Read Mahabharata: Volume 4 Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
149
Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons.
150
The preceptor of the gods.
151
Dhanurveda.
152
Drona’s horses were red and Arjuna’s horses were white.
153
This is difficult to understand. It probably means that the arrows looked like beings that travel in the sky, such as birds.
154
The arrows were released so fast that they seemed to be joined to one another.
155
Vasava (Indra) killed a demon named Vritra.
156
Divine weapons named after Indra, Vayu and Agni respectively.
157
Of enemy warriors.
158
A kimshuka is a tree with red flowers.
159
Indra.
160
The god of rain, Indra.
161
Ashvatthama.
162
Implying that the period of exile is not yet over.
163
Arjuna’s.
164
Karna.
165
Bhishma’s standard had a golden palm.
166
Arjuna was ambidextrous.
167
Described in Section 35 (Volume 3).
168
Prajapati means the lord of all beings. Since Brahma has been separately mentioned, it is not clear who is meant here.
169
Described in Section 35 (Volume 3).
170
More correctly, Vaaruna.
171
Another name for Vayu.
172
Bhishma.
173
Arjuna.
174
Duhshasana’s.
175
Duryodhana.
176
The reference is to the destruction at the end of an era.
177
Arjuna.
178
Named after Indra.
179
Indra’s weapon (bow) is the rainbow.
180
Bhishma was Ganga’s son.
181
The word used is
pradakshina
, which means to circle. But more specifically, it means to circle from the right.
182
Vasava is Indra. Bali was a demon who defeated and conquered Indra, and was later vanquished by Vishnu in his
vamana
(dwarf) incarnation. However, a typo is possible, since there was a demon named Bala who was killed by Indra.
183
Divine weapons named after Prajapati, Indra, Agni, Kubera, Varuna, Yama and Vayu respectively.
184
Shvetavahana is Arjuna’s name.
185
The divine weapons.
186
That is, Duryodhana pierced Arjuna.
187
Duryodhana.
188
Arjuna.
189
Ajamidha was a common ancestor.
190
The elephant.
191
Duryodhana.
192
Partha means son of Pritha (Kunti) and Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna are all Parthas.
193
Kings.
194
Duryodhana means someone who it is difficult to fight with.
195
An atiratha is greater than a maharatha. In this context, atiratha is being used for Arjuna and maharatha for Duryodhana.
196
Duryodhana’s.
197
Sammohana is a divine weapon that causes one to lose one’s senses. The god of love has five arrows and one of these is also named sammohana.
198
Because they were unconscious. Presumably, the sammohana weapon, rather than the conch shell, made them unconscious.
199
Virata’s daughter Uttaraa.
200
Kripa’s.
201
Duryodhana.
202
Bhishma’s own army had not lost its senses, thanks to Bhishma.
203
Rahu is the demon who causes an eclipse. But the sun (the one with one thousand rays) emerges from the eclipse.
204
Asked Bhishma.
205
Heaven, earth and the nether regions.
206
Devadatta is the name of Arjuna’s conch shell.
207
Arjuna.
208
The critical edition skips some shlokas where Arjuna explains why Uttara should take the credit for the victory.
1
Horses, elephants, chariots and infantry.
2
Yudhishthira, Kanka being the name he assumed.
3
The sister, Uttaraa.
4
The word used is
shringara.
5
The sign of the
svastika
, an auspicious symbol.
6
Sairandhri is a maidservant. Sairandhri is also the name Droupadi assumed. It is not clear whether Virata is addressing Droupadi, or some other maidservant. Since Droupadi is present, as a later incident shows, it could have been Droupadi.
7
Yudhishthira.
8
Virata is so delighted that he will give everything away in a fit of generosity.
9
Kshatta has different meanings, attendant, doorkeeper, charioteer, the son of a shudra man and a kshatriya woman, the son of a female slave. Here, the reference is to the gatekeeper.
10
Yudhishthira.
11
Droupadi.
12
Because of Arjuna’s vow.
13
Uttara’s mother Sudeshna hailed from Kekaya. Thus, she is referred to as Kaikeyi.
