Yadavas

Yadorvansham narah shrutva sarvapapeh pramuchyate
Yatravatirnam krshnakhyam parambrahma nirakriti !!
(Vishnu Puran,4th Cantos,11th chapter,4th sloka)

Yadu, the eldest son of Yayati, in which the eternal immutable Vishnu descended upon earth in a portion of his essence ; of which the glory cannot be described, though for ever hymned in order to confer the fruit of all their wishes--whether they desired virtue, wealth, pleasure, or liberation--upon all created beings, upon men, saints, heavenly quiristers, spirits of evil, nymphs, centaurs, serpents, birds, demons, gods, sages, Brahmans, and ascetics. Whoever hears the account of the race of Yadu shall be released from all sin; for the supreme spirit, that is without form, and which is called Vishnu, was manifested in this family.


Yadavas are the celebrated race in which the supreme being Lord Krishna was born.
According to Vishnu-Puran,there were seven 'manas -putra' of Lord Brahma.

Atri,Marichi,vashishta,Angiras,Pulhu,Pulatsya,Kratu.(Manu was born from the left thumb of Brahma).These seven sages are the founder of Gotras.Yadava race belongs to Atri gotra.


ATRI

Atri's wife was Anusuya.They both were enlightened gods.In a test taken by the trinity (Brahma,Vishnu,Mahesh)about the Anusuya's chastity,She greatly impressed the trinity .They were so pleased that they granted her a boon and accepted to take birth as her children named Soma,Duttatreya and Durvasha.

SOMA

As Puran states,Lord Soma was the first god who owned all the arts and skills(like krishna).Soma, is the monarch of the stars and planets,of sacrifices and of penance.He was the founder of Somvansha ,which rulers ruled the earth for thousands and thousands of years and influenced the humanity immensly.Lord Soma is the god of the moon,the plants and all the nakshtras.He constructed the most famous temple of hindus which is known as Somnath temple.In the Vedas, Soma is referred to as an intoxicating and divine drink,drink of gods. Soma Sacrifice was a common ritual during the Vedic period. It was the soul of the Yajna. Almost one hundred hymns, in the Rig Veda, are dedicated to Soma.In Samveda ,which is the most sacred veda ,as Lord Krishna also announced.."I am Samveda myself,amongst the vedas.",contains lots of hymns to honour the Somadeva.. Even Lord Shiva wears the moon on his head ,which is the symbol of Lord soma.

TAVA VRATE SOMA TISHTHANTU KRISHTAYah !(957,Samaveda).

O Soma! May humans adhere by your rules.

In this richa Somadev has been prayed that the whole of mankind adheres to His rule,that nobody commits a mistake of going against the natuaral law. Here stress has been given upon the virtues of a disciplined life. Anarchy prevails when law is transgressed. On the contrary, peace and prosperity prevails when citizens are law abiding.

SANAA JYOTIH SANAA SWAR VISHWAA CHA SOMA SAUBHAGAAATHAA NO VASYA SASKRIDHI

----------(1048 Samaveda)

Bless us with radiance! Give us happiness and good-fortune...bless us with benediction.

Here Somadev has been prayed to bless us with such capabilities which helps a man to achieve success, prosperity and his own benediction. One,who tries to imbibe the qualities of gods and brings them into practice, they are automatically blessed with radiance and good-fortune.

Lord Soma and TaraTara was an astral goddess,a pole star.She was the wife of Brihaspati.Soma seduced Tara and eloped with her.This caused a great uproar ,the gods rallied against Soma .Thus began the great war between the Gods and Lord Soma,which is known as Tarka war. It is also called Devasur sangram. The gods fought on Brihaspati’s side and the demons aided Soma. Shiva also fought on the side of the gods. As the war raged, Shiva let fly a terrible divine weapon named brahmashirsha at Soma.Soma countered this with another terrible divine weapon named somastra. These two weapons of destruction threatened to burn up the entire universe. Brahma decided that it was time for him to intervene . Somehow he was successful to make Soma understand that it is against dharma and Tara should go to Brihaspati . When Tara returned to Brihaspati she was pregnant with Soma child.Later,she gave birth to a boy child named Budha.

