Book 6 edition notes 301–400

Mr. Davies, I think, is right in rendering Samgrahas as "complement." K. T. Telang renders it as equivalent to "in brief."

In the enunciation of qualities i.e., in the Sankhya system.

Full of affections, i.e., for children, etc., as Sreedhara.

Prakrita which I have rendered "without discernment" following Sreedhara, may be, as Mr. Davies renders it, but "malicious."

Mr. Davies makes "unswerving" an adjective of 'devotion.' This is wrong, for Avyabhicharinya (unswerving) is a feminine instrumental, and must qualify Dhritya.

Atma-budhi-prasadajam. K. T. Telang, following an alternative explanation offered by Sankara, renders it "clear knowledge of the self." Mr. Davies renders the "serenity of one's own mind." I follow Sreedhara.

Asamsayas is the reading that occurs in every text, and not Asamsayam. Mr. Davies, therefore, is incorrect in rendering it "doubtless" and making it an adverb qualifying "come to me."

Bhuti is explained by Sreedhara as gradual abhivridhhi, i.e., growth or greatness. Niti is explained as Nyaya or justice.

Varayudham is according to Nilakantha, the excellent bow. Yena in verse 8 is equivalent to Yatra.

What Bhishma says is this: I am bound by the Kauravas and, therefore, I am not a free agent. Obliged I am to battle against you. Yet I am saying, "What do you ask of me?" as if I could really give you what you might ask. My words, therefore, are without meaning, or vain, like those of a eunuch. Klivavat is explained by Nilakantha as Kataravat. Even in that case, the sense would be the same.

The Bengal reading is evidently incorrect. The Bombay text reads Raja for Vacoa.

Nilakantha thinks that vigatakalmashas refers to Drona; the meaning he suggests is "Tell me with pure heart etc., etc.," I think Nilakantha is not right.

The sense of the first line is that because I am bound by the Kauravas with their wealth, therefore, I am obliged to make this reservation in the matter of granting thee thy wishes. That reservation really nullifies my promise.

Paran is explained by Nilakantha as "superior" qualifying Ripun.

Vritosmi is the reading of the Bengal texts, better than Vaddhosmi of the Bombay edition, and bhristomi of the Burdwan text. Salya was not bound to the Kauravas like Bhishma or Drona or Kripa by pensions, but gratified by the reception granted to him by Duryodhana in secret, he, generously agreed to aid the latter even against his own sister's sons and their step-brothers.

For Puskalan the Bombay text reads Pushkaran which means a kind of drum.

For rajan in the Bengal texts, in the first line of the 5th verse, the Bombay text reads hyasan which I adopt.

Maha samucchrave is explained by Nilakantha as Mahasamprahare.

Literally, "showing himself in an awful form."

Subhadra's son Abhimanyu.

These fences were made of iguana skins and cased the hands of the bowmen up to a few inches of the elbow-joint.

Nimitta is explained by Nilakantha as the mark of object aimed at. Drona was the preceptor in arms of almost all the Bharata princes.

With two Bhallas Abhimanyu cut off his adversary's standard; with one, one of the protectors of his car-wheels: and with another, his charioteer. Thus Nilakantha. A Parshni is altogether a different person from a Sarathi. Hence Nilakantha is assuredly right.

'Angaraka' is the planet Mars, and 'Sukra' i.e. Venus.

Prativindhya was Yudhishthira's son by Draupadi.

Maghavat is Indra, the chief of the celestials.

The word used in the original is Viparitam lit. contrary. The sense seems to be that car men fought on foot, cavalry soldiers on elephants, warriors on elephants from horseback, &c. The very character of the forces was altered.

i.e., though repulsed, these frequently rallied, and occupied the same ground as before.

The last half of the 7th with the 8th forms one sentence. It is certainly pleonastic. Ranavaranais of the Bengal texts is preferable to the Bombay reading Varavaranais. Toranas are the wooden edifices placed on the backs of elephants for the protection and comfort of the riders. These are called in India Hawdas.

Many of the Bengal texts read Avinitas. The correct reading, as in the Bombay text, is Abhinitas. Aprabhinna is literally "unrent," i.e. with the temporal juice not trickling down. This juice emanates from several parts of the elephant's body when the season of rut comes. To avoid a cumbrous periphrasis, which again would be unintelligible to the European reader, I have given the sense only.

For the Bengal reading 'Mahaprajna' the Bombay text reads 'Mahaprasas.'

Rathat and not Rathan is the reading that I adopt.

