Read Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (60 page)
31
The pots.
32
A reference to the Pandava conquests.
33
That is, large numbers of brahmanas were continuously being fed.
34
Kubera.
35
Of the dice.
36
Yudhishthira.
37
Shakuni.
38
Vidura.
39
The pros and cons of the decision.
40
The advent of kali yuga was imminent.
41
The word sons is being used in a broad sense, as the Pandavas are also like Dhritarashtra’s sons.
42
He went to Bhishma, Ganga’s son.
43
Vyasa’s student is Vaishampayana. Vaishampayana had recounted the story to Janamejaya. But it was retold again in Naimisha forest by Lomaharshana’s son Ugrashrava. The suta here is Ugrashrava, retelling the story for the benefit of the sages.
44
The word used is
mahakavi
, or great
kavi.
Kavi is a wise one, the meaning of a poet is a secondary one.
48
This chapter, and the ones that follow, are repetitive. Duryodhana has already related this to Shakuni. He now recounts it to Dhritarashtra. One gets a clear sense that these chapters were later interpolations. They lack continuity and coherence.
49
A kind of antelope.
50
The word used is
pilu
.
51
The word used is
shami
.
52
The
inguda
nut.
53
Govasana brahmanas look after cattle and dasamiya brahmana
s
are fit to be servants. When relating the story to Shakuni, Duryodhana mentioned
vatadhana
brahmanas.
54
Kamandalu.
55
In Gujarat today.
56
A kind of antelope.
57
That is, those who live in dry areas.
58
The word used is
ashma
, meaning either iron or stone. The word also means sapphire, but that use is rarer.
59
A reddish insect, sometimes identified with a firefly.
60
The text uses the word
indrayudha
, meaning Indra’s weapon. The specific weapon in question is the bow and the rainbow is known as Indra’s bow.
61
The word used is
sandhya
, which can mean evening as well as dawn.
62
These were wild horses that had been seized, as opposed to domestically bred horses.
63
Yudhishthira.
64
Identified as Scythians.
65
Inhabitants of Odra, today’s Orissa.
66
Identified as Bactria.
67
Ranku is a kind of antelope.
68
Rishti.
69
Implying the west.
70
Identified as Romans.
71
Arbuda.
72
Iron arrows.
73
It is not clear who this king is. It could be Bhagadatta, but Bhagadatta went away without entering.
74
The text uses the expressions
kichaka
and
venu
. The latter is bamboo, while the former is hollow bamboo.
75
The ants dug up the gold from the earth. Pipilika is an ant. There is a reference in Herodotus to ants that dug up gold in the desert regions.
76
The Brahmaputra.
77
A specific type of sandalwood.
78
Identified as Persians.
81
Yajnasena’s daughter, Droupadi.
82
Droupadi, the princess of Panchala, was married to the Pandavas.
83
Vedanta is the end (anta) of the Vedas and usually refers to the Upanishads. The term is also used for the six schools of philosophy that followed.
84
Yudhishthira.
85
The king of Kamboja.
86
Shishupala.
87
Shishupala again.
88
Since Jarasandha had already been killed, this is Sahadeva.
89
The king of Pamshu.
90
Virata.
91
Of the chariot.
92
From the Vrishni lineage.
93
Alternatively, Asita-Devala. These are two ancient sages, Asita and Devala, who are always referred to together.
94
The actual act of coronation or anointing by sprinkling sacred water.
95
Parashurama.
96
Yudhisthira.
97
Yudhishthira.
98
This is a reference to the conquest of the Pandavas.
99
These eight didn’t become unconscious.
100
Pradyumna killed a demon named Shambara. Pradyumna was the son of Krishna and Rukmini. However, there is no account of this Pradyumna having undertaken any great sacrifices. But Pradyumna is also a name for Kama, or the god of love, and he is also known as the killer of Shambara. The reference could therefore be to Kama.
101
The Pandavas.
102
The Kouravas.
103
This is an odd statement, since Dhritarashtra is not reported to have had any other wives. Dhritarashtra probably means that Gandhari is older than Kunti and Madri.
104
The other sons.
105
A demon killed by Shakra (Indra).
106
Ajamidha is Dhritarashtra’s name, in addition to being Yudhishthira’s name.
107
Yudhishthira.
108
Some chapters, including this one, are repetition. Vidura has already been consulted in Chapter 45.