BUDHA
In Hindu mythology, Budha is the name for the planet Mercury, a son of Lord Soma with Tara or Rohini. He is also the god of merchandise and protector of Merchants.He is represented as being mild, eloquent, and of greenish color. He is represented holding a scimitar, a club and a shield, riding a winged lion in Ramghur temple. In other illustrations, he holds a sceptre and lotus and rides a carpet or an eagle or a chariot drawn by lions.Budha presides over 'Budhavara' or Wednesday. In India,Wednesday is called Budhavara.Budha married Ila, the daughter Manu and fathered a son Pururava.

PURURVA

pururava ,According to Vedas, is a mythological entity associated with the Surya (the sun) and Usha (the dawn), and is believed to resided in the middle region of the cosmos. The Rig Veda states that he was a son of Ila, and was a pious king. However, the Mahabharata states that Ila was both his mother and his father. According to the Vishnu Purana, his father was Budha, and he was ancestor of the tribe of Pururavas, from whom descended the Kauravas and Pandavas.

Pururva married an apsara Urvashi.She gave birth to Ayu.

AYU

Ayu was the Pururuva's and Urvashi son.King Ayu married King Sarvbhanu's (Rahu) daughter Prabha. Yuvraj Nahush wastheir eldest son. Kshtravardh, Rambh, Rajji and Adena were their other four sons. Asmentioned before, King Ayu established the city of Mathura on the banks of YamunaRiver. In times to come, Prayag was considered to be the Yadav's mainland andMathura was the capital for many generations during their rule. The Tartars from Mid-Asia considered Ayu to be their forefather. In their local language "Ayu" wasconsidered plural of Chandrama (moon) and was considered a symbolic representationof god. Tartar's "Ayu", Chineese "Yu" and Puranas' "Ayu" are all synonyms of Indu orSoma(moon).

NAHUSHA

Nahusha was the son of Ayu, and father of Yayati.According to Manu ,"By sacrifices, austere fervour, sacred study, self-restraint, and valour, Nahusha acquired the undisturbed sovereignty of the three worlds.. Through want of virtuous humility the great king Nahusha was utterly ruined".

He became the ruler of The Indraloka .But intoxicated by the opulence of his great powers ,he became vain and arrogant.A thousand great Rishis bore the palanquin of Nahusha, and on one occasion he touched with his foot the great Agastya, who carrying him. The sage in his anger cried out, "Fall, thou serpent," and Nahusha fell from his glorious car and became a serpent. Interestingly, Nahash is the biblical Hebrew word for serpent.Agastya, at the supplication of Nahusha, put a limit to the curse; and according to one version, the doomed man was released from it by the instrumentality Yudhisthira, when he threw off "his huge reptile form, became clothed in a celestial body, and ascended to heaven."


YAYATI

Yayati was the son of king Nahusha. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had five brothers, Yati,Samyati, Ayati,Viyati, and Kriti. He had two wives, Devyani and Sharmishtha. Devyani was the daughter of Shukracharya,the priest of Asuras (the demons). Sharmishtha was the daughter of the Demon King Vrishparva. Sharmishtha was a friend and servant of Devyani.

One day as Devyani and Sharmishtha along with the hoard of servants were amusing themselves in a park, King Yayati happened to pass by. Devyani had been secretly in love with Yayati as he had once rescued her from a dry well. Devyani and Sharmishtha introduced themselves to him and Devyani confessed to being in love with him and asked him to marry her. Yayati said, "Unless your father gives you to me in marriage I will not accept you as my wife."

Shukracharya gave in to his daughter's request and agreed to give her away in marriage to King Yayati. As dowry he gave away Sharmishtha. He however warned Yayati that he should never let Sharmishtha share his bed. Sharmishtha was given a place to live in a shaded glade called Ashok Vatika. One day Yayati happened to pass by Ashok Vatika where Sharmishtha lived. Seeing him, Sharmishtha confessed that she too was in love with the king and wanted him to marry her. She told him that she belonged to a royal family and Yayati could marry her. Yayti agreed and they wed in secret. They continued to meet and hid the fact from Devyani that they were married.

Yayati got two sons from Devyani – 1. Yadu and 2. Turvasu.

Yayati also got three sons from Sharmishtha – 1. Druhyu 2. Anu and 3. Puru.

