Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (69 page)
Read Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
188
This section about Drumasena hangs loose and it is not clear who this Drumasena was. There was a Drumasena who protected Shalya’s chariot wheels, but he figures later, in Shalya Parva.
189
Ashvattahama, Shalya, Duhshasana, Duryodhana, Shakuni and Drona.
190
These are different types of arrows. Kshurapras are arrows with sharp edges, vatsadantas have heads like a calf’s tooth, vipathas are large arrows, narachas are made out of iron and karnis are barbed.
191
Vrishasena.
192
Karna and Vrishasena, Vrishasena having regained his senses.
193
There might be a typo and this could be Kouravas. However, there is no inconsistency, since Puru was a common ancestor and the Kouravas could also be referred to as the Pouravas.
194
Of killing Satyaki.
195
Dhrishtadyumna.
196
Abhimanyu.
197
Since this is within quotes, there is no reason for Shakuni to be addressed as a descendant of the Bharata lineage.
198
Kartikeya.
199
Uluka was Shakuni’s son.
200
To run away.
201
River which flows in the nether world.
202
Referring to the battle that is taking place during the night.
203
They ran towards Drona, instead of running away from him.
204
Drona and Karna.
205
Arjuna.
206
By calling these out to each other.
207
In the sense that the combatants chose who to fight with.
208
Dhrishtadyumna.
209
The horses were controlled well.
210
Ghatotkacha’s mother was Hidimbaa and her brother was the powerful rakshasa, Hidimba, killed by Bhima.
211
However, Indra was actually vanquished by Taraka.
212
Duryodhana.
213
The Jatasura story has been recounted in Section 34 (Volume 3).
214
Jatasura.
215
The name of Jatasura’s son.
216
Alambala’s.
217
Chariots, horses, elephants and infantry.
218
Virochana’s son was Bali.
219
Resorting to the powers of maya.
220
The serpent.
221
Rahu.
222
There is a problem of interpretation here. The famous demon, Maya, was the architect of the gods. But there are no obvious stories connecting Vishnu with the killing of Maya. This might be a different Maya. Alternatively, and more likely, it might be a reference to Vishnu destroying maya (illusion).
223
A nalva is a measure of distance, equal to 400 hastas or cubits.
224
Kishku is a measure of length. It is variously described as forty-two angulas (the length of a finger) or four hastas (the length of an arm).
225
Ghatotkacha.
226
Rathashakti.
227
Ghatotkacha.
228
Vishnu.
229
Ghatotkacha’s.
230
Ghatotkacha.
231
The rainbow.
232
Vrisha was one of Karna’s names.
233
Indra’s bow, the rainbow.
234
Yama.
235
Ghatotkacha.
236
Ghatotkacha’s.
237
Ghatotkacha.
238
Ghatotkacha.
239
The rakshasas become stronger in the night. Bhima had killed all three rakshasas. In Section 9 (Volume 1), Bhima killed Hidimba and married his sister, Hidimbaa. Ghatotkacha was Bhima and Hidimbaa’s son. In Section 10 (Volume 1), Bhima killed Baka. In Section 30 (Volume 2), he killed Kirmira.
240
The two chariots were similar.
241
Ghatotkacha’s.
242
Ghatotkacha’s.
243
Ghatotkacha.
244
The killing of Ghatotkacha.
245
Alayudha.
246
Karna.
247
Presumably, he seized them by the hand.
248
Alayudha.
249
Krishna.
250
Towards Alayudha.
251
Belonging to Alayudha.
252
Ghatotkacha.
253
Ayoguda.
254
Ulukhala is a stone mortar used for grinding spices.
255
The shami tree is
Prosopsis spicigera
, a medicinal tree, commonly known as
khejri
or
sangri.
Pilu is
Salvadora persica
, usually mentioned in conjunction with shami. Karira or
karavira
is
Nerium indicum.
It is not clear what shamyaki is, probably some subspecies of shami. Ingudi is
Balanites roxburghii.
Badari is
Zizyphus mauritania
or
ber
. Kovidara is
Bauhinia variegeta
or
kachanar
. Palasha and kimshuka are identical,
Butea monosperma
. Arimeda is
Acacia farnesiana.
Plaksha is the sacred fig tree,
Ficus religiosa
. Nyogradha or
nyagrodha
is the banyan,
Ficus bengalensis
. Pippala is the Indian long pepper,
Piper longum
.
