Yadavas (Yadus)

The royal dynasty led by Krishna in Mathura and Dvaraka, descended from the ancient King Yadu, son of Yayati. The dynasty included hundreds of thousands of valiant warriors and princes, all fully devoted to Krishna

(See also: Yadavas , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Yadava (Sanskrit) A descendant of Yadu; also a great race of Hindustan in which Krishna was born. The founder of this race, Yadu, was the son of Yayati and Devayani, and ruled over the country west of the Jumna River, adjoining the Kurus.

He was the half-brother of Puru, who became the founder of the Paurava line of the Chandravansa (lunar dynasty) -- to which also belonged the Kurus and Pandus. The greatest of the Yadavas in Hindu story was Krishna (hence he is called Yadava, "son of Yadu"). He established the Yadavas in Gujarat, his capital city being Dvaraka, to which Krishna brought all the inhabitants of the city of Mathura after he had slain his wicked cousin Kansa who had usurped the throne.

Sometime after Krishna's death (3102 BC), a catastrophe occurred at Dvaraka in which the city and all its inhabitants were engulfed by the ocean. Only a few members of the race who were absent from the city were saved. The present rajas of Vijaya-nagara maintain that they are living descendants of the Yadavas.

(See also: Yadava , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Mathura (-dhama, -mandala, -puri)

The eternal abode in which Krishna manifests Himself as the Lord of the Yadavas. During His descent to earth, Krishna reclaimed Mathura for the Yadavas by killing Kamsa and installing Ugrasena on the throne. Krishna resided in Mathura for thirty-three years before relocating the Yadavas to Dvaraka.

(See also: Mathura , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Yadaya (Sanskrit). A descendant of Yadu; of the great race in which Krishna was born. The founder of this line was Yadu, the son of King Yayati of the Somavansa or Lunar Race.It was under Krishna -  certainly no mythical personage - that the kingdom of Dwaraka in Guzerat was established; and also after the death of Krishna (3102 B.c.) that all the Yadavas present in the city perished, when it was submerged by the ocean. Only a few of the Yadavas, who were absent from the town at the time of the catastrophe, escaped to perpetuate this great race. The Rajas of Vijaya-Nagara are now among the small number of its representatives.

(See also: Yadaya , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

Madhavas (Sanskrit) In the plural, the descendants of Madhu, men of the race of Yadu, and hence often called Yadavas.

(See also: Madhavas , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Yudhishthira Yudhisthira (Sanskrit) One of the principal heroes of the Mahabharata, eldest of the five Pandavas, son of Kunti by the god of justice, Dharma. Because he possessed virtuous character and all the attributes of a model ruler, he was selected as heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapura by his uncle Dhritarashtra: this choice led to the enmity of his cousin Duryodhana and his followers (the Kauravas or Kurus), and eventually to the great conflict on the field of Kurukshetra described in the opening chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita. The Pandavas were victorious in this struggle, and Yudhishthira was crowned king.

One section of the Mahabharata is devoted to the attainment of svarga (heaven) by Yudhishthira. He set out on this pilgrimage with his dog, four brothers, and their wife Draupadi, who one by one fell by the way. Alone Yudhishthira and the dog ascended to svarga to be met by Dharma, who said the dog was not permitted to enter. Yudhishthira refused to enter without his dog and turned away from the goal, but Dharma explained that it was only a test of his compassion. Yudhishthira also descended into the underworld successfully, aiding his brothers and wife whom he found there, and they all ascended to svarga.

Orientalists have speculated as to whether there was a monarch named Yudhishthira at the time of the commencement of the kali yuga (3102 BC). The computation of periods in Hindu accounts, however, applied to cosmic events as well as to terrestrial catastrophes, and names were used in the same manner. Thus Yudhishthira, "the first King of the Sacea, who opens the Kali Yuga era, which has to last 432,000 years -- 'an actual King and man who lives 3,102 years BC,' applies also, name and all, to the great Deluge at the time of the first sinking of Atlantis. He is the 'Yudishthira born on the mountain of the hundred peaks at the extremity of the world beyond which nobody can go' and 'immediately after the flood' " (SD 1:369-70). About the time of the reign of Yudhishthira the epic tells of a small flood which destroyed the Yadavas. Yudhishthira is both an eponymous hero, and an epic hero, an historical character, such as were also Arjuna, Krishna, and the many other heroes mentioned in the Mahabharata, stated to have lived when kali yuga began, now some 5,000 years ago.

(See also: Yudhishthira, Yudhisthira , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Yadus

See Yadavas.

(See also: Yadus , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Sudharma

The royal assembly hall of the Yadavas, which Krishna brought by force from Indra’s heaven.