When Devyani came to know about the relationship of Yayati and Sharmishtha and their three sons she felt shocked and betrayed. Devyani went away to her father's house. Shukracharya was displeased with the king, and cursed that he would lose his youth and become an old man immediately. As soon as Shukracharya uttered his curse Yayati became an old man. Shukracharya also said that his curse once uttered could not be taken back and added that the only concession he could give was that if Yayati wanted he could give his old age to someone and take their youth from them. Yayati was relieved at the reprieve he was given and confident that his sons would willingly exchange their youth with him. Yayati went back to his kingdom. Yayati requested all his five sons one by one to give their youth to him to enjoy the worldly happiness. All the sons except Puru rejected his demand. So Yayati took the youth of Puru and enjoyed all the subjects. Puru became the successor of king Yayati.


Note: King Bharata,On whose name ,our country is known as Bharatvarsha, was also a Somavanshi.

YADU

Yadu ,the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda.The epic Mahabharata and Puranas refer to Yadu as the eldest son of mythological king Yayati.Yadu was banished from ruling and had become rebel who first started ruling in outskirts of India and then intruded the mainland.The Jambudvipa referred in scriptures is believed to be in memory of these islands.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 Haryana,Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Hindu mythology, the descendants of Yadu tribe (Yaduvanshi) include Krishna.Several castes and communities in modern India, such as the Yadavs and the Yaduvanshis descent from Yadu.

The names below,are the important yadava kings named in our mythological texts and history.
King KroshtaAfter King Yadu, his second son, prince Kroshta acquired the kingdom and becamethe first Yaduvanshi ruler. His generations became to be known as "Kroshta Yadav" .

King Vrajnivan or Vrajpita
King SwahiKing after Kroshta
King Ushnak ( a.k.a Roosdrig, Roosdrug, Unkas )
King Chitrarath: King after Ushnak
King Sashibindu
King Bhoj
King Prithushrava
King Dhamraa
King Ushna
King Ruchak
King Jyamagh
King Vidharb
King Krath
King Kunti or Kriti
King Dhrishti
King Nivriti
King Darshah, whose generations were called as "Darshah Yadav".
King Vyom
King Bhim
King Jimut
King Vikriti
King Bhimrath
King Navrath
King Dashrath
King Shakuni
King Karibhi
King Devrat
King Devshtra
King Madhu
King Kumarvansh ( Kuruvashah)
King Anu ( Anshu )
King Puruhotra ( Purumitra )
King Satvatta
King Vrashni (Lord Krishna was known as Varshneya too.)
King Devmudh
King Sursen

King Vasudev

Brother of Kunti, King Vasudev had two queens. Queen Rohini, mother of ShreeBalram and Queen Devki, mother of Lord Krishna. Queen Rohini was daugther ofKing Prateep and Sunanda. King Prateep, a Puruvanshi (King Kuru's dynasty) wasfrom Hastinapur.

LORD SHRI KRISHNA

Lord Shri Krishna is regarded as complete incarnation of God.He had had 16,108 wives and161,080 sons.Rukmini,Satyabhama and Jambvanthi were Lord Krishna's patranis.Pradyumna was his son, and incarnation of Lord Kama.

Radha was Krisha's better half(not wife but consort).The god is union of both man and woman,like Shiva-Parvati,Sia-Ram,Radhe-Krishna.In other words-one can say,Radha was krishna's power,without her,Krishna was incomplete.




According to sacred hindu texts,Devas were born in 32 Yadavas' branches in leadership of Vishnu(Lord Krishna) to destroy the Asuras,which were terryfing the earth. Lord Krishna played the most important role in the greatest war called The Mahabharta.He preached the Geetha to his desciple Arjuna in the battlefield,which was later compiled as the Bhagwat Geeta ,and is the most sacred book of hinduism. During the discourse, Krishna reveals his identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of his divine universal form.In the Geeta,the Master of the science and yoga,the God Himself teaches the Gyan Yoga,Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.He reveals ,how the universe and species came into existance,the death -birth cycle , and how one can attain the supreme ecstasy or the God Himself .

Magadh Empire

According to the Puranas ,the Magadha Empire was established by the Brihadratha Dynasty, who was the sixth in line from Emperor Kuru(Somavanshi) of the Bharata dynasty through his eldest son Sudhanush. The first prominent Emperor of the Magadhan branch of Bharathas was Emperor Brihadratha. His son Jarasandha appears in popular legend and is slain by Bhima in the Mahabharatha. Vayu Purana mentions that the Brihadrathas ruled for 1000 years.

