Genealogies from Yayāti’s Sons to the Yadu Dynasty; Romapāda–Ṛṣyaśṛṅga; Kārtavīryārjuna; and the Rise of Yādava Branches
दुष्मन्त: स पुनर्भेजे स्ववंशं राज्यकामुक: । ययातेर्ज्येष्ठपुत्रस्य यदोर्वंशं नरर्षभ ॥ १८ ॥ वर्णयामि महापुण्यं सर्वपापहरं नृणाम् । यदोर्वंशं नर: श्रुत्वा सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते ॥ १९ ॥
duṣmantaḥ sa punar bheje sva-vaṁśaṁ rājya-kāmukaḥ yayāter jyeṣṭha-putrasya yador vaṁśaṁ nararṣabha
Le roi Duṣmanta, désireux d’occuper le trône, retourna à sa dynastie d’origine, la lignée Pūru, bien qu’il eût accepté Maruta pour père. Ô Parīkṣit, le meilleur des hommes, je vais maintenant décrire la dynastie de Yadu, fils aîné du roi Yayāti; ce récit est souverainement saint, il anéantit les conséquences du péché, et par sa seule écoute l’homme est délivré de toutes réactions pécheresses.
In this verse, Śukadeva announces he will narrate the lineage of Yadu, the eldest son of King Yayāti—an important dynasty later connected with the Yādavas.
He is concluding the prior dynastic thread and indicating a transition—Duṣmanta returns to his own line, and the narration now turns to Yadu’s dynasty.
The Bhagavatam’s genealogies show how desire for power and duty shape history, reminding one to align ambition with dharma and to seek lasting spiritual purpose beyond rulership.