14
Drona.
15
The Yadavas.
16
Indra.
17
Kripa.
18
Karna.
19
Arjuna.
20
Arjuna and Prince Uttara respectively. Arjuna and Uttara decided on a plan for the Pandavas to reveal themselves.
21
Of living in concealment for the thirteenth year.
22
An auspicious sign.
23
Kubera is the lord of riches.
24
A snataka is a brahmana who has completed his period of celibate student life and is about to step into the householder stage.
25
The story has been recounted in Section 35 (Volume 3). The word used in the text for demons is
krodhavasha
, those who are prone to anger.
26
This has been recounted in Section 46. It was said that a gandharva had killed Kichaka.
27
Shringara.
28
Meaning Arjuna. This is the princess Uttaraa.
29
In the fight with the Trigartas.
30
A sign of affection towards someone younger or junior.
31
Arjuna.
32
The Kouravas.
33
Abhimanyu’s mother Subhadra was Krishna’s sister.
34
Krishna is the wielder of the chakra.
35
Virata is addressing Yudhishthira now.
36
Arjuna.
37
Upaplavya was the name of a city in Virata’s kingdom.
38
The Dasharhas are the Yadavas and they lived in the Anarta region, roughly corresponding to today’s Sourashtra. When the Pandavas were banished, Abhimanyu and Subhadra went to live with the Yadavas.
39
An akshouhini is a large army and consists of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses and 109,350 soldiers on foot.
40
Drupada.
41
For the cause of the Pandavas.
42
Balarama is the wielder of the plough. Vanamali is one of Krishna’s names.
43
The names of various Yadavas. Yuyudhana is one of Satyaki’s names. Hardikya is one of Kritavarma’s names.
44
Yudhishthira’s charioteer.
45
Virata gave Abhimanyu.
46
The one without decay, Krishna’s name.
1
The grandfather is Shurasena. Shurasena’s son was Vasudeva. Vasudeva had two wives, Devaki and Rohini. Rohini’s son was Balarama, the Rama referred to in the text. Krishna (Janardana) was younger to Balarama and was Devaki’s son.
2
Drupada is the king of Panchala. Rohini’s son is Balarama. The foremost among the Shinis is a reference to Satyaki. The Yadavas are referred to by different names, depending on the ancestor from whom the lineage is being drawn. They were all descended from Yadu. Further down the line, there were ancestors like Andhaka, Satvata, Vrishni, Shini and Bhoja.
3
Pradyumna was Krishna’s son, through Rukmini. Samba was Krishna’s son, through Jambavati.
4
Shakuni.
5
The Pandavas.
6
Yudhishthira.
7
This is a reference to the conquest by the Pandavas, described in Section 23 (Volume 2).
8
The Kouravas.
9
Yudhishthira.
10
The Kouravas.
11
The Pandavas.
12
The Kouravas.
13
Balarama. Balarama is also known as Baladeva.
14
Other than Devaki and Rohini, Vasudeva had other wives too. In different texts, the number of his wives is given as twelve, thirteen or fourteen. One of these wives was Devarakshita and Gada is Devarakshita’s son. Gada’s elder brother is thus Krishna.
15
Ajatashatru is one of Yudhishthira’s names, meaning one without enemies, one for whom enemies have not been born.
16
Meaning, half of the kingdom.
17
Dhritarashtra. Vichitravirya was Dhritarashtra’s father.
18
Shakuni.
19
Karna.
20
The first gambling match has been described in Section 27 (Volume 2). Balarama’s statement is not quite correct. The only one who had warned Yudhishthira was Vidura.
21
Yudhishthira’s name.
22
The messenger.
23
Madhu is one of the ancestors of the Yadavas.
24
Satyaki.
25
A fine distinction is being drawn. In Section 27 (Volume 2), Yudhishthira told Vidura that he was under a vow that he would not refuse to go if summoned to a gambling match. Had that match been held in his house, while he was already gambling, that vow would not have come in the way.
