Read Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
252
The word used is tata, which can be used in the sense, among others, of any junior.
253
Indra’s name. Literally, the destroyer of cities.
254
Droupadi.
255
This is what he had been taught by Yudhishthira, who had in turn been taught by Vyasadeva.
256
Literally, Indra’s mountain.
257
Indra has a thousand eyes.
258
Shiva.
259
The Pandavas, that is, the other four Pandavas.
260
Arjuna’s.
261
Shiva’s name. Literally, the one with three eyes.
262
Shiva.
263
Arjuna was Indra’s son.
264
Vaidurya.
265
That is, he ate after a period of six nights was over.
266
The word used is nandana, meaning beloved as well as son.
267
A
pinaka
is both a trident and a bow. In particular, pinaka means Shiva’s bow. Shiva is known as Pinaki. He wields both a bow and a trident.
268
Shiva’s throat is dark because he consumed the poison thrown up during the churning of the ocean.
269
Sharva is one of Shiva’s names.
270
Shiva.
271
Kanchana means gold or golden. The word kanchana is applied to several different kinds of trees.
272
Shiva’s consort.
273
The sons of Diti were daityas or demons. Muka was a demon.
274
Referring to the boar.
277
Arjuna’s.
278
So that Arjuna can see Shiva.
279
Lord (
isha
) of the mountains (
giri
), Shiva’s epithet.
280
Uma was with Shiva.
281
Shiva.
282
Kapardin is one of Shiva’s names.
Kaparda
or
kapardaka
means braided or matted hair and Shiva is named Kapardin because his hair is matted.
283
At the time of Daksha’s yajna, Shiva uprooted the god Bhaga’s eyes.
284
Shiva’s name, the one with a bull (
vrishabha
) on his banner (
dhvaja
).
285
An ayuta is ten thousand.
286
The hermitage at Badari or Badarika, one of the sources of the Ganga.
287
Vrishadhvaja and Vrishabhadhvaja mean the same.
288
Pashupati is Shiva’s name.
289
The word
bhuta
means beings, but it also means evil spirits.
290
Nagas and pannagas are serpents. They are different from snakes, because they possess extraordinary powers, including that of assuming any form at will.
291
Karna is the son of the suta.
292
Kubera.
293
These divine weapons were based on mantras, the physical form was immaterial.
294
Arjuna.
295
Tryaksha is Shiva’s name, meaning the one with three (
tri
) eyes (
aksha
).
296
The word used is
nirghata
, which also means earthquake.
297
Shiva, the one with three eyes.
298
Arjuna.
299
Varuna.
300
Vaidurya.
301
Class of demigods.
302
Obviously meaning lesser gods.
303
This is a description of Yama.
304
Vivasvat is the sun and Dharmaraja Yama is the son of the sun.
305
Indrani is Indra’s consort, Shakra is Indra.
306
Indra’s elephant.
307
The moon is the lord of the stars.
308
The word used is nandana. So it can also be translated as beloved of the Kuru lineage.
309
Drona.
310
The nivatakavachas are demons. The story will be told in Section 35.
311
Yama is the son of the sun and so is Karna.
312
A reference to Krishna.
313
Danda.
314
The word used is nandana.
315
Pasha.
316
Famous battle that took place between the gods and the demons.
317
Antardhana means disappearance. This weapon enables the user to become invisible.
318
In its capacity to put the enemy to sleep, this weapon was also known as
prasvapana.
319
The word used is nandana.
320
Ishana is the supreme god. Specifically, the term is used for both Shiva and Vishnu. It is being used in a general sense here.
321
Matali is the name of Indra’s charioteer.
1
A hudaguda is an iron club. However, an iron club cannot have wheels. So what is probably meant is some kind of battering-ram made out of iron.
2
Arjuna.
3
Indivara
, a blue lotus.
4
Shakra is Indra and Arjuna was Indra’s son.
5
Daivata is a word used for the class of gods as a whole. In this context, it seems to mean the minor gods.
6
The word used is nandana. Hence alternatively, beloved of the Kuru lineage.
7
The word used is nandana.
8
The word used is vimana and vimanas are not ordinary chariots. They fly through the sky and are therefore, divine chariots.
9
By implication, from the earth.
10
Famous king whose story will be recounted in Section 33.
11
The name of Indra’s garden.
12
Sacrificial fires.
13
Translated literally.
14
That is, have intercourse with the preceptor’s wife.
15
Ayuta, meaning ten thousand. But ayuta can also mean a large number.
16
Suravithi literally means the road (
vithi
) of the gods (
sura
) and could be a reference to the Milky Way.
17
The Vishvadevas.
