Read Mahabharata: Volume 7 Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
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.