(See also: Sudharma , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhava-bhakti - the initial stage of perfection in devotion. A stage of bhakti in which suddha-sattva, or the essence of Sri Krsna’s internal potency consisting of spiritual knowledge and bliss, is transmitted into the heart of the practicing bhakta from the heart of one of His eternal associates and softens the heart by different kinds of tastes. It is the first sprout of prema, or pure love of God. Bhava-bhakti is the seventh of the eight stages of development of the bhakti-lata, the creeper of devotion.

In Sri Brhad-Bhagavatamrta there are five divisions of bhava accepted amongst bhaktas:

1) jnana-bhakta (e.g. Bharata Maharaja) ,

2) suddha-bhakta (e.g. Ambarisa Mahaaraja) ,

3) prema-bhakta (e.g. Hanuman) ,

4) prema-para-bhakta (e.g. the Pandavas headed by Arjuna) , and

5) prematura-bhakta (atura means ‘very eager for’, or agitated out of prema e.g. the Yadavas headed by Uddhava).

(See also: Bhava-bhakti , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Yadu is the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda. The epic Mahabharata and Purans refer to Yadu as the eldest son of mythological king Yayati. The regions where the Yadu clan settled is not certain, but certain scholars suggest that Yadu clan inherited the territories to the south-west of the Gangetic plains, between the Chambal River, Betwa and Ken, which correspond to the border areas of present Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. There the king Yadu founded the Yadava Dynasty, the first Chandravansha (or Lunar Dynasty) of the Indian history. Yadu was the ancie ...

Including:

• Yadu - Reference
• Yadu - External link

Read more here: » Yadu: Encyclopedia - Yadu

Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्र in Devanagari) is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. It is bordered by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. Mumbai (Bombay), In ...

Including:

• Maharashtra - History
• Maharashtra - Geography
• Maharashtra - Economy
• Maharashtra - Government
• Maharashtra - Demographics
• Maharashtra - Divisions
• Maharashtra - Transport

Read more here: » Maharashtra: Encyclopedia - Maharashtra

Krishna (IAST kṛṣṇa, the Sanskrit for "the all-attractive one") is according to common Hindu tradition the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, however, he is seen as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the fountain head of all avatars. Krishna appears in a number of stories in different cultures and traditions. Sometimes these contradict each other, though ther ...

Including:

• Krishna - The name
• Krishna - Texts stories and literature
• Krishna - The story of Krishna
• Krishna - The incarnation
• Krishna - Birth and childhood
• Krishna - Boyhood and youth
• Krishna - Krishna the prince
• Krishna - The Kurukshetra war
• Krishna - The last days
• Krishna - The worship of Krishna
• Krishna - Early references
• Krishna - The Bhakti tradition
• Krishna - Gita Govinda - the song of the cowherd
• Krishna - Recent Krishna bhakti movements
• Krishna - Krishna in Jainism
• Krishna - Krishna in Buddhism
• Krishna - Chronology

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia - Krishna

Belgaum District has, by the 2001 Census of India, a population of approximately 4.2 million. The district has an area of 12,000 sq. km., and is bounded on the west and north by Maharashtra state, on the northeast by Bijapur district, on the east by Bagalkot district, on the southeast by Gadag district, on the south by Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa. The languages spoken in this district include Ka ...

Including:

• Belgaum District - Border Problem
• Belgaum District - History
• Belgaum District - Belgaum Division

Read more here: » Belgaum District: Encyclopedia - Belgaum District

Bhatti is a chandravanshi rajput clan and is one of the largest tribes of Rajputs, and also is a tribe of Jats. They reside for the most part in central Punjab, the Jaisalmer region, and in border villages of Bikaner and some tehsils of Jodhpur (Osian and Shergarh), India and in Chaniot, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Hafiz Abad, Sialkot, Narowal, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar districts of Pakistan. About 40 other gotras are the sub branches of the Bhattis. Religiously they are followers ...

Read more here: » Bhatti: Encyclopedia - Bhatti

Berar is a former province of British India, located in central India. It is now part of Maharashtra state, and where it is forms part of Vidarbha region. The boundaries of Berar have changed historically, but the British Raj province, also known as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, corresponds to Maharashtra's Amravati Division. The origin of the name Berar is not known, but may perhaps be a corruption of Vidarbha, the name of a kingdom in the Deccan of which, in the period of the Mahabharata, Berar probably f ...

