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Shura — Yadava King of the Andhaka Line, Son of Rajadhideva
Shura · Shonashva · Shura Andhaka
Shura is a Yadava king belonging to the Andhaka branch of the Satvata line. He is a son of Rajadhideva, grandson of Viduratha, and great-grandson of Bhajamana, placing him in the fourth generation of the dynastic succession from the clan's founding ancestor. His son Shami continued the lineage toward Hridika and ultimately Kritavarma. This Shura of the Andhaka line is a distinct figure from the more prominent Shurasena of the Vrishni branch, who was the father of Vasudeva and the grandfather of Krishna. Shura of the Andhaka line appears in the Harivamsha (Harivamsha Parva, chapter 38).
✦ The Name
Shura in Sanskrit means a hero or a brave warrior. It is a common Yadava name and appears in multiple branches of the dynasty, which has led to considerable conflation across secondary sources. The Harivamsha names this figure as Shonashva in the list of Rajadhideva's sons, meaning "he of the red horse," which may be his personal name, with Shura serving as an honorific or general designation. The Garuda Purana records the son of Viduratha simply as Shura without the name Shonashva.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Rajadhideva — son of Viduratha, described in the Harivamsha as a valiant Andhaka king who had eight powerful sons.
- Paternal grandfather: Viduratha — son of Bhajamana, described as the foremost of chariot warriors.
- Brothers (Harivamsha 1.38.2–3): Datta, Atidatta, Svetavahana, Shami, Dandasharma, Dandashatru, and Shatrujit — seven brothers, all sons of Rajadhideva. Two sisters, Shravana and Shravishtha, are also recorded.
- Son: Shami — whose son Pratiksatra continued the succession toward Svayambhoja and then Hridika.
✦ Textual Variants and Inconsistencies
The Garuda Purana (Chapter 139) records that the son of Viduratha was Shura, who was the father of Shami, presenting Shura as the direct son of Viduratha. The Harivamsha interposes Rajadhideva as an additional generation between Viduratha and Shura/Shonashva, with Shami as a brother rather than a son of this Shura. The two accounts cannot be fully reconciled; the Harivamsha, as the more detailed source for this genealogy, is the primary witness. It is also notable that the Garuda Purana's Shura — son of Viduratha, father of Shami — may be a compressed reference to Rajadhideva's generation rather than an independent figure named Shura.
This Shura of the Andhaka line must also be carefully distinguished from Shurasena of the Vrishni branch, who was the father of Vasudeva and Pritha (Kunti). Secondary sources occasionally conflate the two due to the shared name and their proximity in the same broad Yadava genealogical corpus.
✦ Connection to the Wider Genealogy
In the Harivamsha account, Shura (as Shonashva) is one of eight sons of Rajadhideva. It is his brother Shami through whom the succession continues to Pratiksatra, Svayambhoja, and Hridika. In the Garuda Purana's compressed account, Shura is directly the father of Shami and thus the immediate ancestor of the line leading to Kritavarma.
✦ References
- Harivamsha, Harivamsha Parva, 1.38.1–3: Names Rajadhideva as son of Viduratha and lists his eight sons including Shonashva (Shura) and Shami.
- Garuda Purana, Chapter 139 (Dutt translation): Names Shura as the direct son of Viduratha and the father of Shami, condensing the genealogy.