1044 The king’s.
Chapter 1450(122)
1045 The Rama in question is Parashurama. There was another Munjavata near Kurukshetra (mentioned in Section 33, Volume 2), but this Munjavata is being equated with Munjaprishtha. It is not at all clear whose matted locks were being seized, and for what purpose. Munja is a kind of grass and Munjaprishtha means a slope where this grass is found.
1046 As a person who was sacrificing, Brahma had to assume a tranquil form, but the rod was fierce.
1047 A reference to sexual intercourse.
1048 The Critical edition probably has a typo here. It says suras, which can only be translated as divine waters. It should probably read asuras, in which case, Varuna would also be lord over the underwater demons.
1049 Shiva.
1050 In the form of Jataveda.
1051 Energy is mentioned twice.
1052 Amshuman means one with the rays and can refer to either the sun or the moon. Here, it means the moon.
1053 Bhutas.
1054 Resulting from disease, weapons, one’s own acts and Yama.
1055 Shiva.
1056 Shiva.
1057 If this remaining awake is interpreted as wielding the rod, this is an alternative line of succession.
1058 While this word has many meanings, Resolution is best here.
1059 Energy.
1060 The goddess of calamity and destruction.
1061 Literally, with the head of a horse, one of Vishnu’s forms.
1062 The moon god.
Chapter 1451(123)
1063 The three objectives of dharma, artha and kama are based on the acquisition of material objects.
1064 The text uses the word rajasvala, meaning a menstruating woman. That imagery implicitly exists. Beyond that, rajas is dust and there is also the rajas quality of passion.
1065 An indirect way of referring to dharma, artha and kama.
1066 The word used for such a person is nastika.
1067 The king is being compared to a snake.
1068 The three Vedas.
1069 The virtuous people.
Chapter 1452(124)
1070 This has been described in Section 27 (Volume 2).
1071 The word used is tata.
1072 Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons.
1073 Indra.
1074 Prahrada.
1075 The word used is tata.
1076 Shukracharya.
1077 A specific kind of honey, that from the sampangi plant.
1078 Having been given the knowledge.
Chapter 1453(125)
1079 Hope.
1080 Measure of distance, distance from which a cow’s bellow can he heard.
Chapter 1454(126)
1081 The jujube tree.
1082 The celestial Ganga is believed to originate from this lake in the sky.
1083 With the head of a horse, Vishnu.
1084 The eight qualities are intelligence, good conduct, self-control, studying, valour, restraint in speech, generosity and gratitude.
1085 The son’s name was Bhuridyumna.
1086 Referring to the son.
1087 It will become clear later that Bhuridyumna’s father had insulted Tanu.
1088 Bhuridyumna’s father.
1089 This is Rishabha speaking, not Bhishma. The sages sat down around Tanu.
1090 Dhruva is the Pole Star and the saptarshis mean the constellation of Ursa Major.
1091 Tanu.
1092 Tanu.
1093 Hope is strong, but it can be controlled. The objects one hopes for are difficult to get.
1094 Than the remarkable emaciation of the body.
1095 Krisha means emaciated and the text now refers to Tanu as Krishatanu.
1096 While not obvious, this may refer to judicial procedures too.
1097 The word used is tata.
1098 Because of what the king had done earlier.
Chapter 1455(127)
1099 Yama.
Chapter 1456(128)
1100 Meaning that this should not be talked about in public. Dharma in times of distress figures in the next section.
1101 The suggestion seems to be that these acts are undertaken in a time of emergency. Therefore, even though they seem to follow dharma, they are not true dharma.
1102 Because those acts were short-sighted and not in conformity with true dharma.
1103 In a time of adversity, it is dharma to build the treasury by imposing taxes. When it is a time of prosperity, one can be compassionate and reduce taxes.
1104 Using intelligence to build up the treasury.
1105 It can have other adverse affects.
1106 When the period of hardship is over.
1107 Generous king, whose story has been recounted in Section 33 (Volume 3).
1108 It is not clear how this is to be interpreted. It probably means that doing the right thing is more important in normal times and not doing the right thing becomes more serious in times of adversity.
