Mahabharata: Volume 7 (65 page)

²⁹⁹
The enemy was divided into nine shares, with each of these nine warriors taking care of his share.

³⁰⁰
Because Krishna is with Arjuna, Arjuna has become stronger.

³⁰¹
While Aruna is also a name for the sun, more specifically, Aruna is the sun’s charioteer.

³⁰²
Pratiloma means against the natural order and applies to progeny where the mother is superior in varna to the father. Anuloma applies to progeny where the father is superior in varna to the mother.

³⁰³
Receive gifts.

³⁰⁴
Unless shudras are being equated with sutas, it is possible that there is a typo here and the text should read, ‘they are not the servants of sutas’.

³⁰⁵
By sprinkling with sacred water.

³⁰⁶
Artayani was Shalya’s name. Artayana means someone who is the refuge of one who is distressed and Artayani means a descendant of Artayana.

³⁰⁷
There is a pun that a translation cannot capture. The word shalya means stake.

³⁰⁸
There are different stories about the Tarakamaya battle. In this version, it is named after the demon Taraka.

³⁰⁹
Subsequently referred to as Tarakaksha.

³¹⁰
Brahma.

³¹¹
Brahma.

³¹²
Maya was the architect of the demons.

³¹³
A yojana is a measure of length, between 8 and 9 miles.

³¹⁴
Prajapati is Brahma’s name.

³¹⁵
Tripura means three cities.

³¹⁶
The suras are gods. Those who are not suras are the asuras.

³¹⁷
The destruction of the demons.

³¹⁸
These are Shiva’s names. Sthanu means the one who is immoveable or motionless. Ishana means the splendid lord. Jishnu means the victorious one.

³¹⁹
Shiva’s name, meaning the excellent one.

³²⁰
The gods.

³²¹
While sankhya is a school of philosophy, it can loosely be translated as knowledge of the soul.

³²²
The three-eyed one, Shiva.

³²³
Here, Prajapati means Daksha. Shiva destroyed Daksha’s sacrifice.

³²⁴
The Critical edition excises an intervening shloka. In that, Shiva agreed to accept half the energy and strength of the gods.

³²⁵
The great god.

³²⁶
This is Duryodhana continuing his account.

³²⁷
Mount Mandara.

³²⁸
The river.

³²⁹
It is not obvious what an anukarsha is. It is something that was used to attract or pull and may have been some kind of hook.

³³⁰
Trivenu means three bamboo poles. One doesn’t know what part of the chariot this is, except that it is clearly a joint.

³³¹
Not to be confused with the Kourava Dhritarashtra.

³³²
Samvartaka and Balahaka are the names of clouds that appear at the time of the destruction of the universe.

³³³
Indra, Varuna, Yama and Kubera respectively.

³³⁴
Sinivali is the day before the new moon. Anumati is the day before the full moon. Kuhu is the day of the new moon and Raka is the day of the full moon. These are also the names of goddesses associated with those days.

³³⁵
Meaning speech.

³³⁶
Famous sages.

³³⁷
Itihasa means the two epics and the Puranas. Since the Puranas have already been mentioned, it means only the two epics here.

³³⁸
The exclamation ‘vashat’ made at the time of offering an oblation.

³³⁹
Shiva.

³⁴⁰
The asuras.

³⁴¹
Shiva’s names. Nilalohita means the one who is blue-red. Dhumra means the one who is dark-red or covered in smoke. Krittivasa means the one who is attired in skin.

³⁴²
Shiva’s name, the one with the matted hair.

³⁴³
Brahma.

³⁴⁴
Shiva.

³⁴⁵
Brahma.

³⁴⁶
Shiva.

³⁴⁷
Karna.

³⁴⁸
Parashurama.

³⁴⁹
Parashurama’s.

³⁵⁰
All of this is with reference to horses.

³⁵¹
Hari is one of Indra’s names.

³⁵²
Shalya.

³⁵³
Shalya.

³⁵⁴
The sun god and the fire god respectively.

