King Yadu

Expressions researched:
"King Yadu" |"Maharaja Yadu" |"Sri Yadu"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.8.32, Translation:

Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.

SB 1.8.32, Purport:

Mahārāja Nala was also celebrated as a great pious king, but he had no connection with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is meant here to be glorified by Lord Kṛṣṇa. He had also glorified King Yadu, having taken His birth in the family. He is known as Yādava, Yaduvīra, Yadunandana, etc., although the Lord is always independent of such obligation. He is just like the sandalwood that grows in the Malaya hills. Trees can grow anywhere and everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in the area of the Malaya hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya hills are interrelated.

SB 1.10.26, Translation:

Oh, how supremely glorified is the dynasty of King Yadu, and how virtuous is the land of Mathurā, where the supreme leader of all living beings, the husband of the goddess of fortune, has taken His birth and wandered in His childhood.

SB 1.10.26, Purport:

But simply by knowing in truth about the Lord's transcendental births and activities, one can get liberation at once. That is the verdict of the Bhagavad-gītā. But those who are in the darkness of ignorance conclude that the Lord's birth and activities in the material world are similar to those of the ordinary living being. Such imperfect conclusions cannot give anyone liberation. His birth, therefore, in the family of King Yadu as the son of King Vasudeva and His transfer into the family of Nanda Mahārāja in the land of Mathurā are all transcendental arrangements made by the internal potency of the Lord. The fortunes of the Yadu dynasty and that of the inhabitants of the land of Mathurā cannot be materially estimated.

SB Canto 9

SB 9.18.40, Purport:

Yadu, the son of Mahārāja Yayāti, explained that he was unable to give up his youth, for he wanted to use it to attain the renounced order in the future.

Mahārāja Yadu was different from his brothers. As stated in the next verse, turvasuś coditaḥ pitrā druhyuś cānuś ca bhārata/ pratyācakhyur adharmajñāḥ. Mahārāja Yadu's brothers refused to accept their father's proposal because they were not completely aware of dharma. To accept orders that follow religious principles, especially the orders of one's father, is very important. Therefore when the brothers of Mahārāja Yadu refused their father's order, this was certainly irreligious. Mahārāja Yadu's refusal, however, was religious. As stated in the Tenth Canto, yadoś ca dharma-śīlāya: Mahārāja Yadu was completely aware of the principles of religion.

SB 9.18.40, Purport:

The ultimate principle of religion is to engage oneself in devotional service to the Lord. Mahārāja Yadu was very eager to engage himself in the Lord's service, but there was an impediment: during youth the material desire to enjoy the material senses is certainly present, and unless one fully satisfies these lusty desires in youth, there is a chance of one's being disturbed in rendering service to the Lord. We have actually seen that many sannyāsīs who accept sannyāsa prematurely, not having satisfied their material desires, fall down because they are disturbed. Therefore the general process is to go through gṛhastha life and vānaprastha life and finally come to sannyāsa and devote oneself completely to the service of the Lord. Mahārāja Yadu was ready to accept his father's order and exchange youth for old age because he was confident that the youth taken by his father would be returned. But because this exchange would delay his complete engagement in devotional service, he did not want to accept his father's old age, for he was eager to achieve freedom from disturbances. Moreover, among the descendants of Yadu would be Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, because Yadu was eager to see the Lord's appearance in his dynasty as soon as possible, Yadu refused to accept his father's proposal. This was not irreligious, however, because Yadu's purpose was to serve the Lord.

SB 9.18.40, Purport:

Because Yadu was a faithful servant of the Lord, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in his dynasty. As confirmed in the prayers of Kuntī, yadoḥ priyasyānvavāye. Yadu was very dear to Kṛṣṇa, who was therefore eager to descend in Yadu's dynasty. In conclusion, Mahārāja Yadu should not be considered adharma jña, ignorant of religious principles, as the next verse designates his brothers. He was like the four Sanakas (catuḥ-sana), who refused the order of their father, Brahmā, for the sake of a better cause. Because the four Kumāras wanted to engage themselves completely in the service of the Lord as brahmacārīs, their refusal to obey their father's order was not irreligious.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 11.6.23, Translation:

Descending into the dynasty of King Yadu, You have manifested Your unique transcendental form, and for the benefit of the entire universe You have executed magnanimous transcendental activities.

SB 11.7.24, Translation:

In this regard, sages cite a historical narration concerning the conversation between the greatly powerful King Yadu and an avadhūta.

SB 11.7.25, Translation:

Mahārāja Yadu once observed a certain brāhmaṇa avadhūta, who appeared to be quite young and learned, wandering about fearlessly. Being himself most learned in spiritual science, the King took the opportunity and inquired from him as follows.

