Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (62 page)

¹⁷³
The ascetic and the householder who has learning.

¹⁷⁴
As mentioned earlier, Pratardana was also a king.

¹⁷⁵
Accept gifts.

¹⁷⁶
An
arbuda
is one hundred million.

¹⁷⁷
The apsara’s name.

¹⁷⁸
Earth, water, energy, air and the sky.

¹⁷⁹
The suggestion is that the son was actually Bharadvaja’s.

¹⁸⁰
Fourfold armies include elephants, horses, chariots and infantry.

¹⁸¹
Indus.

¹⁸²
Samvarana.

¹⁸³
The word used is
vishana
, which means both horn (as in trumpet) and tusk.

¹⁸⁴
Jangala
is an arid plain.

¹⁸⁵
Different from Janamejaya, Parikshit’s son.

¹⁸⁶
Not to be confused with Parikshit, Arjuna’s grandson.

¹⁸⁷
Not to be confused with the horse.

¹⁸⁸
Designed to ensure conquest (
jita
) of the world (
vishva
).

¹⁸⁹
The word
prach
means eastern or easterly.

¹⁹⁰
An
ayuta
is 10,000.

¹⁹¹
The word used is
bhastra
, which is a leather bag or pouch, usually used for storing water.

¹⁹²
By giving birth to offspring.

¹⁹³
The word
shanta
means to appease, calm, satisy, pacify, cure or alleviate.

¹⁹⁴
That is, die.

¹⁹⁵
Bhima.

¹⁹⁶
Ceremony where the bride chooses her own groom.

¹⁹⁷
Shulka
is price, but this not a marriage where a bride price is paid.
Virya
means valour, so this is a marriage where the bride is married to the person who exhibits the most valour.

¹⁹⁸
Kunti.

¹⁹⁹
The word
parikshina
means diminished, decayed, thin. In this context, even extinct can be used.

²⁰⁰
There doesn’t seem to be much point in telling Janamejaya this. Perhaps the intention is to make the account complete.

²⁰¹
A sacrifice where offerings of food and water were made.

²⁰²
Celestial, terrestrial and subterranean. The river Ganga flows in all three regions.

²⁰³
As mentioned earlier, the word
shanta
means to appease, calm, satisy, pacify, cure or alleviate. With the same etymological root, earlier, a slightly different twist has been given to the name Shantanu, concerning Shantanu’s traits and not those of his father.

²⁰⁴
Lakshmi.

²⁰⁵
Vasishtha.

²⁰⁶
Meaning, one given by Ganga.

²⁰⁷
Ganga. Jahnavi is Ganga’s name because Ganga is Jahnu’s daughter.

²⁰⁸
Indra.

²⁰⁹
Dyou was her husband.

²¹⁰
Dyou.

²¹¹
The moon-god.

²¹²
Indra. Literally, one who sacks cities.

²¹³
Shukra.

²¹⁴
Brihaspati.

²¹⁵
Parashurama.

²¹⁶
Indra.

²¹⁷
The maintenance of the sacred fire.

²¹⁸
The word three here accordingly refers to the first three Vedas.

²¹⁹
The three Vedas.

²²⁰
Indra, the performer of a hundred sacrifices.

²²¹
The marriage.

²²²
Devavrata.

²²³
The terrible or fearsome one, because of the vow he took. The word
bhishma
means terrible or fearssome.

²²⁴
The gandharva was also named Chitrangada.

²²⁵
Maya.

²²⁶
That is, through a system of bride price being paid.

²²⁷
The eight forms of marriage actually are brahma, daiva, arsha, prajapatya, asura, gandharva, rakshasa and paishacha.

²²⁸
Garuda.

²²⁹
Vichitravirya.

²³⁰
Ganga.

²³¹
Soubha is the name of the kingdom. The king’s name is Shalva.

²³²
Brihaspati.

²³³
Indra.

²³⁴
Parashurama.

²³⁵
The king of the Haihayas was Kartavirya Arjuna.

²³⁶
That is, the person who married the mother, not the one who begot the son.

²³⁷
The critical edition has eliminated shlokas that tell us Dirghatama was born blind. Hence, the long period of darkness is left unexplained.

²³⁸
Dirghatama. One now knows that Dirghatama was blind.

²³⁹
This bull among men is Janamejaya. Although Bhishma is now telling the story to Satyavati, it is being retold by Vaishampayana. However, this reference to Janamejaya shouldn’t have been here, since it is Bhishma who is speaking.

²⁴⁰
Vichitravirya’s wives.

²⁴¹
The word
vyasa
means to divide or distribute.

²⁴²
Satyavati’s name. She was so called because she was dark.

²⁴³
Both Ambika and Ambalika, who were princesses from the kingdom of Kashi. Kousalya means a princess of Kosala.

²⁴⁴
Satyavati.

