Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (58 page)
Read Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
38
The abduction of Droupadi.
39
Jarasandha.
40
The theft of the earrings.
41
Arani
is a wood or stick used for kindling a sacred fire and this parva is named after that.
42
Virata was the king of the Matsya kingdom and the Pandavas lived there in exile.
43
The slaying of Kichaka.
44
The stealing of cattle.
45
Endeavour.
46
The arrival of Sanjaya.
47
Sleeplessness at night.
48
An arrival in search of peace.
49
Krishna.
50
Niryanana
means departure or exit.
51
One of the seven continents (
dvipa
) that surround Mount Meru. Sometimes, the number of continents is also given as eighteen. But seven is more standard. The word dvipa also means island. But here, it has been used in the alternative meaning, a division of the terrestrial world.
52
The slaying of Abhimanyu.
53
Oath.
54
The slaying of Jayadratha.
55
The slaying of Ghatotkacha.
56
Named after Karna.
57
Named after Shalya.
58
Duel of the clubs.
59
The word
souptika
means something connected with sleep and the name is a reference to the fact that the protagonists were asleep and the incidents took place at night.
60
Named after the aishika weapon.
61
Offering of water.
62
Women.
63
Shraddha
means funeral rites.
64
Peace.
65
Concerning clubs.
66
The great departure.
67
Ascent to heaven.
68
The lineage of Hari.
69
Concerning the future. The Harivamsha is usually accepted as an appendix to the Mahabharata, but not what is referred to as Bhavishya parva. Bhavishya parva is what is known as Bhavishya Purana, one of the eighteen major Puranas. Barring this reference, Bhavishya parva is not part of the Mahabharata. Consequently, it doesn’t find a mention in Section 1’s listing either.
70
Indra’s horse, which emerged as a result of the churning of the ocean.
71
This is the sixth parva, listed as the descent of the first generation. After this, one loses the matching between the eighteen-parva classification and the 100-parva classification, since the text now sticks to the eighteen-parva classification.
72
One may loosely use the word demon for both daitya and danava, but daityas are descendants of Diti and danavas are descendants of Danu.
73
Nagas are not snakes. Snakes are
sarpa
s. Nagas can perhaps be translated as serpents. Unlike snakes, nagas can assume other forms (such as human) and live in separate geographical regions, not earth. They are also sometimes semi-divine. Sarpas live on earth.
74
Vichitravirya.
75
Arjuna.
76
A
chataka
or a peacock.
77
The critical version has 225 chapters.
78
Assembly hall.
79
Jarasandha was the king of Magadha and he had imprisoned the kings in his capital, Girivraja.
80
Yudhishthira.
81
Concerning the forest.
82
The flower of the coral tree, one of the five trees in heaven.
83
Kartyavirya was the king of the Haihayas. This Rama is Parashurama, son of Jamadagni. Kartyavirya was killed by Parashurama because he abducted Jamadagni’s sacred cow.
84
Nectar, beverage of the gods.
85
Arjuna.
86
Arjuna.
87
Arjuna.
88
Sacker of cities, Indra’s name.
89
The critical edition has 298 chapters.
90
A large tree that was believed to contain fire inside it.
91
Bhima.
92
Arjuna.
97
Arjuna’s name is Kiriti, meaning the diademed one.
98
Bhurishrava.
99
Vyasa.
100
The critical edition has 173 chapters.
101
Shalya. Shalya was Karna’s charioteer.
102
The critical edition has sixty-four chapters.
103
Pritha is Kunti’s name and the sons of Pritha are the Pandavas.
104
Ashvatthama.
105
Yadava warrior.
106
Dronacharya was sage Bharadvaja’s son and was the preceptor, while Ashvatthama was Dronacharya’s son. Because he was Bharadvaja’s son, Dronacharya was known as Bhaaradvaja. The absence of diacritical marks makes distinction between Bharadvaja (the father) and Bhaaradvaja (the son) difficult, especially when we write Bhaaradvaja as Bharadvaja to make the translation smooth. However, the context should make it clear whether Bharadvaja or Bhaaradvaja is meant.