26
As described in the critical edition, there is nothing in Section 27 (Volume 2) which suggests that there was an actual act of deceit.
27
The Kouravas.
28
This jumps the gun and there is an inconsistency. Thus far, the Kouravas have not claimed this and the question has not arisen.
29
Satyaki’s name.
30
Krishna.
31
Parshata is Drupada’s name and Dhrishtadyumna is Drupada’s son.
32
Subhadra’s son, Abhimanyu.
33
The word used is atatayin and is used for someone who commits a heinous crime, like a thief, a felon, an arsonist, a murderer, or a rapist.
34
Yudhishthira’s.
35
The word used is
karpanya
and the best translation is poverty. The sense is that Bhishma and Drona owe their living to the Kouravas. Radheya is Karna and Soubala is Shakuni.
36
The king of Madra.
37
The king of Chedi.
38
The king of Magadha.
39
The region of the Punjab.
40
Drupada was the king of Panchala and the Somakas seem to have been synonymous with the Panchalas. However, in some places, there is a suggestion that the Somakas were a sub-branch of the Panchalas.
41
Krishna is addressing Drupada.
42
Before Drona arrived, Kripa was the preceptor. However, Drona and Drupada’s relationships were subsequently strained.
43
The other kings.
44
The Pandavas.
45
Shukra is the preceptor of the demons. Though the text says Angirasa, it should be interpreted as Angirasa’s son. The sage Angirasa’s son was Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods.
46
Pushya is the eighth nakshatra and is regarded as the most auspicious. The etymology of the word Pushya also means ‘nourishing’. A muhurta is a period of forty-eight minutes and there are fifteen muhurtas during the day and fifteen muhurtas during the night. Some of these are good, while others are not. In the standard listing of these thirty muhurtas, the name ‘Jaya’ does not occur. Instead, some conjunctions on specific lunar days (
tithi
s) signify ‘Jaya’ or victory. The best muhurta is ‘Brahma’, which occurs towards dawn, the specific time depending on the time of sunrise. However, in the standard listing of muhurtas, there is a name Pushya, which is good, but not as good as ‘Brahma’. This occurs late in the evening, the specific time depending on the time of sunrise. Therefore, the priest probably left at dawn or late in the evening.
47
Nagasahrya is another name for Hastinapura.
48
Krishna.
49
Dvaraka is another name for Dvaravati.
50
Anarta is the region the Yadavas lived in. So Dvaravati is the city of Anarta.
51
Balarama.
52
Balarama. Shouri means someone who is descended from Shura or Shurasena and is a name for both Balarama and Krishna.
53
Krishna.
54
A yojana is a measure of distance, between eight and nine miles.
55
Indra.
56
Shalya was Duryodhana’s maternal uncle by extrapolation. Shalya’s sister Madri was Pandu’s wife. In a narrow sense, Shalya was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva. In a broader sense, he was the maternal uncle of the Pandavas. He was Duryodhana’s maternal uncle in an even broader sense.
57
Padya.
58
Arghya.
59
Yudhishthira.
60
The word used is tata.
61
The Jatasura story has been recounted in Section 34 (Volume 3).
62
Damayanti’s story has been recounted in Section 32 (Volume 2).
63
Tvashtra was an artisan, architect and builder. He is often equated with Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods.
64
The son with the three heads, Trishira.
65
Indra is a title, status or position. Severe austerities allow a person to assume that position and dislodge Shakra.
66
The three worlds are heaven, earth and the nether regions. Trishira means one with three (
tri
) heads (
shira
).
67
Bala was a demon killed by Indra.
68
Indra’s wife is Shachi.
69
Indra killed a demon named Paka.
70
A kapinjala is the
chataka
bird, a tittira is a partridge, a kalavimka is a sparrow.
71
Indra.
72
They went through their mental powers, they did not have to go physically.
73
This, and the reference to Bali, is a reference to Vishnu’s dwarf (vamana) incarnation.
74
This is a reference to the churning of the ocean.
75
The critical edition mentions the vajra here. Instead of ‘by the vajra’, other versions say, ‘by anything that is not a weapon’. Since Indra did use the vajra, these other versions seem to be more accurate.