SB 11.7.26, Translation:

Śrī Yadu said: O brāhmaṇa, I see that you are not engaged in any practical religious activity, and yet you have acquired a most expert understanding of all things and all people within this world. Kindly tell me, sir, how did you acquire this extraordinary intelligence, and why are you traveling freely throughout the world behaving as if you were a child?

SB 11.7.31, Translation:

Lord Kṛṣṇa continued: The intelligent King Yadu, always respectful to the brāhmaṇas, waited with bowed head as the brāhmaṇa, pleased with the King's attitude, began to reply.

SB 11.9.32, Translation:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Having thus spoken to King Yadu, the wise brāhmaṇa accepted obeisances and worship from the King and felt pleased within himself. Then bidding farewell, he left exactly as he had come.

SB 11.9.33, Translation:

O Uddhava, hearing the words of the avadhūta, the saintly King Yadu, who is the forefather of our own ancestors, became free from all material attachment, and thus his mind was evenly fixed on the spiritual platform.

SB 12.12.25-26, Translation:

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes how Lord Paraśurāma, the greatest descendant of Bhṛgu, annihilated all the kṣatriyas on the face of the earth. It further recounts the lives of glorious kings who appeared in the dynasty of the moon-god-kings such as Aila, Yayāti, Nahuṣa, Duṣmanta's son Bharata, Śāntanu and Śāntanu's son Bhīṣma. Also described is the great dynasty founded by King Yadu, the eldest son of Yayāti.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 15:

The gopīs may be considered to be examples of spontaneous love in sensual attraction. The gopīs are young girls, and Kṛṣṇa is a young boy. Superficially it seems that the gopīs are attracted to Kṛṣṇa on grounds of sex. Similarly, King Kaṁsa was attracted to Kṛṣṇa because of fear. Kaṁsa was always fearful of Kṛṣṇa, because it had been foretold that his sister's son, Kṛṣṇa, would kill him. Śiśupāla was also always envious of Kṛṣṇa. And the descendants of King Yadu, due to their family relationship with Kṛṣṇa, were always thinking of Him as one of their members. All of these different kinds of devotees have a spontaneous attraction for Kṛṣṇa, in different categories, and they achieve the same desired goal of life.

Nectar of Devotion 33:

When Akrūra was leaving Vṛndāvana, some of the elderly gopīs rebuked him as follows: "O son of Gāndinī, your cruelty is defaming the dynasty of King Yadu. You are taking Kṛṣṇa away, keeping us in such a pitiable condition without Him. Now, even before you have left, the life air of all the gopīs has practically disappeared."

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 10:

You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cause the birth and death as well as the liberation of the living entities, and You are full with all Your plenary expansions. You can bestow on everyone all kinds of benedictions. O Lord! O source of all auspiciousness and goodness, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You. You are the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme source of peace and the supreme personality in the dynasty of King Yadu. O Lord, our father, known as Kuvera, the demigod, is Your servant. Similarly, the great sage Nārada is also Your servitor, and only by their grace have we been able to see You personally.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

Similarly Kṛṣṇa appeared in the dynasty of Mahārāja Yadu just to glorify. He was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and He is born in the family of Mahārāja Yadu. The whole family is celebrated still: Yādava. Kṛṣṇa's name is Yādava, because He took His birth in the Yadu family.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

Therefore here it is said that priyasya, yadoḥ priyasya. King Yadu became very dear to Kṛṣṇa by rendering service. Priyasya. The... As Kṛṣṇa is very dear to the devotee, similarly, devotees are also very, very dear to Kṛṣṇa. There is another verse, sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya. Sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya: "If one is engaged at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes very, very dear." Sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya. Bhajataḥ, one who is simply engaged for rendering service to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa—he has no other business—he becomes priya. And as soon as you become priya, or dear to Kṛṣṇa, then your all problems solved. Just like if you become a dear child of a very big, rich man, then where is your problem? Automatically he's taken care of. Because he has become dear child of a very big man, so what is his problem? No problem. Similarly, we have to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Then all our problems solved.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always there, but because we do not know Kṛṣṇa, therefore we understand that Kṛṣṇa is taking birth from Devakī, or Kṛṣṇa has taken birth in the family of the Yadus. Yes, He appears like that, that He has taken birth in the Yadu family. Because why? The purpose is to glorify the family because it belongs to the devotee, Mahārāja Yadu. That is His purpose. His real purpose is that the Yadu dynasty... Mahārāja Yadu was a great devotee. Here the yadoḥ priyasya. He appears to take birth in the family of Mahārāja Yadu. Just like Lord Rāmacandra. He took birth in the family of Mahārāja Raghu. Therefore Lord Rāmacandra is called Raghunātha, Dāśarathi, as Kṛṣṇa is called Vāsudeva because He accepted Vasudeva as His father.