Lichhavi Dynasty,the first republic of the world, (I to 340 AD) was a Jat dynasty(Somavansha) according to Ram Swarup Joon. Dr. K. P. Jaiswal has mentioned, on the basis of some stone tablets unearthed earlier, and with reference to the Puranas that Patliputra and Magadha were the capitals of Lichhavi Bharshiva Jats. According to a rock edict of Raja JaiDev, found in Nepal, his ancestors had ruled on Patliputra in the first century AD, for 100 years after having come from the Punjab.

In medieval age...Rashtrakuta Vansh(King Krishna made Elepahnta caves' huge Shiva statue)and Vijaynagar Empire were Yadavas' kingdoms .

Rastrakutas established a great kingdom in 8th century AD. They claimed lineage from Satyaki(One of the commanders of Lord Krishna). They ruled from Latur (today in Maharastra) and had conquered land from Saurastra to Kannauj (UP).

So many kingdoms in India relate themselves from Yadu branch in medieval Indian history.

Gupta Dynasty's account exactly matches with the Abhira Kings mentioned in the Bhagwatam. Many believe both Guptas and Mauryas were abhir.

When Chankya found Chandragupta Maurya,He recognized the boy as coming from a great lineage and having Raja Yoga. He claimed a lineage from Sri Krishna (as told by his father in childhood) and this is recorded by Megasthenis, the greek Scholar. Ashoka the great ,one of the greatest emperor of all time in human history and the catalyst to spread the Budha -Dharma in the whole world was a Mauryan King.

Hoyasal Empire was a prominent South Indian Kannadiga empire that ruled most of the modern day state of Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries .Hoysalas were descendants of the Yadava by referring to the Yadava vamsa (clan) as Hoysala vamsa.

About the Vijayanagar Empire,Pandit Nehru wrote in his book called 'Discovery of India',

"After Timur's sack of Delhi, North India remained weak and divided up. South India was better off, and the largest and most powerful of the southern kingdoms was Vijayanagar. This state and city attracted many of the Hindu refugees from the north. From contemporary accounts, it appears that the city was rich and very beautiful--The city is such that eye has not seen nor ear heard of any place resembling it upon earth", says Abdur-Razzak from Central Asia. There were arcades and magnificent galleries for the bazaars, and rising above them all was the palace of the king surrounded by "many rivulets and streams flowing through channels of cut stone, polished and even." The whole city was full of gardens, and because of them, as an Italian visitor in 1420, Nicolo Conti, writes, the circumference of the city was sixty miles. A later visitor was Paes, a Portuguese who came in 1522 after having visited the Italian cities of the Renaissance. The city of Vijayanagar, he says, is as "large as Rome and very beautiful to the sight"; it is full of charm and wonder with its innumerable lakes and waterways and fruit gardens. It is "the best-provided city in the world" and "everything abounds." The chambers of the palace were a mass of ivory, with roses and lotuses carved in ivory at the top--"it is so rich and beautiful that you would hardly find anywhere, another such."

Yadavas of Devagiri ,which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad) in Maharashtra.

Marathi literature began and grew thanks to the rise the Yadava dynasty of Devgiri ,who adopted Marathi as the court language and patronized Marathi scholars.Marathi had attained a venerable place in court life by the time of the Yadava kings. During the reign of the last three Yadava kings, a great deal of literature in verse and prose, on astrology, medicine, Puranas, Vedanta, kings and courtiers were created. Nalopakhyan, Rukmini swayamvar and Shripati's Jyotishratnamala (1039 AD) are a few examples.

Rawal Jaisal laid the foundation stone of Jaisalmer in 1156 A.D. He hailed from the Yadav and Rajput kin group.His Yadav descent can be traced back to the Mahabharata. The city has an interesting legend associated with it, according to which, Lord Krishna, the head of the Yadav Clan, foretold Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata that a remote descendent of the Yadav Clan would build his kingdom atop the Trikuta Hill. His prophecy was fulfilled in 1156 AD when Rawal Jaisal, abandoned his fort at Lodurva and founded a new capital Jaisalmer, perched on the Trikuta Hill.

