Yadu is one of the five Indian tribes (panchajana, panchakrishtya or panchamanusha) mentioned in the Rig Veda. Krishna is the descendant of Yadu from the Vedic tribe.
The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani.
Yadu was a self-respecting and very established ruler. According to the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana and the Garuda Purana, Yadu had four sons, while according to the rest of the Puranas, he had five sons.
The kings between Budha and Yayati were known as Somavanshis or Chandravamshis.
According to a narrative found in the Mahabharata, and the Vishnu Purana, Yadu refused to exchange his years of youth with his father Yayati.
So he was cursed by Yayati that none of Yadu’s progeny shall possess the dominion under his father’s command. Thereby, he could not have carried on the same dynasty, called Somavamshi.
Notably, the only remaining dynasty of King Puru was entitled to be known as Somavamshi. Thereby King Yadu ordered that the future generations of his would be known as Yadavas and the dynasty would be known as Yaduvanshi.
The generations of Yadu had unprecedented growth and were divided into two branches.
Sahasrajit’s descendants were named after his grandson, Haihaya, and were known as the Haihayas. King Kroshtu’s descendants were often referred to as the Yadavas.