109
On which the game is played.
110
The word used is nandana.
111
The word used for a straw-mat is a
kata
and there is probably an unintended pun, since kata is also a particular throw of the dice.
112
Assembly hall where the game will be played.
113
The servants.
114
A measure of distance equal to one-fourth of a yojana.
118
Dhritarashtra’s sons.
119
The word used is
duradara
. This means a gambler, which is probably what is intended. But the word also means the stakes used in gambling and the box in which dice are kept.
120
This can also be translated as cheats.
121
Alternatively, cheats.
122
Alternatively, cheats.
123
The sense is that Vidura is like a father and Vidura will have the welfare of the Pandavas in mind. Therefore, Yudhishthira will agree because of what Vidura says, not because of what Dhritarashtra wants.
124
Alternatively, shameless.
125
That is, robs the eye of sight.
126
Ashvatthama.
127
The fourth of the twenty-seven nakshatras, Aldebaran.
128
Dhritarasthra. The word father is to be interpreted in a broad sense.
129
Because he was blind.
130
This has been translated literally and the gesture is a sign of affection.
131
The word used is nandana.
132
Yudhishthira has already been welcomed.
133
Droupadi’s name.
134
They awoke.
135
The gamblers.
136
The sense is that Yudhishthira uses his wealth for the sake of brahmanas. Therefore, Shakuni should limit his winnings.
137
The gems were presumably pearls.
138
Gold is mentioned twice and two different words are used,
hiranya
and
jatarupa
. Since both words mean gold, the distinction between them isn’t clear. However, since hiranya also means a golden vessel, as distinct from gold, that might be the distinction. Alternatively, hiranya also means silver, or any other precious metal.
139
The word used is
padmini
, which can also mean that they have lotus marks on them. However, for elephants, padmini means the elephants are spotted. The word padmini also denotes a female elephant.
140
The word in the text actually means the shaft of a carriage or a plough, not any shaft.
141
That is, monsoon clouds.
142
The word used is
kambukeyura
.
Keyura
is an armlet or upper bracelet.
Kambu
means a conch shell or a bracelet. Therefore, ‘armlets made of conch shells’ is also an acceptable translation. However, armlets and bracelets seem more correct.
143
The number isn’t specified here, but clearly means one thousand or thousands.
144
The king of the gandharvas.
145
The one with the Gandiva as a bow. One of Arjuna’s names.
146
Vidura is addressing Dhritarashtra.
147
Shukracharya’s name. Shukracharya is the preceptor of the demons.
148
The collector of honey has climbed a tree and is liable to fall down.
149
Duryodhana.
150
There is a break in continuity in the critical edition. Some regional versions have an additional shloka, to the effect that it is normal royal practice to abandon an unworthy son.
151
Kamsa.
152
Duryodhana’s name.
153
That is, give up Duryodhana and resort to the Pandavas, and so on.
154
The name of a demon killed by Indra.
158
Without reproducing the Sanskrit, this is an impossible sentence (half of a shloka) to translate, because the meaning is obscure. In all probability, it is a reference to Yudhishthira, who is composed.
159
Probably a reference to Arjuna.
160
Yudhishthira’s name.
161
Shakuni was from Gandhara, a mountainous region.
162
The sense is that Vidura’s secret inclinations now stand revealed.
163
The creator.
164
The creator.
165
Vidura is now speaking to Duryodhana.
168
Ten thousand. These large numbers are not stated in ascending (or descending) order.
169
A million.
170
Ten billion.
171
One thousand billion.
172
One hundred million.
173
One hundred billion.
174
A billion.
175
Of riches.
176
The Indus River.
177
The other four Pandava brothers.
182
Droupadi.
183
Yudhishthira.
184
A bamboo has fruit only when it is old.
185
This is an allusion to an old story that is not recounted completely in the text, perhaps because it was a familiar one. Thieves stole a goat. But when they were ready to kill the goat, they couldn’t find the knife, because it had got buried in the ground. So they set the goat free. Prancing around, the goat unearthed the knife and got slaughtered in the process.
186
The sense is that one who should know better, like the ascetic, is censured if he performs an evil act, but not one who cannot differentiate between good and evil.
187
Gourds are light and float. Gourds sinking conveys a sense of impossibility.
188
The word used is
pathya
, which not only means advice, but also medicine and right diet.