Read Mahabharata: Volume 7 Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
86
The siddhas were delighted that he could fight with them single-handed.
87
There is a pun on the word shalya, which means arrow, spear or dart.
88
Shalya.
89
Satyaki, Bhima, Nakula, Sahadeva and Yudhishthira.
90
However, we have earlier been told that the two who were guarding the chariot wheels had been killed.
91
That is, the Kourava warriors rejoiced.
92
Ashvatthama climbed onto Suratha’s chariot.
93
Satyaki’s.
94
The Pandavas had apportioned out the Kouravas amongst themselves. Shalya was Yudhishthira’s share.
95
Madri’s.
96
Dhrishtadyumna.
97
Bhima’s.
98
Rathashakti.
99
He placed the enemy on the right.
100
Indra.
101
Yudhishthira’s.
102
Shalya.
103
Vishnu, that is, Krishna.
104
That is, Shalya could have been reduced to ashes because of Yudhishthira’s sight alone.
105
Ishana is Shiva and Tvashtra is Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods.
106
Shiva.
107
Yudhishthira.
108
Shalya’s.
109
Skanda (Kartikeya) shattered Mount Krouncha, when he killed the demons who hid there. The Krouncha mountain is in the Bellary district of Karnataka.
110
Lakshmi, alternatively, beauty.
111
The Kourava soldiers.
112
Both Satyaki and Kritavarma were from the Vrishni lineage.
113
Another bow.
114
Satyaki.
1
The word used is
madhyama
, meaning mild or moderate. The word used for formation is
gulma
, not vyuha. The entire army is arrayed in the form of a vyuha, while a gulma is a smaller division, something like a battalion. The suggestion probably is that the Pandavas did not take this attack very seriously.
2
The Kouravas who were trying to rescue the followers of the king of Madra.
3
Yudhishthira.
4
There is no story that tells us that Maya was killed by Indra.
5
Belonging to the Kouravas.
6
There is a contradiction and a possible typo, because we have been told there were only foot soldiers on the Kourava side. It should perhaps read that Bhimasena and Dhrishtadyumna countered them with four kinds of forces.
10
Kritavarma.
11
On the Kourava side.
12
Satyaki.
13
Kritavarma. All the Yadavas were descended from Madhu.
14
Satyaki.
15
On the Kourava side.
16
The Panchalas are mentioned twice.
17
The Pandava army.
18
Ashvatthama and Bhima.
19
Yudhishthira.
20
There are five senses and Droupadi had five sons.
21
Because of the dust.
22
This requires explanation.
Simanta
is the parting of the hair and a marking on that indicates that the lady is married. The women were not deprived of the parting, but that marking. Stated simply, the women became widows.
23
Their own hair. They grasped their own hair with one hand and wielded a sword in the other.
24
His own army.
25
Duryodhana.
26
On the Pandava side.
27
The text uses the word goshpada. This literally means the mark of a cow’s foot in the soil and the small puddle of water that fills up such a mark, that is, a trifle.
28
Vinda and Anuvinda.
29
Duryodhana.
30
The word used is tata. This means father, but is affectionately used towards anyone who is older or superior.
31
Parashurama.
32
There is an imagery of a forest.
33
Duryodhana’s.
34
The five Pandava brothers.
35
According to belief, mountains once possessed wings.
36
They wanted to find out if Duryodhana was well.
37
This is one of the rare and anomalous instances of Sanjaya personally fighting. The five on the Kourava side clearly are Ashvatthama, Kripa, Kritavarma, Shakuni and Duryodhana. The two kinds of forces probably means elephants and chariots.
40
The word used is tata. This means son, but is affectionately used towards anyone who is younger or junior.
41
Yudhishthira.
42
Hastinapura.
43
Since we have been told that all the other brothers have been killed, Sudarshana is the same as Sudarsha. That apart, the two words have the same meaning.
44
Duryodhana.
45
Prasthala was the capital of Trigarta and Susharma was the king of Trigarta.
46
Susharma’s.
47
Uluka.
48
Sahadeva.
49
Sahadeva.
50
Shakuni was the share allotted to Sahadeva.
51
Shakuni.
52
Shakuni.
53
The remaining Kourava soldiers.
54
Hastinapura.
55
Measure of distance, between 2 and 3 miles.
56
Sanjaya knew it too and didn’t need Vyasa to tell him this.
57
Dhritarashtra.
58
The Pandava soldiers were approaching.