107
Arjuna. Phalguni and Phalguna are used synonymously.
108
Kunti.
109
Bhishma was on a bed of arrows when he told this.
110
The critical edition has 353 chapters.
111
The critical edition has 154 chapters.
112
By the Pandavas.
113
Arjuna’s.
114
Babhruvahana.
115
The critical edition has ninety-six chapters.
116
Kunti.
117
Vedavyasa.
118
The critical edition has forty-seven chapters.
119
Concerning clubs.
120
The men of the Vrishni lineage.
121
A kind of reed.
122
Balarama.
123
Krishna.
124
Krishna’s father. Vasudeva is Krishna’s father and therefore, Krishna is known as Vaasudeva. The absence of diacritical marks makes distinction between Vasudeva and Vaasudeva difficult, especially because Vaasudeva is written as Vasudeva to make the translation smooth. However, the context should make it clear whether Vasudeva (the father) or Vaasudeva (the son) is meant.
125
Krishna.
126
Balarama.
127
The genealogy of Hari.
128
The book of the future.
129
The Vedangas.
130
Earth, water, energy, wind and sky.
131
Those born alive from wombs, those born from eggs, those that are plants and those that are born from sweat (insects).
132
Purana means ancient account or tale and there are eighteen great Puranas, each describing creation, destruction, different eras, genealogies and the histories of the solar and lunar dynasties.
1
The dog is referred to as
sarameya
, meaning progeny of Sarama. Sarama was the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs.
4
The sun-plant, more like a bush.
5
The twin physicians of the gods. They were sons of the sun.
6
Upamanyu.
7
Three hundred and sixty days.
8
The year.
9
The nave of the wheel is the year and the sum of 720 is obtained by adding 360 days and 360 nights.
10
The meaning is not clear and the number twenty probably represents the gap between solar days and lunar days.
11
Twelve months or twelve signs of the zodiac.
12
The six seasons.
13
The ten cardinal points, including zenith (above) and nadir (below).
14
Upamanyu.
15
Ayoda-Dhoumya.
16
Upamanyu’s.
17
That is, the preceptor must receive payment (
dakshina
) after the successful completion of training and the disciple must give it.
20
By saying that it was unclean.
21
The word used is
kshapanaka
, which means not just any mendicant, but a Buddhist or a Jain one.
22
The word used now is sarpa, not naga. That is, these two words are being used synonymously here.
23
Airavata is Indra’s elephant. But this Airavata is a king of the nagas.
24
This is a different Dhritarashtra; another name for Airavata.
25
Takshaka’s son. Arjuna killed Ashvasena’s mother. In his search for revenge, Ashvasena entered Karna’s weapon in an attempt to kill Arjuna, an attempt that failed.
26
Not to be confused with Janamejaya’s brother, who had the same name.
27
All these are salutations to Indra.
28
Demon killed by Indra.
29
Demon killed by Indra.
30
This is Indra’s horse Ucchaihshrava, which emerged from the churning of the ocean.
31
One of Indra’s names.
32
Utanka.
35
Takshaka killed Janamejaya’s father Parikshit. That was the reason Janamejaya undertook a sacrifice to destroy all serpents.
36
The sage Kashyapa, who tried to restrain Takshaka from killing Parikshit.
1
The numbering of chapters is sequential throughout the translation, instead of separate numbering of chapters within sections. This is also the pattern followed in the critical edition.
5
The word means to be deprived of, or perishing.
6
That is, would devour anything.
7
Maintenance of the special fire (Agni) and the offering of oblations to it.
8
Sacrifices or oblations in general.
9
Sacrifices on the day of the new moon.
10
Sacrifices on the day of the full moon.
11
There were originally thirty-three gods—eleven in heaven, eleven in the sky and eleven on earth. Another way of getting the number is by adding twelve adityas, eleven rudras and ten vishvadevas.
12
Exclamations made at the time of offering oblations.
13
Oblations offered to ancestors.
14
Exclamations made at the time of offering oblations.