Read Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (70 page)
1
Divine weapons respectively named after Varuna, Agni, Brahma, Indra and Narayana.
2
Rama is Parashurama, Dhanurveda is the science of fighting.
3
Kartavirya is Kartavirya Arjuna and Brihaspati is the preceptor of the gods.
4
Drona.
5
Drupada is being described as the one with the lean horses.
6
Drona.
7
That is, it should not be used without proper care.
8
Meaning Drona, his father.
9
Indra. Sachi is Indra’s wife.
10
The animals were to the left of the Pandavas and the left is inauspicious.
11
The Kourava soldiers.
12
Uchchaishrava is the name of Indra’s horse, which arose from the churning of the ocean.
Ashva
means horse and that is the reason he was named Ashvatthama.
13
Drona.
14
Drona.
15
Dhrishtadyumna had also been taught by Drona.
16
Ashvatthama.
17
Drona.
18
There are seven (sometimes five) kinds of father (
pita
)—one who gives food, one who provides freedom from fear, one who gives a daughter (the father-in-law), one who gives birth, one who gives a mantra, one who is a teacher and one who performs the sacred threat investiture. Drona was a teacher.
19
That is, the Pandavas.
20
The performer of a hundred sacrifices, Indra.
21
The word used is tata.
22
Arjuna has praised Ashvatthama, who has one-sixteenth of Arjuna’s qualities. The text uses the word kala. The moon has sixteen kalas or phases and sixteen kalas constitute the whole.
23
Hari is Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was a king of the asuras, killed by Vishnu is his narasimha (man-lion) incarnation.
24
Mental fever.
25
The nishadas were regarded as an inferior race and so was their territory.
26
Bhagadatta was Indra’s friend.
27
Bhishma.
28
Because Drona had been their preceptor.
29
Shikhandi.
30
That is, Arjuna protected Shikhandi.
31
Bhurishrava.
32
In the sense that it was Arjuna who had severed Bhurishrava’s arm, but Satyaki killed him.
33
Chandala has different nuances and a chandala is not necessarily a shudra. A chandala is also of mixed parentage, with a shudra father and a brahmana mother. More generally, chandalas are outcastes, while shudras are within the caste fold.
34
The Kouravas.
35
Krishnaa, Droupadi.
36
Shalya, the king of Madra, wished to join the Pandavas, but was weaned away by Duryodhana. This has been described in Section 49 (Volume 4).
37
Bhima.
38
Dhrishtadyumna.
39
Satyaki’s.
40
A kinnara or kimpurusha belongs to semi-divine species, identified with Kubera. Slain horses are being compared to kimpurushas, both because kimpurushas were grotesque and because they were half-human and half-horse.
41
The text uses the word goshpada. This literally means the mark of a cow’s foot in the soil and the small puddle of water that fills up such a mark, that is, a trifle.
42
Since Arjuna resented the act of deception.
43
That is, Drona did not protect Abhimanyu.
44
Krishnaa, Droupadi.
45
Drona.
46
Drona.
47
In Section 66, Drona killed Drupada’s son, Satyajit. The idea is that a brahmastra should not be used against those who do not possess knowledge of divine weapons.
48
Drona.
49
To make it explicit, Yudhishthira is being sarcastic.
50
Narayana.
51
Ashvatthama.
52
Bhima. The words are not mentioned.
53
Bhima was already covered by the energy of the narayana weapon and the energy of varuna weapon provided a protective covering for Bhima.
54
The western direction. Mount Asta is the mountain over which the sun sets.
55
The time of destruction. The fire entered the mouth of the Creator after completing the destruction.
56
Famous ancient sages, identified with Arjuna and Krishna respectively.
57
Bhima.
58
Bhima.
59
The weapon’s.
60
The sense is that having been used, it had returned to Narayana.
61
The enemy.
62
The three-eyed one, Shiva.
63
Ashvatthama.
64
Ashvatthama and Dhrishtadyumna respectively.
65
Dhrishtadyumna. Given the quarrel between Satyaki and Dhrishtadyumna, it is possible that Ashvatthama was being sarcastic.
66
Hari means the tawny one and is a name for several gods, not just Vishnu. Hari is also a name for Indra, which is the sense in which it is being used here.
67
Ashvatthama.
68
The Pourava qualifies that this is not Jayadratha’s father, Vriddhakshatra.
69
Arjuna.
70
Rathashakti.
71
Pourava’s.
72
Indivara.
73
Ashvatthama.