The Bengal reading 'narvarakshaye' seems to be better than 'Mahavirakshaye' of the Bombay text.

Talaketu is lit. Palmyra-bannered. Without using such compounds, the 'brevity' of the sentences cannot be maintained.

Karshni is Krishna's or Arjuna's son Abhimanyu. Arjuna was sometimes called Krishna.

Laghavamargasya is a mis-reading for Laghavamargastham'; then again chapi is incorrect, the correct reading chapam as in the Bombay text.

The Bengal reading is 'Suaris Vritascha Sainyena'. The Bombay reading (which I do not adopt) is 'Vritastu Sarva Sainyena.'

Nine slokas and a half, from the second half of the 43rd verse to the 52nd verse (as above), are omitted in the Bengal texts. These, however, occur subsequently in section 46 following. The fact is, the whole of the passage in this section and the 116 verses in the following section, and the first 24 verses in the section 49, are regarded as an interpolation. In those sections of the Udyoga Parvam where the Rathas and the Atirathas, &c, are counted by Bhishma, no mention is made of any warrior of the name of Sweta. The Burdwan Pundits omit these passages altogether. I myself believe them to be an interpolation. Occurring, however, as it does in both the Bengal and the Bombay texts, I cannot omit in the English version.

The Bombay text reads 'Yavana nihatam,' which is better.

I adopt the Bombay reading of the 22nd verse.

'Swayam' in some of the Bengal texts is a misprint for 'Kshayam'.

Chakrapani is Vishnu armed with the discus.

For 'Yuthan' which gives no meaning, I read 'Yodhas'. The Bengal reading 'muktvagnimiva daruna' is better than the Bombay reading 'muktam ripumishu darunam.'

The Bombay reading 'jivitam dustyajam' is better than the Bengal reading 'jivam taduttham', if it has any meaning.

In the first line of 71st verse, the word is not 'Laghu' but 'alaghu', the initial 'a' being only silent according to the rule of Sandhi. Though omitted in the Bengal texts, it occurs in the Bombay edition.

'Ghoram', 'ugram', 'mahabhayam', are pleonastic.

In the first line of 87 for Maheswara (meaning Siva) the Bombay text reads Dhaneswara (meaning Kuvera, the lord of treasures). For also 'Bhimainipatitiya' in the second line the Bombay text reads 'Bhishma inipainya'.

The transgression of which Dhritarashtra alludes is the slaughter by Bhishma from his car, of Sweta who was then a combatant on foot. Or, it may be the very slaughter of Sweta, who was dear to the Pandavas and which act would, the king thought, provoke them more.

Verses 4 to 7 are exceedingly difficult. I am not sure that I have understood them correctly. They are of the nature of Vyasakutas, i.e., deliberate obscurities for puzzling Ganesa, who acted as the scribe, for enabling Vyasa to gain time for compositions. In verse 4 'Pitus' means uncle's and not father's; so also 'durga decam' in verse 6 means entanglements, like Duryodhana's hostility with the Gandharvas on the occasion of the tale of cattle. In verse 7 of the Bengal reading is Yudhishthiram bhaktya. The Bombay reading which I adopt, is Yudhishthire bhaktas. In 8, the purushadhamas are Sakuni and Karna. &c.

As both operations are useless, so are these thy regrets.

The sense is that Arjuna representing one force, and Bhishma another, the two forces seemed to mingle, into one another, like one bolt of heaven against another, as one may say.

Aplavas and Alpave are both correct.

In the first line of the 14th verse Aviseshana seems to be incorrect. The Bombay text reads Avaseshena which I adopt.

The correct reading is Vishnu, and not Jishnu as in many of the Bengal texts.

Indrayudha is Indra's bow or the rainbow. Akasaga (literally a ranger of the skies) is a bird. The vapoury edifices and forms, constantly melting away and reappearing in new shapes, are called Gandharvanagar as (lit. towns of the Gandharvas or celestial choiristers).

The Bengal reading is Savayambhuriva bhanuna which I have adopted. The Bombay reading is Merurivabhanuna, which means "like the mountain Meru with Sun." It is difficult to make a choice between the two.

The Bombay text differs in many respects from the Bengal texts as regards the positions assigned to the several warriors and races in the Pandava host. It is impossible to settle the true readings. I have, therefore, without any attempt at correction, followed the Bengal text.

The last word of the 28th verse is 'Ratheshu cha', and not 'Dhajeshu cha' for umbrellas could not possibly be fastened to standards.