1109 This is an argument against renunciating life.
Chapter 1457(129)
1 The king.
2 His advisers.
3 These restrictions might amount to giving up some more territory.
4 Of running away.
5 This can be interpreted as an injunction against suicide.
6 To run away.
7 Advance towards the enemy with a friend, removing all signs of royalty.
Chapter 1458(130)
8 The word used is vijnana, not jnana. Therefore, it isn’t quite straightforward knowledge.
9 The sacred texts are meant for normal situations.
10 The idea is that even in times of adversity, they must not be taxed.
11 Reward and punishment should not be based on hearsay and slander.
12 The scrupulous adherence to dharma on the part of Shankha and Likhita, also involving a king punishing a brahmana.
13 Even if they are brahmanas.
14 The four qualities are metaphysics/logic, the Vedas, economic welfare/prosperity and dandaniti. Alternatively, the Vedas, the smriti texts, customary law and what one personally regards to be dharma.
Chapter 1459(131)
15 A reference to the rewards a king offers his servants.
16 Alternatively, jackals. But dogs is more appropriate. Like vicious dogs, they wish to injure him, but serve him because of his riches.
17 A king without a large treasury.
18 Righteous people regard taking from others as adharma and bandits regard non-violence as adharma.
19 Other people’s wives.
20 Probably because there will always be some survivors and they will seek vengeance.
Chapter 1460(132)
21 They get blurred and a wolf’s footprints cannot be distinguished from those of a dog.
22 Dharma and artha.
23 Nothing taints them.
24 The Vedas.
25 To serve them.
Chapter 1461(133)
26 A brahmana should not be captured.
Chapter 1462(134)
27 The text does not indicate where the Brahma quote starts, but this seems to be the obvious place.
28 The inedible herbs are used as fuel. The inedible herbs are being compared to bandits and those who do not observe rites. Wealth is taken from them and used for sacrifices and the treasury, the edible imagery.
29 In the hands of bandits and those who do not observe rites.
30 A kind of soft grass.
Chapter 1463(135)
31 The fishermen.
32 Kala is a small unit of time (roughly one minute), thirty kashthas make 1 kala, one muhurta is forty-eight minutes, dina is a day, nadya means night, kshana is another word for muhurta, lava is two kashthas, paksha is fortnight, masa is month, ritu is season and vatsara is year.
33 In addition to time and place.
Chapter 1464(136)
34 The meat left by the chandala as bait.
35 Someone born in reeds, Kartikeya.
36 The rat.
37 Probably meaning force.
38 The mongoose.
39 One who is an outcaste. Literally, one who eats dogs, or eats with dogs.
40 Tame elephants are used to trap wild elephants.
41 When the hunter arrives.
42 This refers to the agreement between the rat and the cat. There is an inconsistency, because the mongoose and the owl had already left and had gone home.
43 Shukracharya.
44 Fallen in the sense of having done something reprehensible.
45 Because of the natural bond of affection.
46 That is, other men, not in the sense of rats or cats versus men.
47 Dharma, artha and kama.
Chapter 1465(137)
48 The jivajivaka bird is a pheasant. Pujani could probably mimic the cries of all beings.
49 Pujani.
50 The baby bird.
51 The text uses the word jara, meaning old age, as well as wear and tear. In this context, wear and tear fits better.
52 The friend has to be bribed.
53 This story has been recounted in Section 11 (Volume 1). The sage Ourva belonged to the Bhargava lineage and the fire of his rage was cast into the ocean.
54 There are pits covered with dry grass. In pursuit of honey, people don’t notice these and fall into them.
55 There is an implicit image of the king as the rock, the enemy as the pot and the objects in the pot as the temporary blandishments.
56 Kupya, that is, metals other than silver and gold.
57 There is nothing in the text to suggest that these young crabs are offspring. Therefore, this is probably nothing more than some crabs eating smaller crabs.
58 The king.
59 Dharma, artha and kama.
60 Kubera.
61 The king.
Chapter 1466(138)
62 Kaninka is another name for Bharadvaja.
63 The king.
64 Sama (conciliation), dana (gifts), danda (the rod/chastisement) and bheda (dissension) are the four elements of policy.