59
Yuyutsu is addressing himself.
60
Because these two were older than him.
61
Yudhishthira.
62
Yuyutsu was the son of a vaishya lady.
63
That is, Vidura had come away from Dhritarashtra.
64
Vidura spoke to Yuyutsu.
65
Duryodhana.
66
The word used is tata. It means father, but is affectionately used towards anyone who is senior or elder.
67
However, earlier, Bhima rather than Krishna has been mentioned.
1
That is, after Duryodhana had entered the lake, he used his powers to make the waters solid, so that, it no longer looked like a lake.
2
The hunters.
3
Meaning Bhima.
4
Presumably by the guards.
5
Yudhishthira.
6
Meaning, Yudhishthira.
7
This great-souled one means Vishnu in his dwarf (vamana) incarnation, when he deprived Bali of the three worlds in three steps.
8
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu were brothers. Hiranyakashipu was slain by Vishnu in his half-man half-lion (
narasimha
) incarnation and Hiranyaksha was slain by Vishnu in his boar (
varaha
) incarnation.
9
Ravana was the son of the sage Vishrava, and Vishrava (Poulastya) was the son of the sage Pulastya.
10
Vishnu’s role in the slaying of Taraka and Viprachitti can only have been indirect. Taraka was slain by Kartikeya, though there are some references to Taraka having been killed by Indra. There are also references to Viprachitti having been killed by Indra.
11
Ilvala and Vatapi were killed by the sage Agastya. The story has been recounted in Section 33 (Volume 3). The Sunda-Upasunda story has been recounted in Section 16 (Volume 1). Trishira was killed by Indra. The story has been recounted in Section 49 (Volume 4).
12
The word used is tata. This means son, but is used towards anyone who is younger or junior. Duryodhana was younger to Yudhishthira.
13
The sense is that a bird is given crumbs that it has not earned.
14
This is a reference to the attempt made to poison Bhima, described in Section 7 (Volume 1).
15
Yudhishthira.
16
The ones who have been killed.
17
That is, the entire fight will be with clubs.
18
Shiva.
19
A mountain exuding minerals.
20
Vaivasvata is Yama and Kimkara is the name of Yama’s club.
21
Yudhishthira.
22
Duryodhana has practised against an iron statue.
23
Bhima has not practised as much as Duryodhana has.
24
Shachi’s lord (husband) is Indra, that is, just as Vishnu gave the lordship of the three worlds to Indra.
25
Bhima had taken a vow that he would break Duryodhana’s thigh in the battle.
26
Meaning Satyaki.
27
This is a reference to the attempt to burn the Pandavas down, described in Section 8 (Volume 1).
28
Pratikami is a messenger. This isn’t a proper name. In Section 27 (Volume 2), after the gambling match, the Pratikami was sent to summon Droupadi to the assembly hall. However, the Pratikami didn’t seize Droupadi by the hair, Duhshasana did. Nor, before this, have we been told anything about the Pratikami being killed.
29
Balarama.
30
Both Bhima and Duryodhana had studied under Balarama. Balarama’s weapon was the plough.
31
Bhima.
32
Though listings of the twenty-seven nakshatras sometimes differ, Pushya is usually the
eighth, while Shravana is usually the twenty-second. Three days per nakshatra gives that total of forty-two days.
33
Krishna.
34
Balarama was Rohini’s son.
35
This is a reference to Krishna’s mission of peace, described in Section 54 (Volume 4).
36
The text leaves it as ‘them’. Balarama meant helping the Kouravas.
37
Maitra or Mitra is more a
muhurta
, rather than a conjunction of nakshatras. Depending on when the sun rises, it is usually between 7.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m.
38
Kritavarma.
39
A sacred fire burns in every household. That is carried at the time of a pilgrimage.
40
The moon.
41
The word
prabha
means radiance.
42
Chandra, Soma and Shashi are names for the moon god.
43
These were the twenty-seven nakshatras, married to Soma, the moon.
44
Rohini is Aldebaran and is brighter than the others.
45
Daksha.
46
Shitamshu is another name for the moon, meaning the one with the cool rays.
47
Another name for the moon god.
48
Shasha
or
shashaka
is a rabbit or hare. Because the moon bears the mark of a hare, it is known as Shashi or Shashanka.
49
Daksha.
50
Chandra took Daksha’s leave.
51
Balarama.
52
The Sarasvati has been destroyed in the sense of becoming invisible and flowing underground.