Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (78 page)
Read Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
294
The Krishna River originates in Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and so does the Venna. The rivers Koyna and Gayatri also originate there. The lake of the gods is Venna lake.
295
The Payoshni is either the Purna or the Tapti.
296
Shurparaka is a region (kingdom) near the origins of the Narmada, that is, what is the southern part of Gujarat now. Shurparaka was founded by Parashurama, Jamadagni’s son.
297
Saptagodavari is in the East Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh in Draksharama (a corruption of Daksha ashrama).
298
Sarasvata was the son of Angiras. The sages had respectfully spread out their upper garments for him to sit on.
299
Brahma.
300
Bhrigu.
301
In the Bundelkhand region, in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.
302
Chitrakuta is partly in Madhya Pradesh and partly in Uttar Pradesh. The Mandakini joins the Alaknanda in Rudraprayag.
303
Skanda or Kartikeya.
304
There is a minor internal inconsistency, because Pulastya is actually speaking to Bhishma, and Narada is repeating the conversation to Yudhishthira.
305
Shringaverapura is near Allahabad and was the capital of the
nishada
kingdom. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita crossed the Ganga there.
306
In this context, demi-gods with demonic characteristics.
307
Suparna means one with beautiful feathers. Suparna is Garuda’s name, but is also a general name for birds.
308
Chakracharas are those that travel in circles. Beyond that, it is not clear what is meant. Perhaps one means the stars and the planets. It is more likely that this should really be
charachara
s, in which case, one means mobile and immobile objects.
309
Another name for the Ganga.
310
Tapana is the sun-god and his daughter is the Yamuna.
311
There is a minor internal inconsistency, because Pulastya is actually speaking to Bhishma, and Narada is repeating the conversation to Yudhishthira.
312
Vasuki is the king of the nagas and Bhogavati is his capital.
313
Literally, the flight (
prapatana
) of the swans (
hamsa
).
314
Literally, where ten (dasha) horse sacrifices (ashvamedha) have been held.
315
Heaven.
319
Pulastya.
320
The text of the critical edition mentions Galava twice, whereas other versions have Jabali in place of the second mention of Galava.
321
The Mahabhisha story has been told in Section 1 (Volume 1). He was reborn as Shantanu.
322
The sun.
323
Indra.
324
Yudhishthira.
325
Brahma.
326
That is, Arjuna and Krishna.
327
The lotus-eyed one, Vishnu and Krishna’s name.
328
Satya, treta
and
dvapara yuga
s,
kali yuga
is still in the future.
329
An unrivalled warrior, whose valour is unlimited, greater than a
maharatha
.
330
Ashvatthama.
331
A suta was the son of a kshatriya father and a brahmana mother and by profession sutas were charioteers. But they were also bards and raconteurs.
332
Of battle.
333
Here, Indra’s weapon means Indra’s bow, a term used for a rainbow. Since clouds are part of the imagery, Gandiva is being compared to a rainbow.
334
Literally, the cause (
karana
) of that which never decays (
akshaya
).
335
Koushika is one of Vishvamitra’s names. Kusha was his great grandfather.
336
Jamadagni’s son was Parashurama. While there are different versions of the Vishvamitra story, the reference here is to the story where Vishvamitra was almost like Parashurama’s ancestor. Gadhi had a daughter named Satyavati and she was married to Richika. Gadhi was a kshatriya and Richika was a brahmana. Richika prepared some boiled rice. Part of this was to be given to Satyavati, so that she would have a son with the characteristics of a brahmana and part was to be given to Satyavati’s mother, so that she would have a son with the characteristics of a kshatriya. But these were interchanged. Consequently, Satyavati’s mother gave birth to Vishvamitra and Satyavati gave birth to Jamadagni.
337
Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.
343
Kanyakumari.
344
Tamraparni was an old name for Sri Lanka. But this must be the Tamraparni River in Tamil Nadu, now known as Thamirabarani.
345
Heaven.
346
All of these are Vishnu’s names.
347
Creeper believed to blossom at a woman’s touch.
348
Kubera is the sage Vishrava’s son. His more common mount (
vahana
) is a mongoose. But he is also shown with a horse or a man as his mount.
349
Literally, with
vaidurya
on its peak.