256
Alayudha.
257
Bhima’s.
258
Alayudha.
259
About killing Duryodhana and his brothers.
260
It was only the ordinary soldiers who ran away.
261
This is a description of the rakshasas.
262
The Kourava soldiers.
263
The rakshasas.
264
The Kourava soldiers.
265
There is a typo in the Critical edition, and the word horses is used twice. One of these horses should probably read foot soldiers.
266
Evil spirits or demons.
267
Ghatotkacha.
268
Karna’s.
269
Karna.
270
The spear Karna obtained from Indra and had preserved for Arjuna. It would only kill one antagonist and then return to Indra.
271
Ghatotkacha.
272
Karna.
1
Kartana
means to cut. The story of Karna giving them to Indra has been recounted in Section 43 (Volume 3).
2
The word
vrisha
means a bull, as well as a virtuous act. Karna was thus named because he was a strong and virtuous man.
3
Jarasandha’s death has been described in Section 22 (Volume 2). The king of Chedi was Shishupala and he was killed by Krishna in Section 26 (Volume 2). While specific details are missing, Section 53 (Volume 4) tell us that before the Kurukshetra War, Ekalavya had already been killed by Krishna.
4
Ekalavya. Eklavya is both referred to as Nishadha and the son of a Nishadha. Both are correct.
5
To be on his own side.
6
Rohini’s son is Balarama.
7
Simanta
, the parting on a lady’s hair. Hence, a lady is called
simantini.
8
A kind of missile that is difficult to pinpoint.
9
A female rakshasa. The story has been described in Section 21 (Volume 2). Jarasandha’s father was Brihadratha and he obtained a mango from a sage. He divided the mango between his two wives and each wife gave birth to half a son. In that section, we are only told that after handing over Jarasandha to Brihadratha, Jara vanished.
10
This incident has been described in Section 7 (Volume 1). Drona wasn’t actually Ekalavya’s teacher, he had refused to accept him as a student. Consequently, he shouldn’t have asked for a preceptor’s fee (guru dakshina). However, Ekalavya had used an image of Drona as preceptor. That explains the reference to the disguise of a preceptor.
11
The boar and the dog are fighting over some game.
12
Arjuna.
13
Other than Arjuna.
14
The text does not place this explicitly within quotes.
15
The Pandavas.
16
The text does not actually have this address to Karna within quotes. It has to be inferred.
17
The word used is tata.
18
The Pandava soldiers.
19
Yudhishthira.
20
Ghatotkacha.
21
These incidents have been described in Section 33 (Volume 3).
22
Karna.
23
Abhimanyu.
24
Drona.
25
In the sense that others had a much greater role to play in the killing of Abhimanyu, Jayadratha had only prevented the Pandavas from following Abhimanyu.
26
Yudhishthira.
27
The word used is tata.
28
Four days of the war still remain.
29
Drona was born in a pot.
30
Durmukha was one of Duryodhana’s brothers and it is not clear if this is that Durmukha’s son.
31
A yama consists of three hours. Night is called triyama because it lasts for nine hours.
32
The night seemed to last forever.
33
Meaning those on the Kourava side.
34
Kumuda
, because these lotuses bloom in the night, the moon is their lord.
35
Indra presides over the eastern direction.
36
The moon has the mark of a hare and is hence known as Shashanka,
shasha
standing for hare or rabbit.
37
Shatapatra
s, literally those with one hundred leaves or petals. These are lotuses that bloom during the day.
38
Attaining worlds in the hereafter, but destroying the present world.
39
This has been described in Section 19 (Volume 2).
40
This has been described in Section 39 (Volume 3).
41
These incidents have been described in Section 35 (Volume 3).
42
One part will be left with Drona and the other part used against Arjuna.
43
Kubera.
44
Varuna.
45
Aruna is a name for the sun. It is also the name of the sun’s charioteer and in addition, means dawn. It was thus nearing dawn.
46
The Kourava soldiers.
47
This should read Matsyas.
48
That is, keep Drona’s division to the right.
49
He was to their left and they were on his right. It is not quite clear where Karna was positioned.
50
Arjuna.
51
That is, ignore Drona’s division.
52
Yama’s.
53
Duryodhana’s brothers.
54
Ardhasi
, or half-sword.
55
From the side of the enemy.
56
A divine flower.
57
The eight who fought.
58
This is a general description and not restricted to the eight who were immediately fighting.
