Mahabharata: Vol. 5 (80 page)

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¹⁶⁶The word used is tata.

¹⁶⁷There were ten charioteers on the Kourava side and ten on the Pandava side.

¹⁶⁸Shalya was Madri’s brother.

¹⁶⁹Against Bhima.

¹⁷⁰Four types of arrows are mentioned here—
kshura
s (with tips like razors),
kshurapra
s (arrows with sharp edges), bhallas (arrows with broad heads) and anjalikas (with heads shaped like crescents).

¹⁷¹Indra’s elephant.

¹⁷²Shiva’s name is Pinaki and the name of his trident or bow is Pinaka.

¹⁷³Shiva.

¹⁷⁴Bhima.

¹⁷⁵The text uses the word shaikyayasa. This should be translated as steel. However, it is also possible to break up the word into shaikya and ayasa and thus translate it as sharp iron.

¹⁷⁶The exception being Alambusa, or more likely, Bhurishrava.

¹⁷⁷The word Kourava is being used because Bhurishrava was on the Kourava side.

¹⁷⁸Bhima’s charioteer.

¹⁷⁹Duryodhana.

¹⁸⁰Duryodhana.

¹⁸¹Not to be confused with Pandava Bhima.

¹⁸²Only seven sons are directly mentioned as having been killed. However, all fourteen were killed by Bhima.

¹⁸³Bhima was struck and lost his senses.

¹⁸⁴There are eight elephants who guard the eight directions—Airavata, Pundarika, Vamana, Kumuda, Anjana, Pushpadanta, Sarvabhouma and Supratika. Airavata is also regarded as the king of elephants and is Indra’s mount. Mahapadma is another name for either Pundarika or Kumuda.

¹⁸⁵Bhagadatta’s elephant.

¹⁸⁶Referring to Bhagadatta.

¹⁸⁷The word used is tata.

¹⁸⁸Kimpaka is a pretty but bitter fruit, probably of the Trichosanthes variety.

¹⁸⁹Kritavarma was the son of Hridika.

¹⁹⁰The word used is tata.

¹⁹¹Sharnga is the name of Krishna’s bow, made out of horn.

¹⁹²Brahma.

¹⁹³Brahma.

¹⁹⁴Balarama.

¹⁹⁵Pradyumna is the son of Krishna and Rukmini. Aniruddha is Pradyumna’s son and Krishna’s grandson.

¹⁹⁶Aniruddha as part of Vishnu and not as Pradyumna’s son.

¹⁹⁷The word used is tata.

¹⁹⁸Tat means that. Aum Tat Sat is an expression used in the context of the brahman. Aum stands for the brahman. Tat means that. Sat means the absolute truth. Hence, Aum Tat Sat means the brahman is the absolute truth. One should also mention the expression Tat Tvam Asi, an expression that features in the Upanishads. Tvam means ‘you’ and Asi means ‘are’. Therefore, Tat Tvam Asi means that you are the brahman.

¹⁹⁹Vishnu bears the srivatsa mark (or curl) on his chest. This is the place where Lakshmi resides.

²⁰⁰Vishnu’s jewel that emerged from the churning of the ocean.

²⁰¹The word used is tata.

²⁰²However, at the time when this is being said, the present kali yuga has not yet started.

²⁰³Dawn and dusk.

²⁰⁴The earth rests on the serpent Shesha.

²⁰⁵Madhusudana means the destroyer of Madhu.

²⁰⁶These are respective references to Vishnu’s
varaha
(boar),
narasimha
(man-lion) and
vamana
(dwarf) incarnations.

²⁰⁷Hrishikesha means the lord of the senses.

²⁰⁸A makara is a mythical aquatic animal and makara can loosely be translated as shark or crocodile.

²⁰⁹Hawk.

²¹⁰Nakula and Sahadeva.

²¹¹The name of Krishna’s conch shell.

²¹²Referring to Arjuna’s standard.

²¹³In the Mahabharata, Shaivya was the king of Govasana. In the Puranas, Govasana is given as the name of a king, and his daughter, Youdheyi, was married to Yudhishthira.

²¹⁴A gopa is a herdsman or cowherd. Govasana can be translated as a region where cattle reside.

²¹⁵There is an inconsistency, because the Kalingas have already been destroyed by Bhima and the king of Kalinga has been killed.

²¹⁶The king of elephants is Airavata.

²¹⁷Uluka was Shakuni’s son.

²¹⁸Of the Kouravas.

²¹⁹Satyaki is being referred to as Varshneya.

²²⁰Yuyudhana is Satyaki’s name.

²²¹The word used is aryas.

²²²Ashvatthama.

²²³Bhishma.

²²⁴Arjuna and Krishna.

²²⁵Subhadra belonged to the Yadava lineage and is being referred to as Satvati. Lakshmana was Duryodhana’s son.

²²⁶Kripa.

²²⁷Bhurishrava.

²²⁸Indra’s weapon is the rainbow.

²²⁹Bhurishrava had a sacrificial stake on his standard.

²³⁰Bhurishrava was the son of Somadatta and Somadatta was descended from Pratipa, who was also the ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kouravas.

²³¹Satyaki.

²³²The
krouncha
bird.

²³³Susharma was the king of Trigarta and the capital of Trigarta was Prasthala.

²³⁴The imagery seems to be that of a beautiful woman whose pride has been hurt.

²³⁵The word used is tata.

²³⁶For war.

²³⁷Not to be confused with the famous Karna, who was not fighting at this stage.

²³⁸He had been fighting with Drona.

²³⁹That is, the Kourava army.

²⁴⁰Dhrishtadyumna.

²⁴¹A divine weapon that causes loss of consciousness.