This identical verse occurs in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita (vide, Verse 10, Chap. 25, of this Parvan, ante). There following the commentators, particularly Sreedhara, I have rendered Aparyaptam and Paryaptam as less than sufficient and sufficient. It would seem, however, that that is erroneous.

For these names, vide note in page ante, Bhishma Parva.

The 26th verse in the Bengal texts consists of three lines. In the Bombay texts, the half-sloka about Artayani does not occur.

In the first line of the 5th verse, the true reading is avidhata and not amarshanam.

In the first line of 29, the correct reading is Prishna and not Pritana.

'Samuchchhritam' or 'Samutthitam,' meaning risen, is scarcely a happy adjective here.

'Parshni' is the wing or side of a car-warrior. The last word of this verse is not 'Satpurushochitam' but 'Satparushairvritam'.

'Kovdara' is the species of ebony called Bauhinia Variegata.

The Bombay reading 'Vegavattaram' is better. Literally, it means, 'capable of imparting a greater impetus.' To avoid such periphrasis I render it 'tougher'.

The sense is that all these were entirely shrouded by Arjuna's arrows.

The true reading is Charmanam and not Varmanam: also bhumipa and bhutale.

i.e., is about to set.

For 'Satyatha tena' the Bombay text reads 'Satyasandhena'. I follow the Bengal reading.

What these were it is difficult to determine. The Bombay reading is different. For Indrajala they read Indrakila which is as unknown as the other.

The Vaitarani is the fabulous river that separate this world from the next.

In the first line of the 5th, for 'rajna' of the Bengal texts the Bombay text reads 'gupta'. I follow the Bengal reading which is better.

In the second line of the 6th, for sasars sena the Bombay reading is sena mahogra which is better. I adopt it.

I adopt the Bengal reading Vyapta and not Vyala.

The word Saravarani in the text is rendered by K. P. Singha as quivers. Nilakantha explains it as coats of mail. There can be no doubt, however, that the Burdwan Pundits render it correctly as shields.

In the first line of 19th, the Bengal reading Saykanam is a mistake. The true reading is Saditanam.

Salya is called Artayani after the name of his father.

These were Kshuras (arrows with heads like razors), kshurapras, (arrows with horseshoe heads), bhallas (broad-headed arrows), and anjalikas (arrows with crescent-shaped-heads).

i.e., the universal destroyer armed with his bow.

Gory mace wet with &c. the original is pleonastic.

The Bengal reading parantapa is a mistake for kathanchana.

'Kimpaca' is a species of cucurbitaceous plant. To avoid periphrasis I render it poison.

Aklishtakarman literally means one who is not tired with what he does; hence, one who easily achieves the highest feats. When applied to Krishna or any divine personage it means one who does everything by a fiat of his will, without being dependent on means like ordinary persons. It may also mean one of pure or white deeds.

Literally "be a perpetuator (son) of Yadu's race!"

The Bengal reading is Sa vai devas. The Bombay reading is Purvadevas.

The Three-stepped Lord, Vishnu became vamana or the dwarf for robbing the Asura Vali of his dominions. Disguised in that shape he asked of Vali three steps of land. Vali, smiling at the littleness of what was asked, gave it. But when the dwarf expanded his form and covered the heavens and the earth with only two steps of his, no space could be found for the third step. Vali was forthwith seized and bound as a promise-breaker, and sent to reside in the nether regions.

Word of command.

i.e., really existent among all things.

A fabulous aquatic animal resembling an alligator.

Formed after the shape of the hawk.

The Bengal reading is 'Yudhi sandhaya'. The Bombay reading is 'pratisamvarya'. I adopt the latter.

Literally, "made a fierce battle."

The Bengal reading Gooranamatitejasa is what I adopt. The Bombay reading, Ghoranamapnitaujasam involves a useless hyperbole. Of course, atitejasa qualifies dhanusha in the next line.

Kandigbhutas lit. "not knowing which point of the compass was which."

In the second line of 17, the Bombay text incorrectly reads Arjunam for Pandavas.

In the first line of 32 the Bengal reading is Mahabhujas. The correct reading seems to be (as in the Bombay text) Mahadhvajas.

The last half of the second line of 35 in the Bengal text is vicious. I adopt the Bombay reading.

The pronoun 'sa' in the first line of 8 refers to Yuyudhana. Burdwan Pundits erroneously take it as referring to Duryodhana, being misled by the words Kurunam Kirtivardhanas.