³⁵⁵
However, Karna had sworn to Kunti that he would not kill any of the Pandavas, other than Arjuna.

³⁵⁶
Therefore, the animals and birds were to the left and the left is inauspicious.

³⁵⁷
Meaning Bhishma and Drona.

³⁵⁸
These events are happening just before sunrise on the seventeenth day.

³⁵⁹
Shukracharya.

³⁶⁰
That is, die.

³⁶¹
Referring to the quarrel between Karna and Shalya.

³⁶²
Duryodhana. Duryodhana is Dhritarashtra’s son and Dhritarashtra is Vichitravirya’s son.

³⁶³
Parashurama. That is, Parashurama gave Karna the chariot.

³⁶⁴
The chariot.

³⁶⁵
Upendra is Indra’s younger brother, that is, Vishnu. Here, it means Krishna.

³⁶⁶
This is a reference to the abduction of Subhadra, Krishna’s sister, described in Section 17 (Volume 2).

³⁶⁷
This is a reference to Arjuna’s duel with Shiva, described in Section 31 (Volume 2).

³⁶⁸
Arjuna’s name.

³⁶⁹
This is a reference to the burning of Khandava, described in Section 19 (Volume 2).

³⁷⁰
The gandharvas travel through the sky. This is a reference to the gandharvas capturing the Kouravas, described in Section 39 (Volume 3).

³⁷¹
This is a reference to the Kourava attempt to seize Virata’s cattle, described in Section 47 (Volume 4).

³⁷²
The word used is
shyama
. This means dark. But it also means a woman who hasn’t had a child or hasn’t been exposed to intercourse.

³⁷³
Kubera.

³⁷⁴
And are ready to be plucked.

³⁷⁵
The sun.

³⁷⁶
Meaning Garuda.

³⁷⁷
Arjuna.

³⁷⁸
There is a pun, because the word
shalya
means dart.

³⁷⁹
The serpent Ashvasena survived the conflagration in Khandava, described in Section 19 (Volume 2). To wreak vengeance on Arjuna, he hid himself in the tip of an arrow that Karna would use in the battle.

³⁸⁰
That is, prosperity.

³⁸¹
Arjuna’s mother (Pritha/Kunti) and Krishna’s father (Vasudeva) were brother and sister. Therefore, Krishna is the son of Arjuna’s maternal uncle. Arjuna is the son of Krishna’s father’s sister.

³⁸²
Tarkshya is Garuda. Vishnu/Krishna has Garuda on his standard and Arjuna has an ape on his standard.

³⁸³
Madraka is the same as Madra.

³⁸⁴
More specifically,
sidhu
, liquor made from molasses. Actually, the negative nuance doesn’t seem to be on liquor, but on the fact that it is made from molasses.

³⁸⁵
Samskara
. There are thirteen samskaras or sacraments. The list varies a bit. But one list is
vivaha
(marriage)
, garbhalambhana
(conception)
, pumshavana
(engendering a male child)
, simantonnayana
(parting the hair, performed in the fourth month of pregnancy)
, jatakarma
(birth rites)
, namakarana
(naming)
, chudakarma
(tonsure)
, annaprashana
(first solid food)
, keshanta
(first shaving of the head)
, upanayana (
sacred thread)
, vidyarambha (
commencement of studies)
, samavartana
(graduation) and
antyeshti
(funeral rites).

³⁸⁶
Shalya’s words are being compared to the bite of a scorpion.

³⁸⁷
Parashurama.

³⁸⁸
Duryodhana’s.

³⁸⁹
For the horses to bear.

³⁹⁰
Appropriate for a vaishya.

³⁹¹
Rice mixed with milk and sugar.

³⁹²
The swans.

³⁹³
The swan.

³⁹⁴
The swan and the crow involved in the match.

³⁹⁵
The crow is thinking this.

³⁹⁶
The swan waited for the exhausted crow to catch up.

³⁹⁷
Garuda.

³⁹⁸
This is Shalya speaking again.

³⁹⁹
The swan’s.

⁴⁰⁰
The swan comforted the crow.