76
This is
sandhya
, twilight or dusk, when demons begin to roam around.
77
Because he had violated the agreement.
78
Indra is the god of rains and with Indra gone, there were no rains.
79
Referring to the rivalry between the gods.
80
Indra’s pleasure garden.
81
The name of a foremost gandharva.
82
Indra’s wife, Shachi.
83
Brihasapati was the son of Angirasa.
84
Ahalya was the wife of the sage Goutama. Disguised as Goutama, Indra seduced her. This story is recounted in the Ramayana.
85
Both Trishira and Vritra were the sons of a brahmana.
86
The specific preceptor is Brihaspati, in the singular. In the plural, this is being used in a general sense.
87
The sin was distributed over these objects. Trees, rivers, mountains and the earth are fertile. Women have presumably been included also because of the notion of fertility.
88
The night has been personified as a goddess. The northern course is
uttarayana
, the progress of the sun to the north of the equator.
89
Upashruti is the personification of a supernatural voice that is heard at night. Alternatively, it is a nocturnal deity who reveals the future.
90
Shachi.
91
Upashruti.
92
With Upashruti.
93
Havya
and
kavya
respectively. Havya is oblations offered to the gods, while kavya is oblations offered to the ancestors.
94
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, Angira, Vasishtha and Bhrigu (alternatively, Marichi). Angira is the same as Angirasa.
95
Meaning, Nahusha has been destroyed.
96
Agni is often described as being created from the water.
97
The
vaishvanara
fire is the digestive fire within all beings.
98
Agni is described as having been created in heaven, within men and from the water.
99
Hutashana. This is one of the names of Agni, meaning one to whom oblations are made.
100
This is a reference to the fire of destruction.
101
Agni was created from water, so water is the fire’s womb.
102
Since Vritra has been separately mentioned, Indra is referring to Trishira too.
103
Share of the sacrificial offerings.
104
Varuna.
105
Agni doesn’t get a separate share. Instead, one share of the offerings is simultaneously given to Indra and Agni.
106
There are different lists of guardians of the world (
lokapala
s), but the common list has Indra, Yama, Kubera and Varuna.
107
Trishira.
108
A guest is given padya (water for washing the feet),
achamaniya
(water for washing the mouth), arghya (a gift) and a cow.
109
The meaning is unclear. However, animals were sprinkled with water before they were sacrificed.
110
Agastya was also among the sages who were bearing Nahusha.
111
The mantras and the related ritual.
112
This is being addressed to Indra.
113
Alternatively, Angirasa.
114
Indra bestowed the boon. The word
atharva
has various meanings. Atharva (or Atharvan) was the name of a sage and Atharva Veda (the fourth Veda) is derived from this sage. A descendant of Atharva, or someone conversant with Atharva Veda, can be addressed as Atharva. The word atharva also means wise or learned, so it could also have been an adjective for
angirasa.
115
The Atharva Veda belonged to a slightly different category, as compared to the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda and the Yajur Veda. This probably signifies acceptance of the Atharva Veda as a part of the ritual recitations in sacrifices.
116
Different types of swords are mentioned—
rishti
,
karavala
and
khadga.
117
Kiratas are hunters who dwell in the mountainous regions. Chinas are those from China, which probably meant Tibet, rather than China proper.
118
The name of a tree and its flowers. The flowers are colourful, but have no fragrance.
119
Respectively identified as the Greeks and the Scythians.
120
Because the greater army was so large.
121
The capital of the Haihaya kings. It is identified with today’s Maheshwar, in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.
122
The two kings of Avanti were Vinda and Anuvinda. Avanti was eventually divided into two kingdoms. Ujjaini was the capital of northern Avanti, while Mahishmati was the capital of southern Avanti.
123
There is an inconsistency with what comes later, in Chapter 685(22). The Kekayas were divided between the Kouravas and the Pandavas. While most of the Kekayas did fight on the side of the Kouravas, these five brothers sided with the Pandavas.