59
Bhratrivya
has several meanings. It means a father’s brother’s son and a cousin in general, but it also means an enemy. Instead of cousin brother, a translation as enemy is equally acceptable.
60
Duryodhana.
61
Duhshasana.
62
Duhshasana.
63
From attacking Sahadeva.
64
Bhima.
65
Bhima.
66
It is easier to shoot an arrow if the opponent happens to be on the right. But this logic should not work for Savyasachi, who was left-handed.
67
Divine weapons named after Indra, Pashupati, Tvashtra, Vayu and Varuna respectively.
68
Dhrishtadyumna.
69
Kritavarma and his three brothers, Nakula, Sahadeva and Dhrishtadyumna.
70
Lipta
means smeared, so such arrows were smeared with poison. It is not clear what
vastaka
arrows were, but they seem to have been injected, as opposed to smeared, with poison.
71
Kapisha
means reddish brown, also probably signifying smearing with some substance.
72
This either means that the arrows did not have multiple heads, or that more than one arrow was not forged together to form a large arrow.
73
This preceptor might mean Balarama, since Duryodhana studied under him.
74
Indifferent towards his own life.
75
Duryodhana’s.
76
Bhima’s.
77
Mental fever.
78
Dhrishtadyumna.
79
Though not explicitly stated, they conversed with each other in this way.
80
The word yoga has multiple meanings. Here, it is being used in the sense of a trick.
81
Ashvatthama.
82
This doesn’t quite belong. Vasudana has already been killed by Drona in Section 66 (Volume 5), thought this might a different Vasudana.
83
Or Valakhilyas.
84
There are six Vedangas—
shiksha
(articulation and pronunciation),
chhanda
(prosody),
vyakarana
(grammar),
nirukta
(etymology),
jyotisha
(astronomy) and
kalpa
(rituals).
85
Yudhishthira.
86
Sharadvati is Kripi, Ashvatthama’s mother and Drona’s wife.
87
The translation of the Critical edition’s text doesn’t make it very clear. Yudhishthira said, ‘Ashvatthama, the elephant, has been killed,’ with the elephant qualification added indistinctly.
88
The fire.
89
The divine weapons arrived when summoned. In this case, they did not, because Drona was destined to die.
90
The fifth day.
91
Dhrishtadyumna’s bow.
92
Dhrishtadyumna’s and Drona’s horses respectively.
93
Dhrishtadyumna leapt onto Drona’s chariot.
94
He killed Dhrishtadyumna’s horses.
95
Garuda.
96
Vishnu killed Hiranyakashipu in his
narasimha
(man-lion) incarnation.
97
Dhanurveda
texts mention thirty-two techniques of fighting with a sword and a shield and one doesn’t know which twenty-one have been singled out. If one counts the motions mentioned in the text, one falls short of twenty-one.
98
Vaitastika arrows were nine inches long.
99
The word used in the text is more specific than student. It is
antevasin
, which means a student who lives in the preceptor’s house.
100
Krishna.
101
Satyaki.
102
There is some inconsistency and break of continuity between Chapters 1141(164) and 1142(165). For example, in Chapter 1141(164), divine weapons are said to have deserted Drona. But he uses them in Chapter 1142(165).
103
That is, a bow.
104
The word used is
brahmabandhava
, meaning someone who is only nominally a brahmana.
105
Shvapaka means dog-eater or someone who cooks food for dogs. This is usually equated with
chandala
or outcaste.
106
Ashvatthama.
107
Because he did not know what had happened.
108
Drona’s.
109
This was said before Dhrishtadyumna severed Drona’s head.
110
The limbs being red might also be a description of Dhrishtadyumna, rather than of Drona.
111
Satyavati’s son is Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa, who gave Sanjaya the boon of divine sight. Because of this divine sight, Sanjaya could see much more than what was evident to the others about the truth of Drona’s death and about his ascent to heaven.
112
This is a reference to the Kourava soldiers. The sense is that they had lost both this world and the next. They lost this world because they were defeated. They lost the next world because they fled.
113
Hiranyaksha was an asura who was killed by Vishnu in his
varaha
(boar) incarnation.
114
Drona.
115
Ashvatthama.
116
Yudhishthira.
117
Drona.
118
The translation doesn’t capture the nuance. The practice in question is prayopavesa. While this does mean voluntary fasting to death, it is adopted by someone who has no worldly desires left.