The Yadavs ruled Maharashtra from 10th century AD to the end of the 13th century. Singhania, the Yadav ruler was a lover of literature and art. Sant Dnyaneshwar, a Bhakti saint lived during this period.

Poras,who fouhgt with Alexander the great, was a Yadava or Yaduvanshi king.Col. Tod was the proponent of this view which was also held by Dr. Ishwari Prashad, another renowned historian.
As pre record Jadhav are the descendent of yadav or Chandervanshi rajput. Bhosle / Bhonsle, Ranas, Yadhavas, Nimbalkars come under the category of Marathas.

Jijabai is widely credited with raising Shivaji in a manner that led to his future greatness. She gave a human touch to Shivaji's personality. His policy towards captured women reflects her influence. She died immediately after the coronation of Shivaji, fulfilling her mission.

It is worth mentioning that apart from her, Rukmini (wife of Krishna), Damayanti (wife of Nala), Lopamudra (wife of sage agasti) were princesses from Bhoj Yadavas of Vidarbha. All four princesses are well known for their versite personality and character

Note: Alha- Udal also belong to Kshtriya caste (Banaphar),which is a branch of lunar dynasty(Somavansha).


Gene D. Metlock,is a retired high school foreign language teacher who spends his retirement researching the history and origins of mankind's religions, the origins of our Amerindian tribes, and related subjects, has also given various facts to support the myths associated with Yadavas.


'When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them. The Lord said, My breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh; let the days allotted him be one hundred and twenty years. It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth--when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.' (Genesis, 6:1--4.)

I quoute him : "Most people can't understand why this passage was placed in Genesis and who the Nephilim were. The Nephilim descended to earth to plant the seeds of God--Men who would, from time to time, reincarnate to lead mankind on the right path. Nephilim has its equivalent both in Sanskrit and Greek. In Sanskrit, 'Nau/Nu/Na=' ship; boat; knowledge; certainty; the descendancy from Noah or Lord Krishna; God Shiva; Buddha; Noah.' Navalin = Star Ship; Constellation Ship. In Greek, Nephilim= Nuphylum, meaning The Five Races (Phylum) of Noah (Nu). Of the five races, Yadu, Turvasa, Druhyus, Anu, and Puru, the only one IÕll deal with are the Yadu and their companions, the Yadavas. Yadava is a contraction of Yadu plus Deva, meaning 'The Yadu Demi--Gods or People of Yah.' It was through them that Lord Krishna, God Shiva, and Buddha came to earth to save mankind from time to time, as follows:Nephilim/Navalin > Noah (Manu) >Jyapeti (Japhet or Yayati) > Yadu > Yadava > Jews/Yahuda.Yayati/Jyapeti/Japhet was at one and the same time Dyauspitar (Jupiter), Dyus (Zeus), Vishnu or Lord Krishna, Shiva, and Buddha.Notice that the Nephilim/Navalin did not detach themselves from their bodies and move into those of the Yadus and Yadavas. They could enter this world only via the bloodstreams of the Yadu and Yadava (Yahudas or Jews). For that, they had to breed with the daughters of men, leaving their seed in the wombs of these daughters. The closer people were tied genetically to the Yadu and Yadava, the easier it was to get a correct genetic match for producing a fetus capable of hosting a true Son of the Unbegotten. Any of the other races could produce saints but not saviors like Jesus and Krishna. For this reason, Lord Krishna and Jesus were related by blood ties. Krishna was a Yadu Kuru. Jesus was a Yehudi Koresh.Could it be that the Hebrew and Hindu Gods, entering mankind's bloodstream through Japhet, the son of Noah, were really Gods? It seems that they were. We, whose religions descend from Noah's times, worshiping the same deities, accuse one another of being wrong and that we are right. We are all brothers. LetÕ's face it. What amazes me is that the Krishtayani, who were the people of Noah, and now the Christians, have never left the world scene.Before researching this information, I wondered why the Jews have always said they are 'The Chosen People.' That is because they, the Yadavas, and the Yadus were the only ones chosen by God to bring redemption to the world. Over the centuries, the Jews came to forget that they also shared that honor with the Indian Jyapeti, Yadus and Yadavas.In ancient times, these tribes were said to possess great mystical knowledge--more than any other peoples on earth. It may be true that those who were chosen for the priesthood had to perform some kind of test to prove they descended from the Divine Beings called Nephilim/Navalin. In Hebrews 7:3, we read a description of the mysterious figure Melchizedec whom I claim was Malika Sadhaka (Lord Krishna), the Incarnation of Vishnu."

