Kalayavana

There was a brahmana named Gargya who had been insulted and ridiculed by the Yadavas. This brahmana went to the shores of the southern ocean and began to perform tapasya. His desire was a son who would be the scourge of the Yadavas. As part of the tapasya, he ate only iron dust for food. The tapasya went on for twelve years and at the end of it, Mahadeva was pleased. The brahmana obtained the desired boon.

The son who was born was black of hue. The king of the Yavanas had no son and the brahmna’s son was adopted by the Yavana king. Eventually, this son became the king of the Yavanas and came to be know as Kalayavana.

Kalayavana wanted to know the names of all the powerful kings an earth from Narada. He was told the names of the Yadava kings. So he decided to attack the Yadavas. He collected thousands and thousands of chariots, horses, elephants and infantry. Then he came to came to Mathura to wage war.