Including:

• Berar - Sultans of Berar from Imad Shahi Dynasty

Read more here: » Berar: Encyclopedia - Berar

Latur has an ancient history. It was home to the Rashtrakutas which ruled the Deccan from year 753-973AD and was part of Ashoka's empire. It was, over the centuries, variously ruled by the Satavahanas, the Sakas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri, the Delhi Sultans, the Bahamani rulers of South India, Adilshahi, and the Mughals. Later in the 19th century it became part of the independent princely state of Hyderabad. Earlier known as Naldurg tehsil, in 1905 it was merged with surrounding areas and renamed Latur tehsil, and became part of ...

See also:

Latur, Latur - Geography, Latur - Historical Importance, Latur - Importance in modern era, Latur - Latur Pattern, Latur - Politics & Leadership

Read more here: » Latur: Encyclopedia II - Latur - Historical Importance

Kuru India - Kuru-Puru-Bharata connection. Epic traditions reveal that the kings of Kuru belonged to the Puru-Bharata family. The Kuru-Puru connection is suggested by Rigveda (10.33.4) which attests Kuru-Sravana as the descendent of famous Puru king Trasadasyu. (4.38.1, 7.19.3). A connection of the Bharatas with Kurukshetra is attested by Rigveda 3.23, Satapatha Brahmana 13.5.4, Aitareya Brahmana 8.23 as well as the Mahabharata 7.66.8. The former Purus, Bharatas and several other minor clans were later fused together and amalgamated into ...

See also:

Kuru India, Kuru India - Geographical Location of Kuru, Kuru India - Kurus of Bharata war, Kuru India - Kurus of Buddha's times, Kuru India - Kuru Dharma, Kuru India - Speculations on origins, Kuru India - Kuru-Puru-Bharata connection, Kuru India - Central Asian origin of Kurus, Kuru India - Puranic View of Kuru Origin

Read more here: » Kuru India: Encyclopedia II - Kuru India - Speculations on origins

The political process among the ancient Indo-Aryans appears to have originally started with semi-nomadic tribal units called Jana (meaning tribe). Early Vedic texts attest several Janas or tribes of the Aryans, living in semi-nomadic tribal state, fighting among themselves and with other Non-Aryan tribes for cows, sheeps and green pastures. These early Vedic Janas later coalesced into Janapadas of the Epic Age. Term "Janapada" literally means the foothold of a tribe. The derivative meaning of Janapada from ...

See also:

Mahajanapadas, Mahajanapadas - Overview, Mahajanapadas - Kasi, Mahajanapadas - Kosala, Mahajanapadas - Anga, Mahajanapadas - Magadha, Mahajanapadas - Vajji or Vriji, Mahajanapadas - Malla, Mahajanapadas - Chedi or Cheti, Mahajanapadas - Vamsa or Vatsa, Mahajanapadas - Kuru, Mahajanapadas - Panchala, Mahajanapadas - Machcha or Matsya, Mahajanapadas - Surasena, Mahajanapadas - Assaka or Ashmaka, Mahajanapadas - Avanti, Mahajanapadas - Gandhara, Mahajanapadas - Kamboja

Read more here: » Mahajanapadas: Encyclopedia II - Mahajanapadas - Overview

The ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama meaning Bamboo Village. The most ancient place in the district is Halsi; and this, according to inscriptions on copper plates discovered in its neighborhood, was once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings. It appears that from the middle of the 6th century to about 760 the area was held by the Chalukyas, who were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas. After the break-up of the Rashtrakuta power a portion of it survived in the Rattas (875-1250), who from 1210 onward m ...

See also:

Belgaum District, Belgaum District - Border Problem, Belgaum District - History, Belgaum District - Belgaum Division

Read more here: » Belgaum District: Encyclopedia II - Belgaum District - History

The tales of Krishna appear in a number of ancient and medieval Hindu texts - virtually every Purana tells the full life-story or some highlights from it. In the absence of any historical biography, this summary is based on the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. The Mahabharata and its addendum Harivamsa are the oldest sources of the tale. Whilst all the four books are considered sacred by the Hindus, the two Puranas are the most theologically venerated. The scenes from the tale are set in north India, in ...

See also:

Krishna, Krishna - The name, Krishna - Texts stories and literature, Krishna - The story of Krishna, Krishna - The incarnation, Krishna - Birth and childhood, Krishna - Boyhood and youth, Krishna - Krishna the prince, Krishna - The Kurukshetra war, Krishna - The last days, Krishna - The worship of Krishna, Krishna - Early references, Krishna - The Bhakti tradition, Krishna - Gita Govinda - the song of the cowherd, Krishna - Recent Krishna bhakti movements, Krishna - Krishna in Jainism, Krishna - Krishna in Buddhism, Krishna - Chronology

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia II - Krishna - The story of Krishna