Political influence

Through numerous political parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Republic), Janata Dal the Yadavs have considerable political influence, especially in the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.Lalu Yadav,Rabri Devi became the chief minister of Bihar and Mulayam Singh in UP.

Clans

Major Yadav clans of current age include Krishnauth (claiming direct lineage from Lord Krishna), Manjrauth (believed to be linked to Jarasandh), and Gaur (also called Goriya, and mentioned in the Mahabharatha)
Ahirs (variously called including Ahira and Abhir) are divided into three major clans, namely, Yaduvanshi, Nandavanshi, and Gwalvanshi.

Many groups and clans claiming descent from the ancient Yadu clan call themselves Yadavs. The major clans among these are:

Ahirs (variously called Ahira and Abhira) are divided into clans called Khanap:
Nandavanshi (descendants of Nanda}
Gwalvanshi (descendants of Holy Gwals)
Dadhor
Bhragudev (Central UP )
Sandilya (Central UP)
Gosia (Central UP)
Nirvan (Western UP Chaubisa)
Adhikari [Bengal and Orissa]
Bharwad in Gujarath
Bhatrajus (Andhra Pradesh)
Dhangars (in Maharashtra and Karnataka), having 108 clans
Edayar (Tamil Nadu)
Gaurs (also called Goriya, and mentioned in the Mahabharata)
Gawlis
Gadri / Gadariya
Gaddi
Golla
Gouda (Orissa)
Jambavas
Jadon
Kalchuri
Konar Doss,Karayalar(Yadava) pillai (in Tamil Nadu and Kerala)*
Krishnauth (claiming direct lineage from Lord Shri Krishna)*
Kondayankotth-Tirunelveli-Tamilnadu
Kurubas or kurubagowda, in karnataka and andhra pradesh
Maniyani,Nayar,Mayar (in Kerala)
Manjrauth (linked with Jarasandh)
Mandal & Bhagat (Bihar)
Oraon
Pradhans
Puhanian
Rauts
Saini(Shoorseni/Surasena/Shaursaini)
Sassedran( Kerla)
Surabhirs
Thatte
Yadavas
Yadavulu
Jadeja
Bhati
Banaphar
Deshwal (some city in U.P)

of the major groups called castes many bear names derived from the principal professions they follow or the crafts they practice, for example, the cattle-breeding group takes the significant name of Gauli, derived from a Sanskrit word for cow. The names of the shepherd castes seem to be derived from words meaning sheep. Such is at least the case with Gadaria from 'gadar', on old Hindi word for sheep. Many others of these major groups called castes bear merely tribal or ethic names. Such are for example: Arora, Gujar, Lohana, Bhatia, Mina, Bhil, Dom, Oraon, Munda, Santal, Koch, Ahir, Mahar, Nayar, Maratha, Gond, Khond, etc.

Almost all early Jat rulers have been mentioned by contemporary poets as Yaduvanshis. The poet Sudan , poet Somnath , poet Udayram have write about the origin of Sinsinwar Jat rulers of Bharatpur as under -

तीन जाति जादव की, अंधक, विस्‍नी, भोज ।
तीन भांति तेई भये, तै फिर तिनही षोज ।।
पूर्व जनम ते जादव विस्‍नी ।
तेई प्रकटे आइ सिनसिनी ।।

Jat historian Bhaleram Beniwal has written after recent researches with evidences in his book "Jāton kā Ādikālīn Itihās" that Krishna was a Jat. He has mentioned the above refered evidences in addition to the following authors which mention Krishna as Jats. These are Yogendrapal Shastri, Motilal Gupta Walter Hamilton. The Arabian traveller Al-Biruni has mentioned that Lord Krishna was a Jat. Dr Natthan Singh has also mentioned the theory of origin of Jatsfrom Yadu.Thakur Deshraj also tells that after the great Mahabharata war Krishna formed a democratic federation or sangha of clans known as Jñātisangha (ज्ञाति-संघ). Initially Vrishni and Andhaka clans were included in this sangha and later many clans joined it.

