20/04/2014
Introduction
1. Yadavas are known to be Great Warriors and even Greater Politicians. This combination can be best understood by looking at the Narayani Sena and the Politics of Lord Krishna .
2. Narayani Sena was the Army of Lord Krishna .
3. Lord Krishna used this narayani sena to win most of India, including Pragjyotisha, Shonitapura, Vidarbha, Gandhara, Pandya, and the mighty Magadha.
4. This Narayani Sena was instrumental when Yudhisthir did a Ashwamegh Yagya, all the kingdoms that didn't approved of the supremacy of Yudhishthir and Krishna were called to battle and defeated handsomely. This way they won all of India.
5. The great thing about Narayani Sena was that it was used as a threat to other rival kingdoms, but it was used into the battle only where there was a chance of extending the Yadav Empire. Unnecessary wars were avoided
Composition of Narayani Sena
1. The total strength of Narayani Sena was around 10,00,000 Warriors.
2. In the Narayani Sena, Krishna had full eighteen thousand brothers and cousins.
3. 7 Atirathas :- Lord Krishna himself, Lord Balrama , Ahuka who had a hundred sons, Charudeshna with his brother Chakradeva, Satyaki, and Lord Krishna son son Samba who is equal unto Krishna in battle.
4. 7 Maharathas :- They are Kritavarman, Anadhrishti, Samika, Samitinjaya, Kanka, Sanku and Kunti.
5. There are also two sons of Andhakabhoja, and the old king himself.
6. The Kingdoms that were defeated by the Narayani Sena were The Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Kasis, the Kosalas, the Vatsyas, the Gargyas, the Karushas and the Paundras,--all these they vanquished in battle.
7. In a war prior to Mahabharat War :- Ekalavya, the son of the ruler of the Nishadas, and the Kalingas and the Magadhas, and the Gandharas and the king of Kasi, and many rulers assembled together in the midst of the desert were vanquished by Vasudeva Krishna and his Narayani Sena. 6. Out of these great Warrior, Only Kritavarman with his Army unit fought for the Kauravas. Satyaki fought for the Pandavas. Other Yadav Atirathas and Maharathas abstained from the Mahabharat War on advice of Balrama and Krishna
Why Lord Krishna built the Narayani Sena
1. Krishna guiding principle was the establishment of a Yadava Empire on the political map of northern India. There are several reasons for this wish of his, and they are listed below.
2. In earlier times some Pauravas left Hastinapura and conquered Chedi from the Yadavas. Later, Lord Krishna re-established the Yadavas at Chedi using the Narayani Sena, and moved on to establish their sway in Magadha.
3. One of the finest statesmen of the time, ruling at Magadha was Jarasandha, whose Kingdom easily was superior to any contemporary, including pre-Krishna Mathura Kingdom, in might, diplomacy and power. He even managed to alienate the Southern Yadavas from the mainline Yadavas of Mathura and bring them inseparably under his tutelage. This made other Paurava Kings supremely antagonistic towards the Mathura Yadavas after the slaying of Kamsa. Jarasandha vowed to annihilate them totally.
4. The Yadavas were spread all over. The mainline Yadavas remained in and around Mathura. Other lines went to Dvaraka, Mahismati, Vidarbha. Chedi, Avanti, Dasharna, even up to Mysore. All the other kingdom practically was surrounded by the Yadavas. But though the Yadavas were a large clan, there was no cohesion among them. There was a lot of conflict within the Mathura Yadavas, mainly due to Kamsa who became king after imprisoning his father Ugrasena. There was no peace due to the power struggle between Andhakas, Shinis, Sattvatas, Vrishnis etc.
5. The southern Yadavas were not friendly towards the Mathura Yadavas. Even though two of King Vasudev’s sisters were married to the kings of Karusha Chedi, they remained firmly on the side of Jarasandha who took advantage of the situation. He married his daughters to Kamsa, supported him in his ascendancy and brought Mathura too under his control. In this way, it was Jarasandha who controlled the entire Yadava clan for some time. Even when Jarasandha attacked the Mathura Yadavas, Vidarbha, Chedi, Dasharna, Avanti, Karusha etc. joined his imperial forces.
6. Besides these warring relatives, there were other power centers in the country. The most important were the Matsyas of Virata (Jaipur of today) who played a vital role in shaping the course of history of the time, Salva of Sauva (Punjab) and Paudrak Vasudeva of Anga, Pundravardhana etc. Also, there were Gonanda of Kashmir, Subala of Gandhara, etc. These were all friendly towards Jarasandha and joined the imperial forces in their campaign against Mathura.
Lord Krishna Nation Building Process
1. Lord Krishna involved himself in nation building, shifting power centers, politics, diplomacy, using peace and war according to requirements of the Nation. And Narayani Sena was assembled for this purpose.
