Read Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
82
A kind of amaranth tree.
83
Kama is the god of love.
84
A kind of tree with beautiful flowers. Tilaka is also a mark made on the forehead.
85
Ananga is the god of love. Literally, the word
ananga
means one without a body and there is a story about how the god of love lost his body because of Shiva’s rage.
86
Kind of bird.
87
Though never made clear, Arshtishena might be Devapi, Shantanu’s elder brother, who had resorted to the forest.
88
Yudhishthira.
89
This world and the next.
90
The junction between the fifteenth day of a lunar fortnight and the first day of the next lunar fortnight.
91
Suparnas.
92
Type of musical instrument.
93
Kubera, the lord of riches. Kubera is the son of Vishrava and is therefore known as Vaishravana. Kubera is described as Naravahana, because he has a man (nara) as his mount or vehicle (vahana).
94
The word used is tata, affectionately used for anyone who is younger or junior.
95
Famous gandharva.
96
Arshtishena.
97
Probably arrows not tipped with poison.
98
Arjuna. The story of the burning of the Khandava forest has been recounted in Section 19 (Volume 2). Vasava is one of Indra’s names.
99
Maya is the power of creating delusions. Rakshasas resort to maya.
100
Shatakratu is one of Indra’s names and means the performer of one hundred (shata) sacrifices (kratu).
101
A conch shell has three lines. A neck marked with three lines, like a conch shell, is believed to bring good fortune.
102
A lion.
103
The southern direction is the direction of death and it is also a direction frequented by demons.
104
Arrows had different names, classified according to the arrow’s head and the shaft. This one was
vatsadanta
,
vatsa
meaning calf and
danta
meaning teeth, a reference to the arrow’s tip or head.
105
The word used is kritya, meaning a she-demon or a malevolent goddess.
106
The rakshasas and other demons are those who roam (
chara
) in the night (
nisha
) and are known as
nishachara
s.
107
Yudhishthira.
108
There is some inconsistency, since Droupadi had herself sent Bhima.
109
Indra.
110
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, since the reference here seems to be to four lokapalas, one probably means Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama.
111
Yudhishthira and Bhima respectively.
112
Class of demons who are prone to (
vasha
) anger (
krodha
).
113
The killing of Maniman.
114
The word used is Rajaraja. The word raja has several meanings, a yaksha being one of them. So Rajaraja is the king of the yakshas, or Kubera.
115
An
ayuta
is ten thousand and there were one thousand ayuta yakshas.
116
The yakshas.
117
Kubera.
118
Controlling their anger.
119
Pushpaka is Kubera’s celestial chariot or vehicle (vimana).
120
The architect of the gods.
126
The dark lunar fortnight (Krishna paksha) is referred to as the first lunar fortnight.
127
This means the yakshas. Alaka is Kubera’s capital.
128
The word used is tata.
129
Gandivadhanva means the wielder of the Gandiva and is one of Arjuna’s name. Jishnu, Gudakesha and Dhananjaya are also Arjuna’s names. In this passage, the word Partha is being used for both Yudhishthira and Arjuna, since both are Pritha’s (Kunti’s) sons.
132
Asta
means sunset and Asta is also the name of the western mountain behind which, the sun is believed to set.
133
Sadas.
134
Prajapati means the lord of all beings. In this context, it means Brahma.
135
Brahma had seven sons through his mental powers. While the list varies, a standard one is Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Daksha.
136
Tata.
137
The list of the seven great rishis (saptarshi) varies. Indeed, the list is believed to change from one era to another. Identified with the constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Majoris), the saptarshi list is Kratu, Pulaha, Pulastya, Atri, Angiras, Vasishtha and Bhrigu (alternatively, Marichi).
138
Brahma.
139
They are not reborn.
140
The sun-god.
141
The sun circumambulates Mount Meru.
142
The moon.
143
Dakshinayana
(southern course), the winter solstice, when the sun moves south of the equator.