⁴⁰¹
The seizure of the cattle, described in Section 47 (Volume 4).

⁴⁰²
Arjuna killed three of Karna’s brothers in Section 66 (Volume 5).

⁴⁰³
The incident described in Section 39 (Volume 3).

⁴⁰⁴
Parashurama, this is a reference to Section 54 (Volume 4).

⁴⁰⁵
That is, Shalya has heard about these accounts, but without being present there himself.

⁴⁰⁶
Arjuna was Indra’s son.

⁴⁰⁷
At that time, Parashurama was sleeping, with his head on Karna’s thigh. Karna was scared of waking Parashurama up.

⁴⁰⁸
A brahmana wouldn’t have been able to bear the pain from an insect drilling through. Karna was cursed because he studied under Parashurama under the pretext of being a brahmana.

⁴⁰⁹
These were divine weapons. When summoned, they manifested themselves before the user.

⁴¹⁰
The word used is tata. It means father, but is affectionately used towards anyone who is senior.

⁴¹¹
Seven paces or
saptapada
. This is symbolic.

⁴¹²
Actually, the text uses the word god in the singular. But that doesn’t make it clear which god is meant. The use of the plural seems to convey the sense better.

⁴¹³
Yama.

⁴¹⁴
Kubera.

⁴¹⁵
Homa means oblations into the fire. The homa cow thus produced milk products used for such oblations.

⁴¹⁶
The five rivers of the Punjab.

⁴¹⁷
It is not evident why this should be reprehensible. It is sometimes suggested that the quadrangular spot was for slaughtering cattle and Subhanda was a store for liquor. Though possible, this doesn’t follow.

⁴¹⁸
While the Bahlikas were originally from Bactria, there was a settlement around Punjab. Shakala is identified with Sialkot. The river Apaga is identified as Chandrabhaga (Chenab). Jat is believed to be derived from Jartika. The Madras lived in close proximity to the Bahlikas.

⁴¹⁹
That is, the barley has been bought from others.

⁴²⁰
To acts of intercourse.

⁴²¹
This is a reference to his mistress.

⁴²²
The red arsenic is probably on their foreheads and the collyrium on their eyes.

⁴²³
The idea is that the Bahlikas are robbers and bandits. They descend on passers-by along those forest paths and rob them.

⁴²⁴
Krishna chaturdashi
.

⁴²⁵
It is a bit odd for the brahmana to say this. It will soon be clear that this is actually a quote.

⁴²⁶
There is speculation about the location of Aratta, the name also occurring in Sumerian stories.

⁴²⁷
The Critical edition may have erred here. Non-critical versions say Bahlika, which fits the context more than Videha.

⁴²⁸
This is a reference to the brahmana, who was addressed by the rakshasi.

⁴²⁹
This seems to be the rakshasi speaking.

⁴³⁰
The bandits raped her.

⁴³¹
Brahma.

⁴³²
Because the dharma followed was wrong.

⁴³³
Kalmashapada’s story has been recounted in Section 11 (Volume 1). In that account, Kalmashapada was a king who was possessed by a rakshasa.

⁴³⁴
The rakshasa.

⁴³⁵
The rakshasa.

⁴³⁶
Through omission, the Bahlikas are not protected by anyone.

⁴³⁷
This has been described in Section 59 (Volume 4).

⁴³⁸
Karna.

⁴³⁹
As has been mentioned before, there is a consistency problem with the names of Duryodhana’s minor brothers. Chitrasena has already been killed in Section 69 (Volume 6).

⁴⁴⁰
Satyaki and Kritavarma respectively.

⁴⁴¹
However, Shatanika, Nakula’s son, has already been mentioned.

⁴⁴²
Krishnaa, Droupadi.

⁴⁴³
There is a problem with translating this. The text uses the word
hina
, which should be translated as vile, inferior, or left out. Since there is no reason for Satyajit to be so described, we have translated this as youngest.

⁴⁴⁴
Though not explicitly stated, this is Sanjaya speaking again.