2. Krishna used all the four principles of Dand-niti to destroy the malignant power centers, create new alliances that emerged as counter balances to the existing power structure and use diplomacy to bolster the National and Yadav interest.
3. He used war and peace, he used marriages and he used his basic superior intelligence for this one purpose. Consequently, the Yadavas accepted him as their supreme commander. It took some time. It also took some effort. But in the final analysis, he emerged as the leader whose judgement and veracity could not be disputed. This made him to select and assemble the best of Yadav fighters as a united army against the cruel kings.
4. His political acumen combined with his sharp intellect, personal courage and physical prowess established him as a major force. The contemporary powers came to regard the Yadavas under Krishna with respect and fear.
5. Krishna appeared on the scene with his heroic abilities, superior intellect and tremendous political foresight. He, having been thrown into the situation, was quite clear in his objective. He had to retrieve the Yadavas from the political quagmire into which they had fallen and slowly re-establish them as the supreme power in North India to take their rightful place as the heirs of Yayati by replacing the usurpers.
6. His course of action was also clear to him. He had to bring back unity among the belligerent Yadavas. He achieved this with a master’stroke of diplomacy, a combination of brain and brawn.
7. He slew Kamsa and his henchmen but did not assume power himself. Neither did he put King Vasudev, his father, on the throne. Instead, he brought back Ugrasena, Kamsa’s hapless father and set him on the throne. This endeared him to all the Yadavas, irrespective of clans, including Kamsa’s supporters.
8. Then, when Jarasandha attacked to avenge the death of his son-in-law, he kindled the Yadavas with the spirit of patriotism and provided inimitable leadership in the defence of Mathura. It is a remarkable achievement of Krishna that he was able to defend Mathura with a handful of Yadavas against the colossal imperial army that included practically all the major powers of India, namely, Salva, Gonanda of Kashmir, Chedi, Bhishmaka, Virata and of course Duryodhana and his brothers. This imperial force was thwarted time and again not only by Krishna’s personal courage and prowess, but also by the leadership provided by him.
9. All the Yadavas stood by him as one. By the time he retreated to Dvaraka in the face of the superior forces of Jarasandha, he had achieved his goal.
10. The entire Yadava clan, the Bhojas, Vrishnis, Andhakas, Shinis, Kukuras, Sattvatas etc. swore by him and looked up to him as their natural leader in all matters of importance. Every future incident reconfirmed his position as leader and the bond of the Yadava brotherhood went from strength to strength. The path was not free of obstacles.
11. Nevertheless, he achieved what he wanted-unity among the Yadavas. He did not succeed in bringing the southern Yadavas immediately into his fold. But by this time, the Mathura-Dvaraka Yadavas had already emerged as a major force, feared even by Hastinapura.
Jarasandha's Magadha Confederacy
1. Having united the Yadavas, and after the creation of Narayani Sena, Krishna found it necessary to consolidate. Though powerful, the Yadavas were politically isolated and had powerful enemies.
2. So, he needed political alliances, which would help him in containing or removing the enemies.
3. His main adversary was Jarasandha and his allies.
4. He realised that only after destroying him, could he turn his attention to Hastinapura, his final goal. That Duryodhana joined Jarasandha in the siege of Mathura, must have weighed with him considerably in his antipathy towards the Kauravas. But, first of all, the alliances.
5. Krishna saw that to destroy Jarasandha, he had to use the Kauravas, the other most powerful nation. For that, he needed to make an inroad into them.
6. Luck was with him. He found the Pandavas. There were three distinct reasons why the Pandavas must be chosen as allies. First, they were individually extremely gifted, not only in the art of warfare but also in the qualities of head and heart. Most important, they too were isolated, without much political support and constantly persecuted and hunted by their kinsmen of Hastinapura. They needed help. Secondly, they were matrimonially linked with the Panchalas, the biggest hardcore enemies of Hastinapura. That too suited him very well. Thirdly, the Pandavas were his natural allies, being his first cousins, through their mother Kunti who was the sister of his father King Vasudev.
7. Providence was therefore with him. He needed the Pandava-Panchala alliance and they needed the power of the Yadavas at their back. He therefore extended the hand of friendship which was gratefully accepted. He chose for his friend Arjuna, who he saw was the most versatile, balanced and capable among the five.
8. Arjuna was certainly the kingpin in this alliance and he needed cultivating. He did it with such consummate grace and finesse that Arjuna could nor even think without Krishna and was always willing to do what was pleasing to Krishna .
9. So, what began as a political need ended up as a deep emotional involvement for both. This attitude of Arjuna had far-reaching effects.
10. It was not for nothing that Arjuna’s grandson inherited the empire. Krishna ensured it with a Yadava angle to it. It was a dubious Kaurava inheritance with a strong Yadava flavor. He conceived a plan the moment he saw the Pandavas and nurtured it fondly, always progressing steadily towards the fructification of his ultimate plan.