144
Kala
is a small measure of time, but that measure is not consistently defined. In terms of astronomy, kala is 1/60th of a degree, that is, a minute. A
kashtha
is 1/30th of a kala.
145
Arjuna’s name. Literally, the one with a diadem on his head.
146
Arjuna’s horses were white.
147
Indra’s charioteer.
148
Ajatashatru is one of Yudhishthira’s names.
149
Yudhishthira.
150
Indra killed a demon named Namuchi. Diti’s sons are daityas or demons.
151
Droupadi. Sutasoma was the son of Arjuna and Droupadi.
152
Entry is
pravesha
and this is what the critical edition says. Some other versions say
pravasa
, which means residence. While describing the entry into heaven is possible, description of the residence in heaven is more likely.
153
The critical edition excises a shloka that says night was over.
154
Yudhishthira and Indra respectively.
155
Yudhishthira.
158
Shaishira can be either a proper name or an adjective. If it is an adjective, it means the cold mountatin.
159
The first day of the fifth month.
160
Kiratas are hunters, typically inhabiting mountainous regions.
161
The boar.
162
Depending on the tips and the shafts, arrows had different names and it is difficult to pin these down more precisely. For example, sthunakarna probably meant an arrow that was stocky at the shaft, ayojala probably had iron in the head, sharavarsha simply means a shower of arrows, sharolbana has the same meaning, shailastra must have had iron in the head and ashmavarsha also must have had iron in the tip.
163
Powerful, magical and divine weapon.
164
Shiva has a bull (vrisha) on his banner (dhvaja) and is known as Vrishadhvaja.
165
A pinaka can be either a trident or a bow. Shiva is the wielder of the pinaka.
166
Shula
(trident).
167
Shiva’s name.
168
Shiva’s name, meaning the one with three eyes.
169
Roudra is another name for the pashupata weapon. Pashupati and Rudra are Shiva’s names.
170
Shiva’s.
171
Each
manvantara
(era) is presided over by a sovereign known as Manu. It is because humans are descended from Manu that they are known as
manava
. There are fourteen manvantaras and fourteen Manus to preside over them. The present manvantara is the seventh and the Manu who presides over this is known as Vaivasvata, because he was born from the sun (Vivasvat).
172
Maruts are gods of the wind and Indra’s companions. Indra is therefore known as Marutvan. Shachi is his consort.
173
Savyasachi is one of Arjuna’s names and means one who is left-handed.
174
There is an inconsistency, because Arjuna actually obtained those weapons in heaven.
175
Indra was the brahmana and Indra would show himself to Arjuna in heaven.
178
Vishvavasu is the name of the king of the gandharvas.
179
Harivahana is Indra’s epithet. Literally, this means someone whose horses (means of transport) are tawny.
180
The five types of weapons are mukta (those that are released from the hand, like a chakra), amukta (those that are never released, like a sword), muktamukta (those that can be released or not released, like a spear), yantramukta (those that are released from an implement, like an arrow) and mantramukta (magical weapons unleashed with incantations). These are categories of weapons. It is difficult to pinpoint the ten. In all probability, that number refers to weapons by name, rather than types. Shula (spear),
tomara
(club),
gada
(mace), parashu (battleaxe),
mudgara
(hammer), vajra, chakra,
kshepini
(sling),
asi
(sling) and
bhindipala
(javelin) might be such a possible list.
181
These five techniques are especially important for
divyastra
s, that is, divine or magical weapons. Atonement is necessary if such a magical weapon has been discharged inappropriately, at the wrong person.
182
Prayuta is a million, arbuda is one hundred million.
183
The gods told Arjuna this.
184
The name of the conch shell.
185
Timingila is a fish that devours whales (
timi
). The text has the word timingila twice, but we have retained it in the translation only once. A makara is a mythical creature, translated very loosely as a crocodile.
186
Weapons capable of killing one hundred at a time.