistaking Krishna's foot for a deer. Krishna before he died sent Daruk the charioteer to Dwarka to tell the sad tidings of the destruction of the Jadavs, and desired him to beg Arjuna (who had come thither on a visit to Krishna ) to take all the survivors from Dwarks to Mathura, as Dwarka would be submerged beneath the sea on the seventh day after his death. After giving these injunctions Krishna died. At this time ; according to the Dwarka Mahatmya, the Gopis had come to Dwarka to visit Krishna, but on arrival heard of his melancholy death at Prabhas. In their grief they buried themselves alive, and the spet is still known as the Gogi Talav. A kind of yellow clay or ochre is found in this tank, which is called gopichandan, and which is applied to the forehead to make the sectarian mark of the Vaishnavn faith. The remaining four or five Jadavs seem to have gone to the south-east, but the charioteer Darak returned to Dwarka and told the sad news. On hearing it, Ugrasenas , Vasudeva, and many other old Jadavs died of grief .Hundreds of Jádav  widows died on the funerall pile. Arjuna however in obedience to the dying request of his friend took the survivors of Dwarka towards Mathura. But they hand not proceeded many miles before they were attacked by the Abhiras who plundered them and carried away several women. This discomfiture of the unconquered Arjuna has been commemorated in a local stanza:

Time is ever powerful,
Man is never strong ,
The abhiras  plundered Arjuna , Though he had the same (mighty) bow and arrows .

Settlement of Yadavas after Dwaraka --

After this reverse Arjuna safely conducted the fugitives to Mathura, and there placed Vajranabh son of Aniruddh on the throne. Arjuna himself disgusted with life placed his grandson Parikshit on the throne of Hastinapura and in company with other Pandavas and Jadavas sought death in the mountains of the north. Here the five Pandavas, Yudhishthir, Bhim, Arjuna, Nakul, and Sahadeva, met their death, but a portion of the Jadava penetrated to Kabul and conquered much of the country. Hence, after many years, they again returned to India, and founded the Samma dynasty of Saminagar so named probably after Samb who may well have accompanied the Jadavs on this exodus. He being of the royal race of Krishna was naturally one of their chief leaders.Jadejas of Kutch and Halar ,Chudasamas of Vanthali and Junagadh are belongs to Samma clan of Yadava stock. A branch of these Jadavs diverged into Márwár and there founded the state of Jesalmer.Another branch of Suraseni Jadavas is  at present the state of Karauli.Yadavas /Jadhavas of Devagiri ,Dwarsamudra and Vijayanagar  / Mysore also belongs to this great dynasty.

References--

1-History of Gujarat by J.W.Watson .
2-History of Gujarat by Edalji Dosabhai.
3-The History of Sindh by K.R.Malkani.
4-Bombay Gazetteers, Kathiawar III.p ,554.
5-The Golden book of India ,a Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the ruling Princes , Chiefs by Roper Lethoridge.
6-Imperial Gazetteer of India ,v, 11.p78.
7-The Rajputs of Saurashtra by Virbhadra Singh.
8-Yaduvamsh prakash .,pp.,263-287.
9-History of Kathiyawar from Earliest Times .,p177, by Harold Wilberforce -Bell.
10-Bombay Gazetteer , 8,p-489-90, 565-66, p124-126.
11-Glimpses of Bhartiya History by Rajendra Singh Kushwaha.
12-A History of the Indian State forces by HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur.
13-Gujarat State Gazetteers :Rajkot.
14-Gujrat state Gazetteer :Amreli 1972 .
15-Gazetteer of Bombay presidency , vol 9, part I ,p.129.
16-The Hind Rajasthan or The Annals of the Native states of India., Voll.2 , issue I, part 2.complied by Manu Nandshankar Mehta and Markand Nandshankar Mehta.
16-History of the Dhrangadhra state by C.Mayne.
17-Shrimadbhagvat puran.
18-Vishnu puran.
19-Harivansh puran.
20-Vayu puran.

Author- Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hatharas ,Uttar Pradesh
Associate Prof in Agriculture
Shahid Captain Ripudaman Singh Govt.College ,Sawai madhopur 'Rajasthan ,322001.