The Lunar dynasty (
IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the
Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
'' or ''
Lunar
Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon".
Lunar may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games
* "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta
* "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...
''). The Hindu deity
Krishna is believed to have been born in the
Yaduvamsha branch of the Lunar dynasty.
According to the ''
Shatapatha Brahmana
The Shatapatha Brahmana ( sa, शतपथब्राह्मणम् , Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam, meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of one hundred paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic ...
'',
Pururavas
Pururavas ( Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty.
According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and U ...
was the son of
Budha (himself often described as the son of Soma) and the gender-switching deity
Ila (born as the daughter of
Manu). Pururavas's great-grandson was
Yayati
Yayāti ( sa, ययाति, translit=Yayāti), is a king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas.
He is considered in some texts ...
, who had five sons named
Yadu,
Turvasu,
Druhyu,
Anu
, image=Detail, upper part, Kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125-1104 BCE. British Museum.jpg
, caption=Symbols of various deities, including Anu (bottom right corner) on a kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125–1104 BCE
, ...
, and
Puru Puru refer to:
*Puru (Vedic tribe), a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda
*King Puru, a Hindu king in the Rigveda and Mahabharata
*King Porus, a king of northwest India in the time of Alexander the Great
*Puru ( ...
. These seem to be the names of five Vedic tribes as described in the
Vedas.
According to the ''Mahabharata'', the dynasty's progenitor
Ila ruled from Prayaga, and had a son Shashabindu who ruled in the country of Bahli. The son of Ila and
Budha was
Pururavas
Pururavas ( Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty.
According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and U ...
who became the first Chandravamsha emperor of the entirety of the earth. Ila's descendants were also known as the Ailas.
Encyclopaedia of the Hindu world, Volume 1 By Gaṅgā Rām Garg
/ref>
Mahabharata
In Hindu texts, the Kurukshetra War, which forms the subject of the Indian epic '' Mahabharata'', was largely fought between rival branches of the Lunar dynasty, famously resulting in Arjuna's turn away from war and the reprimand of his mentor Krishna. Krishna reminds Arjuna that dharma stands above everything, and the text forms an integral cultural cornerstone for all four Kshatriya houses.
By the conclusion of the Kurukshetra War, most of the Yaduvamsha lineage is in peril. The sinking of Dvaraka sees the destruction of the entire Yaduvamsha lineage, with the exception of Vajra, who was saved by Arjuna, and later becomes the King of Mathura.
See also
* Solar dynasty
* Mahabharata
* History of Hinduism
* Puru and Yadu Dynasties
References
Sources
*
External links
*{{Commonscatinline
Kshatriya
Mythological peoples
Kingdoms in the Mahabharata