74
Indra’s son, Arjuna.
75
Of Chedi.
76
Touched the water would have been more appropriate, as this is a necessary precursor to any sacred rite, such as releasing divine weapons.
77
Samvartaka
, the fire that rages in hell and the fire that destroys everything.
78
Brahma.
79
On the Pandava side, through the use of Ashvatthama’s weapon.
80
An implicit comparison is being made with the sun and the moon.
81
The goddess of learning.
82
Both Dhritarashtra and Pandu were born through Vedavyasa.
83
On the part of the weapon.
84
Not to be confused with Yudhishthira.
85
The word used is tata.
86
The name of Shiva’s bow and also the name of his trident.
87
Ganas are Shiva’s attendants. Bhutas are also Shiva’s attendants, though the word means spirit, demon or ghost.
88
Narayana.
89
Akshas or rudrakshas.
90
Andhaka was an asura killed by Shiva.
91
Narayana.
92
Virupaksha is Shiva’s name. Literally, this means one with distorted or malformed eyes. But for Shiva, this can be translated as the three-eyed one.
93
This is Narayana’s prayer to Shiva.
94
In this context, Mitra means the sun and Soma means the moon.
95
The human soul (atman) and the divine soul (paramatman).
96
The pippala tree is a metaphor for learning and wisdom. The seven guardians are the five elements, mind and intelligence.
97
The five senses and the five organs.
98
The one with the blue throat, Shiva’s name.
99
Narayana.
100
As Krishna.
101
Shiva’s name.
102
Shiva’s phallic form.
103
Since it was night.
104
Krishna was also Vedavyasa’s name.
105
The word used is tata.
106
This is possibly a reference to Parashurama. However, Bhargava also means any great archer.
107
There must be a typo in the Critical edition. Why should there be a broken battleaxe? The text says
khanda
, which can only be translated as broken. It should probably read khadga, in which case, Shiva wields a sword and a battleaxe. However, a convoluted explanation is also possible. The battleaxe is broken (in the sense of no longer being there), because Shiva has given it away to Parashurama.
108
That is, Kubera.
109
At the time of Daksha’s sacrifice. At Daksha’s sacrifice, Shiva was refused a share in the offerings.
110
At the time of Daksha’s sacrifice.
111
Daksha’s sacrifice again.
112
Because of Brahma’s boon, the three cities could only be destroyed when they came together in the sky. This occurred once every thousand years. At other times, they circled independently. Moreover, when they came together, the three cities (Tripura) would have to be destroyed by a single arrow.
113
This is an independent story. There is a shloka, excised in the Critical edition, which knits the two stories together by saying that Uma had gone to see the burning Tripura.
114
This is abrupt. Shiva assumed the form of the child and Indra perceived him to be a threat. Therefore, Indra tried to strike him with the vajra and Shiva paralysed his hand. The Critical edition excises shlokas which tell us the gods went to Brahma in bewilderment and Brahma told them who the child was.
115
Brahma.
116
Evil planets.
117
As the subterranean fire.
118
The word used in the text is
virasthana
and the straightforward literal translation doesn’t capture the complete nuance. Virasthana can mean a place where only brave ones go to meditate, such as a cremation ground. It is also a specific posture of yoga or meditation.
119
The shatarudiya mantra to Rudra is from the Yajur Veda.
120
Pashu
means animal and
pati
means lord.
121
Maha
means great and
ishvara
means lord.
122
Bahu
means many and
rupa
means form.
123
Sarva
means everything. Sharva is the usual name for Shiva, meaning the destroyer.
124
This is contrived.
Dhumra
is smoke. Dhurjati means someone who sports matted hair. There is no smoke in Dhurjati.
125
Vishva
is universe and rupa is form.
126
The one with three eyes.
127
Shiva means benign.
128
The great god.
129
Sthanu means fixed or motionless.
130
The breath of life is prana and this has five actions—prana (exhalation), apana (downward inhalation),
vyana
(diffusion through the body),
udana
(upward inhalation) and
samana
(digestive breath). Prana is a general expression for the breath of life, as well as a specific term for the act of exhalation.
131
Literally, the text states that the moon is in the upper half.
132
Rudra means terrible.
133
Shiva gave Arjuna weapons in Section 31 (Volume 2).
134
The adjective ‘four’ is not very clear. The shatarudiya doesn’t have four sections. Hence, this is probably a reference to the four kinds of rituals connected with the four kinds of Vedas.
135
Vedavyasa was the son of the sage Parashara.