²⁴⁵
The word
pandu
means pale or white.

²⁴⁶
Satyavati.

²⁴⁷
The word
ani
means point, usually of a needle.

²⁴⁸
Animandavya was a child when he pierced the insect.

²⁴⁹
Krita Yuga or Satya Yuga, the first of the four yugas and a time when dharma was at its best. The incidents of the Mahabharata occurred during Dvapara Yuga, the third of the yugas.

²⁵⁰
Hastinapura.

²⁵¹
The word used is
kripana
. It can also be translated as miserly.

²⁵²
Hastinapura.

²⁵³
Because he was born of a Shudra woman.

²⁵⁴
Vedavyasa.

²⁵⁵
Bhishma was speaking to Vidura in particular.

²⁵⁶
Bhishma.

²⁵⁷
This is a reference to an incident when the gods refused to give Shiva (Hara) a share in the sacrificial offerings. Shiva ripped out the god Bhaga’s eyes.

²⁵⁸
The adopted father, Kuntibhoja.

²⁵⁹
She would face a difficulty in having sons.

²⁶⁰
The sun-god.

²⁶¹
The sun-god.

²⁶²
Once she was reared by Kuntibhoja, Pritha obtained the name Kunti.

²⁶³
His name was Adhiratha.

²⁶⁴
Vasu
means riches and the riches he was born with were the natural armour and earrings.

²⁶⁵
Indra. Indra was attempting to protect and help Arjuna.

²⁶⁶
A
shakti
is a spear or lance. But this one was divine.

²⁶⁷
Vikartana is the sun, so Vaikartana means the sun’s son.
Karna
means the ear.

²⁶⁸
Indra is Maghavan. His wife is Shachi. Since Shachi was Puloma’s daughter, she is Poulomi.

²⁶⁹
Pandu.

²⁷⁰
Hastinapura. Nagapura is another name for Hastinapura, the city of the elephant. The word
naga
means elephant.

²⁷¹
Another name for Hastinapura.

²⁷²
There are two Kousalyas, Ambika and Ambalika. This one is Ambalika.

²⁷³
In this case, father means Bhishma.

²⁷⁴
Ambika and Ambalika.

²⁷⁵
Ambalika.

²⁷⁶
Jayanta is the son of Indra and Shachi.

²⁷⁷
Purandara is Indra and Indra’s elephant is Airavata.

²⁷⁸
Bhishma.

²⁷⁹
The word used is
parashava
. This means offspring born of a Brahmana father and a Shudra mother. While the word also means bastard, it couldn’t have been used in that sense. Because in that sense of bastard or mixed breed, Dhritarashtra and Pandu were no different.

²⁸⁰
There is a problem with the numbers, since there were only 100 pots.

²⁸¹
This is a reference to Section 6, Adi-vamshavatarana Parva.

²⁸²
Meaning that the enemy was unprepared.

²⁸³
Dharma, artha and kama.

²⁸⁴
That is, a different tree for every night.

²⁸⁵
Not beg from more than seven families.

²⁸⁶
A name for Vidura, a man born from a Kshatriya woman and a Shudra man.

²⁸⁷
The four ashramas—brahmacharya, garhasthya, vanaprastha and sannyasa.

²⁸⁸
There is a problem of translation here. What has been translated as superior residents should literally be translated as residents of families. And inferior residents should literally be translated as residents of villages. This doesn’t quite seem right. Hence village is probably being used in an inferior and normative sense.

²⁸⁹
Hastinapura.

²⁹⁰
Alternatively, the primary elements.

²⁹¹
Mountain with a hundred peaks.

²⁹²
Krishna Dvaipayana.

²⁹³
These are both heirs and relatives.

²⁹⁴
These are neither heirs, nor relatives. As listed, the number adds up to seven and not six. Nor are the differences very clear. For instance, purchased/bought or gifted/presented occur in both categories. In the first list, the word for purchased is
parikrita
. In the second list, the word for purchased is
krita
. The text doesn’t enable us to deduce the difference and is this also the case with gifted/presented.

²⁹⁵
Meaning those of non-human birth.

²⁹⁶
Kalmashapada was Sudasa’s son.

²⁹⁷
Lunar day.

²⁹⁸
A nakshatra.

²⁹⁹
The wind-god.

³⁰⁰
Bhima.

³⁰¹
Indra.

³⁰²
Indra.

³⁰³
Agni, or fire. Specifically
havya
is sacrificial offerings and
vahana
is the one who bears. Havyavahana is therefore the sacrificial fire into which offerings are placed.

³⁰⁴
Parashurama.

³⁰⁵
Pritha’s son, Arjuna.

³⁰⁶
Bibhatsu is one of Arjuna’s names and means the terrible one.

³⁰⁷
Meaning that she was superior in birth to Kunti.

³⁰⁸
By obtaining more sons than Kunti.