350
The story of Yayati’s fall is recounted in Section 1 (Volume 1).
351
Brahma’s.
352
A vaikhanasa is a hermit or ascetic, a brahmana who has resorted to the forest.
353
Heaven.
354
The name Sarasvati means one with many lakes or pools (
saras
).
355
The sacrificial peg or staff is
shamya
. It was thrown to measure out the length of the sacrificial ground.
356
The text says one hundred hundred thousand.
357
Mountainous tribes who lived through hunting.
358
Indra’s name.
359
Amrita
has been translated as ambrosia. The reference is to the churning of the ocean. In the course of the churning, both amrita and the weapon arose.
360
Vishvavasu was the king of the gandharvas. Chitrasena was a king of the gandharvas and it was from Chitrasena that Arjuna learnt these skills, described in Section 32. Chitrasena is being described as Vishvavasu’s son.
361
The knowledge of singing and dancing.
362
Yudhishthira’s younger brother is Bhima and Bhima’s younger brother is Arjuna.
363
Indra is telling Lomasha this.
364
Karna.
365
Indra is addressing these words to Yudhishthira and they are being repeated by Lomasha.
366
Arjuna is addressing Lomasha.
367
Arjuna’s name.
368
Dadhicha (or Dadhichi) donated his bones so that the vajra could be constructed, used by Indra to kill Vritra. Angiras rescued the sun when it was hidden by the Panis in their cave.
372
The ninth month in the calendar, alternatively, Agrahayana. Roughly end November to end December. The month is named after the constellation (
nakshatra)
Mrigashira.
373
The eighth of the twenty-seven nakshatras.
374
Their companions and servants.
375
Tirtha of horses.
376
Tirtha of cows.
377
Brahma’s.
378
Brahma’s lake.
379
Vaivasvata is the son of Vivasvata or the sun-god and is one of Yama’s names. Dharma also means Yama.
380
The wielder of the pinaka is Mahadeva. Pinaka means both a bow and a trident.
381
A sacrifice performed once every four (
chatur
) months (
masa
) and performed at the beginnings of the months of Kartika, Phalguna and Ashadha.
382
Speaking to Yudhishthira.
386
The father is believed to recreate himself in the form of his son.
387
As will become clear in the next chapter, the king of Vidarbha did not know that this had been done by Agastya.
388
The fourth of the twenty-seven nakshatras. The moon was married to all twenty seven, but was partial to the beautiful Rohini.
389
Agastya.
390
Rambha is the name of an apsara and the translation has been done with this meaning in mind. However,
rambha
is also the name of a plantain tree. Therefore, with thighs like plantain, is also an accurate translation.
391
This is a reference to the story about Agastya’s birth. Mitra and Varuna were smitten with the apsara Urvashi’s beauty. The resultant semen was kept in a pot and became the sages Agastya and Vasishtha. Agastya is often referred to as Kumbhayoni,
kumbha
being a pot.
401
The text uses the word
rodasi
and
rodasi
(or
rodas
) means heaven and earth.
402
The Kalakeyas are also known as the Kaleyas.
403
This seems to be a reference to the churning of the ocean, when Mount Mandara was the churning rod and was supported at the base by Vishnu in the form of a turtle (
kurma
). However, the use of the word ‘hand’ remains unclear.
404
In some versions of the Vritra story, Vritra was a brahmana. Though Vritra had been killed, Indra might have been scared because he had killed a brahmana, other than the obvious reason of his not believing that Vritra was truly dead.
405
Vaikuntha is one of Naryana’s ephithets and also the name of his abode.
406
That is, mobile and immobile.
407
This is a reference to Vishnu’s boar (varaha) incarnation.
408
This is a reference to Vishnu’s man-lion (narasimha) incarnation.
409
This is a reference to Vishnu’s dwarf (vamana) incarnation.
410
Several demons had the name of Jambha. The more common Jambha was killed by Indra, though in one of the accounts, he was aided by Vishnu. There was another Jambha who was killed by Krishna.
411
Those born from wombs, those born from eggs, vegetables and plants and those born from sweat (insects).
412
The text uses the term
havyakavya
. Oblations offered to gods are called
havya
and oblations offered to ancestors are called
kavya
.