Notable Yadavs

Shree Raje Ratnasing Jadhavrao, Shree Raje Krushnasing

Shrimant Namdar Sardar Raje Shambhusing Amarsing Jadhavrao

Shrimant Sau Khashibaisaheb Jadhavrao, The Queen of Malegaon

Mythology

Lord Krishna, was born in the dynasty of Yadu and was known as king of Yadavas
Balarama, Elder brother of Lord Krishna
Neminatha, The 22nd Teerthankar of Jains & cousin of Krishna
Vasudeva, father of Krishna
Kartavirya Arjuna (Emperor of Mahismati, also known as Shasrabahu)
Kunti, sister of Vasudeva and mother of Pandavas and Karna
Kansa, a tyrannical king of Mathura, who was killed by Krishna
Ugrasen, the father of Kansa

Historical

Kanakadasa,greatest devotee of lord Sri Krishna
Kalidasa,greatest sanskrit poet
Vijayanagar empire,Sri Krishna Dev Roy,Yadava Dynasty (Deogiri now Daulatabad)
Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore, Karnataka
Ananda Konar(yadav ruler in Tamilnadu 1200AD he build chengi fort)
Krishna Konar(yadav ruler in krishnakiri in tamilnadu)
Hoyasala Dynasty of Karnataka
King Katamaraju (Andhra Pradesh)
Jamin Alagumuthu kone(small king of kattalankulam in tamilnadu 1st freedom fighter of south india)
VeeraPandya Kattabomman (1857 Freedom Fighter-The Ideal King)

Veer Lorik
Rao Balbir Singh (King of haryana)
Jijabai(mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji)
Rao Tula Ram(1857 freedom fighter)
Pran Sukh Yadav(fought along with Rao Tula Ram Yadav at Nasibpur)

Some scholars, such as Robert Sewell believe that the rulers of Vijayanagara Empire were Kurubas (also known as Yadavas).

Politics

International Figures

Ram Baran YadavPresident of Nepal
Upendra Yadav, Minister of Foreign Affirs, Nepal Govt.
D P Yadav Ex MP
N.Somanathan,Advocate,Kannur,Kerala(Soman Nair)Organizer Akhila Kerala Yadava Maha Sabha
Kapil Sibal,famous advocate of supreme court

National Level Figures(Present or Former Chief Ministers and National Level Ministers

B. P. Mandal,Ex CM, Bihar, Chairman of Mandal Commission
Lalu Prasad Yadav, Indian Railway Minister & President of RJD, Ex CM Bihar
Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ex CM, Uttar Pradesh & President of Samajvadi Party
Daroga Prasad Rai, Ex CM, Bihar
Siddaramaiah,Ex deputy cheif minister of karnataka
Ram Naresh Yadav, Ex CM, Uttar Pradesh
Rabari Devi, Ex CM, Bihar (Wife of Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav)
Babulal Gaur, Ex CM, Madhya Pradesh
Subhash Yadav Former Deputy Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh*
Sharad Yadav, President JD(U), MP, Former Union Minister
Akhilesh Yadav,Son of Former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Prominent leader of Samajwadi Party. He is persently MP from Kannauj constifuency of UP.

Member of Parliaments

Dr. Karan Singh Yadav, Veteran Heart Sergeon & M.P., Alwar(Rajasthan)
Sudha Yadav, Ex. M.P., Mahenderagarh, Haryana
Suresh Kalmadi, President, Indian Olympic Association and Former M.P from Pune(Maharashtra)
Devendra Prasad Yadav, MP from Bihar.
Ram Kripal Yadav, MP from Bihar.
Ram Gopal Yadav, MP, from Sambhal, UP. General Secretary of Samajwadi Party.
Dr. Shyam Singh Yadav, Chief Scientist, NARI, Lae, Papua New Guinea
Mr Giridhari Yadav MP
Mr Shitaram Yadav MP
Mrs Kanti singh MP Min of in govt of india
Dr. Shyam Singh Yadav, Chief Scientist, NARI, Lae, Papua New Guinea
there are more than 80 MP in 14th lok sabha

State Level Figures

Gajendra Prasad Himanshu, Ex Deputy Speaker/Minister, Bihar
KannappanSitting M.L.A Former PWD Minister of Tamil Nadu
Bandaru Dattatreya, Ex min of govt of india, Andhra pradesh.
Peria karupan Hindu Endownment Minister of Tamilnadu