18
King of the solar dynasty, often described as an ideal king.
19
The name of a gandharva.
20
The critical edition’s text has Ahuhu. It should read Huhu.
21
The word used is nandana.
22
Indra.
23
Vasava is Indra’s name.
24
Indra killed a demon named Vritra.
25
Demon killed by Indra.
26
The fourteenth day of the lunar fortnight. Though not explicitly stated, the reference is probably to the dark lunar fortnight.
27
Hava.
Hava is not just any gesture, but a feminine coquettish gesture with amorous overtones.
28
Arjuna.
29
Water for washing the feet.
30
Water for washing the face.
31
The sense is that the vajra was like thunder and lightning. Consequently, there were clouds and peacocks figure because they dance when it rains.
32
The critical edition excises some sections that are part of popular renderings of the Mahabharata. That story figures in regional versions and is a story about the apsara Urvashi’s desire for Arjuna. Arjuna spurned her because she was like his superior’s wife or mother, the Puru dynasty having descended from Urvashi. Urvashi then cursed Arjuna that he would have to live as a woman, bereft of his manhood. Indra reduced the duration of the curse to one year.
33
The word used is
vishtara
. This means a seat, stool or chair. It is also the seat of the officiating priest at a sacrifice, usually made of kusha grass.
34
Lomasha.
35
Alternatively, Badarika.
36
The story of Sagara will be told in Section 33. He had sixty thousand sons. When he performed a sacrifice, the sacrificial horse was stolen by Indra and taken to the nether regions. The sons were sent in search of the horse and proceeded to dig towards the nether regions. They falsely accused the sage Kapila of stealing the horse and were burnt to ashes because of his rage. Subsequently, their souls were saved when their descendant Bhagiratha brought down the Ganga to the nether regions. The nether regions are often known by the name of patala. However, there are seven nether regions—
atala, vitala, sutala,
rasatala,
talatala, mahatala
and patala. Patala is thus the lowest of the seven nether regions and rasatala is an intermediate one.
37
A reference to Arjuna.
38
The word
jvara
should not be interpreted as physical fever only. It also means mental fever and distress.
39
The quotation marks signify that this is a message from Indra to Yudhishthira.
40
Dhritarashtra was Ambika’s son.
41
The word used is
gramya
, which means vulgar, as well as rustic.
42
Yudhishthira.
43
The word used (
ghrini
) means both compassionate and contemptible. Since Karna is being described disapprovingly, contemptible is more appropriate than compassionate.
44
The preceptor is Drona. Since Drona is Arjuna’s teacher, the implication is that Drona will not fight properly with Arjuna.
45
The word used is tata. While this means son, it can generally be used for anyone who is a junior.
46
Sthanu is Shiva’s names. Shiva has eleven manifestations in the form of the eleven Rudras.
47
Meaning Duryodhana.
54
This is odd. Choosing a charioteer for Arjuna is premature and the question shouldn’t arise at this stage. This reinforces the general impression that this chapter was a later addition and doesn’t quite belong.
55
Balarama.
56
Shishupala’s son is Dhrishtaketu.
57
Yudhishthira.
58
Droupadi.
59
The word used is
devi
. This is a honorific form of address and doesn’t mean goddess alone.
60
Specifically, the hair.
64
This should really be thirteen years.
65
The word used is tata. This means father, but is also used for any elder or superior.
66
Alternatively, childish.
67
This is being addressed to Yudhishthira. So Achyuta is in the sense of one without decay.
68
A mixture based on honey that is offered to guests. It is made of five ingredients—curds, clarified butter, water, wax and candied sugar.
69
Yudhishthira.
70
There were fourteen Manus, who were lords of the earth in fourteen different eras. Because of descent from Manu, a human is known as
manava
.
71
Though not explicitly stated, Bhima was the king of Vidarbha. This Bhima is not to be confused with the Pandava Bhima.
72
Obviously this means the three sons.
73
The god of love.
74
Damayanti’s.
75
Nala was the king of Nishadha.
76
Of his palace.
77
Or geese.
78
Meaning the capital city of Vidarbha, named Kundina.
81
Bala and Vritra were demons killed by Indra.
82
The lords (pala) of the worlds (loka) are eight in number—Indra, Vahni (Agni), Yama, Nairrita, Varuna, Maruta, Kubera and Isha (Ishana). Sometimes, Vayu is listed instead of Indra. However, especially since Agni is mentioned separately, in this context, the word lokapala is being used in a less specific sense. As will become clear later, only Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama are meant.
83
The god of love, Kandarpa is another of his names.
84
That is, they gave up the intention of soliciting Damayanti for themselves.