Pururava is regarded as the founder of the lunar dynasty. His wife, Aushiniri, was barren and the lineage continued through his son from his mistress, the celestial maiden Urvashi. Shibi, Kuru, Yayati, Puru, Dushyant and Bharat (after whom India derives its original name) were all great kings of the lunar dynasty. The heroes of the Mahabharata war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas were also from this lineage. King Shantanu had married Ganga, who gave birth to Bheeshma. Satyavati, the daughter of Nisada was the second wife of Shantanu. She begot Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. Chitrangada had died in an encounter with a demigod of his own name, while Vichitraveerya who was married to Ambika and Ambalika the princesses of Kashi died without producing a child. Since, Bheeshma had vowed to abide by celibacy till death, the sage Vyasa was summoned to produce children from Ambika and Ambalika. From Vyasa the two queens gave birth to Dhritarashtra and Pandu respectively. Dhritarashtra had one hundred sons, the Kauravas; while Pandu's five sons were known as the Pandavas. Arjun, Pandu's third son, married Subhadra, the sister of Lord Krishna. Subhadra begot Abhimanyu who was married to Uttara, the daughter of King Virat, who begot Parikshit. After the Mahabharata war in which all the Kauravas were killed, Pandu's eldest son Yudhishthir ascended the throne. Since all the sons of the Pandavas were killed in the Mahabharata war, Parikshit succeeded Yudhishthir and the lineage continued through his son Janmajeya.
Yadu, another son of Yayati, created his own lineage in which Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu was born. Hence Krishna too was as such descended from Som, but was not in the lunar dynasty.
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