Distinguished Armymen and Gallantry award winners

Yogendra Singh Yadav (Param Vir Chakra recipient, Kargil War)
Namdev Jadav(Victoria Cross recipient)
Umrao Singh(Victoria Cross recipient, World War II, Burma Front)
Rai Singh(Maha Vir Chakra recipient)
Pran Sukh Yadav, Military commander in Anglo-Sikh wars

Sports

Sushil Kumar, Olympic medalist wrestler
Panne Lal Yadav, Wrestler
Hemulal Yadav, Cricketer
Jai Prakash Yadav, Cricketer
Jyoti Yadav, Cricketer
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, India's first individual Olympic medalist
Shivlal Yadav, Cricket player
Vijay Yadav, Cricket player
Simhachalam, Billiards & Snooker player of Andhra Pradesh and also an international referee in Billiards
Santosh Yadav, Mountanior, Only lady climbed "Mount Everest" twice

Artists / Writers / Journalists/Academician

Rajendra Yadav (Hindi novelist and editor of "HANS")
Anand Yadav(Marathi writer)
Parbhu Dayal Yadav, (Artisan)
Poonam Yadav, (Singer, UP)
Dibang,TV Journalist,NDTV

Yogendra Yadav,psephologist

Kumar Vimal

Film

Raghubir Yadav (Bollywood actor)
Rajpal Yadav(Bollywood actor)
Madhavi (Well known South Indian Actress)
Narsing Yadav(Telugu actor)
Arjun Sarja(South Indian Hero, Director and Producer)
Vijay Yadav(Telugu TV actor)
vijay(kannada film star,known as duniya vijay)
sasikumar(Tamil actor and director)
Ravi yadav(cinemotographer & producer)
Rajesh yadav(cinemotographer)
siva yadav(Art Director)
Ram Yadav(Dance Director)

spiritual

Swami Ramdev

Note:I have gathered these informations from various sources for my readers and I will feel highly greatful if anyone wants to give some more input about this race .Yadavas are the single largest community in India and perhaps in the whole world, estimated to be constituting more than 11% of the Indian population - in terms of sheer numbers this translates to 110 million people, prompting some people to state that Yadavas are not merely a community but a "nation" in themselves.

Yadavs, known by various other names including Gopes (Gope means mystique stemming from Lord Shiva (Also called Gopeshwar)and emulated in Bhagwad Gita), Gaurs, Yadavas, Ahirs ,Kurubas, Abhirs, Surabhirs, Suras, Surasena, Souryasaini, Ghosals,Rawals, Bhatis, Goudas, Pradhans, Rauts, and Yaduvanshis, are among five most ancient Aryan races of Bharata. They mostly follow Hindu religion, and are currently located in different parts of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Abhira, which is considered to be a subgroup of Yadava caste today, is assumed to be different from ancient Yadavas. Linkage is obscure and views vary from scholar to scholar. The term was used for cowherds initially but has been extended to include Yaduvanshi and Nandavanshis too by its corrupt version Ahir. Abhira means "fearless" and appear in most ancient historical references dating back to the Abhira kingdom.
Abhira KingdomSudra and Abhira were mentioned as two kingdoms where the river Saraswati existed only as a dried up river bed during the time of Kurukshetra War.... of the Saraswati Valley, who spoke Abhiri until the Buddhist period. Analysis of Hindu scriptural references of the Abhira kingdoms has led some scholars to conclude that it was merely a term used for Holy Yadava Kingdoms. In Bhagavatam, the Gupta dynasty
Gupta EmpireThe "Gupta Empire" was one of the largest political and military empires in History of India India. It was ruled by the Gupta dynasty from around 240 to 550 CE and covered most of northern India India and what is now eastern Pakistan and Bangladesh.... has been alled Abhir.-Stephen Knapp
Stephen Knapp is an author. He studied with A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and was given the name Sri Nandanandana dasa.... seeks a connection between Yadavas and Jews. According to him,
The Greeks are an ethnic group mostly found in the southern Balkan peninsula of southeastern Europe and are primarily associated with the Greek language.... referred to the Jews as Judeos, or Jah deos or Yadavas, meaning people of Ya.