²⁴²The enmity between Drona and Drupada doesn’t quite explain why Drupada should flee. Drupada probably remembered that Dhrishtadyumna had been born so that Drona might be killed.

²⁴³Prajna means wisdom or intelligence. Mohana and pramohana have the same meaning.

²⁴⁴The five Kekaya princes, five of Droupadi’s sons, Dhrishtaketu and Abhimanyu—these were the twelve.

²⁴⁵The mouth of a needle.

²⁴⁶Dhrishtadyumna had studied under Drona.

²⁴⁷Duryodhana.

²⁴⁸Yama’s.

²⁴⁹Small arrow.

²⁵⁰Arjuna is being referred to as Krishna here.

²⁵¹A reference to Krishna’s mission of peace.

²⁵²Duryodhana’s.

²⁵³The names of Droupadi’s sons were Prativindhya (through Yudhishthira), Sutasoma (through Bhima), Shrutakarma (through Arjuna), Shatanika (through Nakula) and Shrutasena (through Sahadeva).

²⁵⁴Shrutakarma.

²⁵⁵Shrutakirti is another name for Shrutakarma.

²⁵⁶Referring to Jayatsena.

²⁵⁷The text is such that it can also be translated as ‘slain’, but smitten is indicated. There are two reasons why slain can’t be right. First, Dushkarna wasn’t killed and surfaces again in Drona Parva. Second, Duryodhana and all his brothers were killed by Bhima.

²⁵⁸The first yuga means satya or krita yuga.

²⁵⁹A herb with wonderful healing properties. Literally, something that removes pain.

²⁶⁰Duryodhana.

²⁶¹Mandala means circular.

²⁶²Iravat or Iravan was the son of Arjuna and the naga princess Ulupi.

²⁶³Kritavarma.

²⁶⁴Abhimanyu.

²⁶⁵Ghatotkacha and Bhagadatta respectively.

²⁶⁶Equivalently, Shrutayush.

²⁶⁷Divine missile named after Indra.

²⁶⁸The king of Trigarta.

²⁶⁹White planet probably means Venus, but it can also signify the moon.

²⁷⁰Shankha was Virata’s son.

²⁷¹Meaning Satyaki.

²⁷²Satyaki studied the art of war from Arjuna.

²⁷³Indra.

²⁷⁴Dhrishtadyumna was the overall commander of the Pandava army.

²⁷⁵Vrishaka and Achala were the sons of the king of Gandhara (Subala) and were thus brothers to Shakuni and brothers-in-law to Dhritarashtra.

²⁷⁶Succeeding sentences show that this means Anuvinda’s horses.

²⁷⁷Famous battle that took place between the gods and the demons. This is sometimes described to have been over Tara (Brihaspati’s wife) and sometimes described to have been over Taraka (a demon).

²⁷⁸Bhagadatta.

²⁷⁹Namuchi was a demon killed by Indra.

²⁸⁰Bhagadatta.

²⁸¹He was proud, because they were his sister’s sons.

²⁸²Shalya.

²⁸³Nakula.

²⁸⁴Indra’s younger brother, Vishnu.

²⁸⁵Parshnis.

²⁸⁶Chekitana.

²⁸⁷Bhurishrava.

²⁸⁸These can be loosely translated as wind, bile and phlegm. In Ayurveda, these are the three
dosha
s or humours in the body and they are always striving against each other.

²⁸⁹Bhima had taken an oath that he would kill Duryodhana and his brothers.

²⁹⁰There is an inconsistency between the number of thirty-two and sixty.

²⁹¹The Pandava warriors.

²⁹²It had been agreed that Yudhishthira would kill Shalya.

²⁹³That of the Pandavas.

²⁹⁴Shalya’s weapons.

²⁹⁵Aratta is a distant kingdom. It is difficult to pinpoint its precise location, though it figures prominently in Sumerian literature.

²⁹⁶Later sentences identify this son as Chitrasena.

²⁹⁷Of avoiding the club.

²⁹⁸Yudhishthira.

²⁹⁹Earlier, Shikhandi had been the lady Amba.

³⁰⁰It was afternoon and the sun was in the western sky.

³⁰¹Mountain behind which the sun sets.

³⁰²From the wounds.

³⁰³Meaning that it had cusps or horns.

³⁰⁴The word used is
shatahrada.
Literally, this means something with a hundred rays of light.

³⁰⁵The land of the dead.

³⁰⁶Meaning the soldiers on the Kourava side.

³⁰⁷The text says Pandita. But Pandita is the same as Panditaka.

³⁰⁸The promise that he would kill Duryodhana and his brothers.

³⁰⁹Vidura.

³¹⁰The word used is tata.

³¹¹The word used is tata.

³¹²Kritavarma.

³¹³Garuda.

³¹⁴Bestowed on Arjuna. Her father Kouravya was the king of the nagas and was descended from Airavata. Thus, Kouravya can also be referred to as Airavata. The story has been recounted in Section 16 (Volume 2).

³¹⁵Meaning another person’s wife.

³¹⁶This is left dangling It is probably a reference to the naga Takshaka, who bore an animosity towards Arjuna because of the destruction of nagas in Khandava.

³¹⁷The names of Shakuni’s six brothers. Their father was Subala.

³¹⁸Referring to Iravat’s army.

³¹⁹Vrishaka was the only one of Subala’s sons who survived.

³²⁰Rishyashringa was a famous sage.

³²¹Bhima had killed a rakshasa named Baka.

³²²The word used is tata.

³²³Bhogavati is the capital of the nagas and Bhogavat can mean any of the serpents residing there. But it is probably a reference to Ananta.

³²⁴Garuda.

³²⁵Satyaki.

³²⁶Ghatotkacha.

³²⁷Ghatotkacha.

³²⁸The lower lip.