Read Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (61 page)
32
Vivasvat’s son. Identified with Vishvakarma, architect of the gods.
33
Daughter of the sun.
34
Indra.
35
Paksha.
36
Kula.
37
Gana
.
38
A class of demi-gods; a semi-divine species, Kubera’s attendants.
39
Brahma.
40
Brahma.
41
That is, set her free from her pregnancy.
42
Shukra’s.
43
Ourva is another name for Chyavana. He was thus named because he was born through splitting open the thigh (
uru
).
44
Parashurama.
45
Not to be confused with Richika’s son Jamadagni. Richika’s son is the more famous Jamadagni.
46
Jamadagni.
47
The goddess of liquor.
48
Her sons.
49
Fear.
50
Great fear.
51
Death.
52
Monkeys with tails like those of cows, with dark bodies and red cheeks.
53
The cardinal points are guarded by elephants.
54
Snakes or serpents.
55
There were probably two Surasas, one who was Kadru’s daughter and another who was Krodha’s daughter.
56
A
shyena
is a hawk or falcon, Shyeni is the feminine. So Shyeni could have been married to Vinata’s son Aruna, though the text doesn’t make it clear if the two Arunas were the same.
63
Literally, those who are slaves to anger.
64
This is known as Dhanur Veda.
65
Destruction.
66
Desire.
67
Anger.
68
Indra.
69
The eight vasus, sons of Manu, were reborn on earth as Shantanu’s sons.
73
A class of gods often described as ten in number. Their mother was Vishva.
74
Goddess Lakshmi.
75
Vaiduryamani.
76
Gandhari.
84
The word used in the text is
shatapada
, one with six legs. This is a word for a bee.
85
That is, a tree.
86
Duhshanta.
87
Sacrificial fires.
88
A
yati
is specifically an ascetic.
89
The word used in the text is
kaccha
. This is usually the word used for a marsh. But a marsh does not seem right, given the context.
90
The ruddy goose.
91
The king of the gandharvas.
92
This is probably a reference to the Yajur Veda. The critical edition jumps from the Rig Veda to the Atharva Veda, at least by name. The Yajur Veda is not explicitly mentioned. Some regional variations mention the Yajur Veda explicitly and there are shlokas, missing in the critical edition, that mention the Sama Veda.
102
The wind-god. Vayu is another one of his names.
103
The god of love. Kama is another one of his names.
104
She is actually repeating Kanva’s words.
105
Indra.
106
The word used is
shakuna
. In a general sense, this means bird. But in a specific sense, it means vultures or kites.
107
This is Kanva speaking.
108
One of the eight forms of marriage. In this form, there are no ceremonies and no relatives are present. The bride and the groom willingly marry each other in what is a marriage of love.
109
Brahma.
110
It is not clear what this number five refers to, probably the last five of the eight mentioned forms.
115
The word used is
yuvaraja
, which can be translated as prince or young king. However, this appellation also signifies the person becoming an heir apparent.
116
That is, paternal relatives.
117
Literally, the city of the elephant and another name for Hastinapura, Duhshanta’s capital.
121
There are three kinds of sacrificial fires—
ahavaniya, garhapatya
and
dakshina
. The garhapatya fire burns in the household, the ahavaniya fire is the one into which sacrificial offerings are placed and the dakshina fire is the one that faces the south.
122
There were originally thirty or thirty-three gods —eleven in heaven, eleven in the sky and eleven on earth. Another way of getting the number is by adding twelve adityas, eleven rudras and ten vishvadevas.
125
Bharata means to maintain.
126
A universal monarch or sovereign of the world. Sarvabhouma has the same meaning.
127
It is not clear what this means. A padma is a lotus. But this doesn’t quite fit the requirement. Were one thousand lotuses given? A padma is also one trillion. In that case, one trillion of what is left unsaid. Perhaps a padma simply connotes a large number and a large number of cows were given.
130
The word for men is
manava
.
131
Manu is not the name of a single person. There were fourteen Manus, each presiding over the interval between a round of destruction and recreation. The first Manu (Svayambhuva) produced the first round of human beings. However, the present round of human beings is descended from the seventh Manu (Vaivasvata).
132
Naga
s or serpents.
133
Robbers or dacoits. The word also means evil beings or demons that were enemies of gods and men. It can also mean outcasts or outcastes.
134
Yayati.
135
Devayani.
136
Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods.
137
The demons. That is, the demons also had a priest for the same purpose.
138
Ushanas is another name for Shukra or Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons. The text has the word
kavya
, which has been translated as wise. However, Kavya is also another name for Shukra and Kavya is the son of Kavi.
139
The knowledge of bringing the dead back to life.
140
The king of the demons.
143
The brighter half of the lunar month.
146
Indra. Literally, the performer of a hundred sacrifices.
147
Indra. Literally, the destroyer of cities.
148
Indra.
149
Meaning that the forest or the wood was beautiful. Chitraratha was the king of the gandharvas.
150
The text actually has Devayani addressing Sharmishtha as her disciple. This is because Devayani’s father (Shukra) was the preceptor to Sharmishtha’s father (Vrishaparva).
151
One of Devayani’s companions or maids.
152
Before the quarrel, Devayani and Sharmishtha were friends.
153
There is a break in continuity in the critical edition. Other editions have a shloka where Shukra goes and tells Devayani what has occurred.
154
That of giving birth to a child.
157
This isn’t clear at all. There was a kingdom of Bhoja in the Vidarbha or Malwa region. But why should that be a curse? Or is this appellation a reference to people who were addicted to food (
bhojana
)?
158
Usually there is reference to three sacrificial fires—ahavaniya, garhapatya and dakshina. The other two sacred fires are
samya
and
avasadhya
.
159
Indra.
160
Clearly, not material prosperity, but riches obtained through righteousness.
161
The text should literally be translated as those born from sweat.
162
Another name for Indra.
163
Meaning Vishnu.
164
From an earlier reference, one knows that Ashtaka was a king. Yayati was his maternal grandfather.
165
The first of the four yugas, also known as Satya Yuga.
166
The word used is
shitikantha
, which means white in the neck. This means a peacock, though some kind of vulture with a white neck is also possible.
167
That is, through the merits of one’s earlier deeds.
168
As enumerated in what immediately follows, the five sense organs and mind.
169
That is, ritualistic deeds.
170
None of this is to be interpreted in a literal sense. For instance, the teeth are clean because he lives on pure food, the nails are clipped because he does not hurt anyone, he is always bathed and without dirt because his actions are pure and his deeds are white because they are good.
171
Pain and pleasure, happiness and unhappiness, and so on.
172
Cattle and other animals eat to survive, without making eating the end object.