65 Of the enemy.
66 The king.
67 The enemy.
68 If everything is completed, an ungrateful person will have nothing to look forward to.
69 He must be like a cuckoo in sweetness of speech, like a boar in destroying enemies, like Meru in loftiness, like an empty house that offers refuge to everyone, like a predatory beast in causing fear and like an actor in adopting different disguises.
70 The crane waits patiently.
71 In a time of distress, these are best interpreted as examples of deceit.
72 Because of the belief that a she-mule dies when she gives birth.
73 Spies sent by the enemy.
74 The enemy’s.
75 The three objectives are dharma, artha and kama. The bonds are addiction to the fruits these lead to. The evils probably are—pursuit of dharma leads to neglect of artha, pursuit of artha leads to neglect of dharma and the pursuit of kama leads to the neglect of both dharma and artha.
Chapter 1467(139)
77 He may be unwilling to give up his life.
78 Sandhya, the period between two yugas.
79 Indra.
80 The text uses the word Guru.
81 In places along the roads, where there is free distribution of drinking water.
82 For food.
83 The lack of a house need not necessarily mean a sign of deprivation, since hermits often didn’t possess a fixed residence.
84 Implicitly, these garments and garlands have been collected from the dead and from cremation grounds.
85 Vishvamitra was the son of Gadhi and Gadhi was the son of Kushika. Thus, Vishvamitra is Koushika.
86 The chandala’s name.
87 Mix up a brahmana’s dharma with a chandala’s dharma.
88 Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.
89 Hedgehog, porcupine, lizard, rabbit and turtle.
90 This incident has been described in Section 33 (Volume 3).
91 A reference to Agastya.
92 A reference to Agastya again.
93 This shloka is difficult to translate and some liberties have been taken.
94 The body and the soul.
95 In the next life.
96 Remaining alive or dying.
97 Probably the two hind legs, the two rear thighs and the hind quarters.
Chapter 1468(140)
98 Weak kings will not be able to follow dharma.
99 This is probably a reference to the confusion between dharma and adharma.
100 Selectively.
101 Maghavan is Indra. This probably means that Indra quoted Brihaspati to this effect.
102 The text does not clearly indicate where the Shukracharya quote ends.
103 A reference to Bhishma following his own dharma and fighting. His limbs were pierced by arrows and some adversaries escaped.
104 So that they could be sacrificed.
105 Some kshatriyas look towards the welfare of other people.
106 Probably weak kings, or bandits.
107 Seizes in the sense of levying disproportionate taxation, and not knowing the difference between proper taxation and improper taxation.
Chapter 1469(141)
108 Parashurama.
109 Probably meaning a sack of barley.
110 Alternatively, a cage or a basket for birds.
111 A reference to the clouds in the sky.
112 The fowler.
113 Which would have drained the water off.
114 The fowler’s.
115 Lubdhaka means a hunter and also a greedy person. We have interpreted it as a proper name.
Chapter 1470(142)
116 In the earlier chapter, the Critical edition excises some shlokas, where the she-bird had been caught by the fowler.
117 A reference to the rites of marriage.
118 Since these are pigeons, they can only offer limited hospitality. Alternatively, this might mean that pigeons are meant to be eaten.
119 The male pigeon.
120 Sacrifices to gods, sacrifices to ancestors, sacrifices to guests, sacrifices to dependents and sacrifices to one’s own self.
121 Because guests could not be fed.
122 A guest offers an opportunity to a householder to follow dharma and thus shows favours.
Chapter 1471(143)
123 This is being addressed to the she-pigeon.
124 Literally, the great journey. A person leaves on mahaprasthana when he departs from home and wanders around, awaiting death.
125 Used for catching birds.
126 The plural is used. There were other captured pigeons too.
Chapter 1474(146)
127 Not to be confused with the more famous Parikshit, Abhimanyu’s son, and his son, Janamejaya.
128 There is a typo in the Critical edition. It says happy. Clearly, it should read unhappy.
Chapter 1475(147)
129 Yama.
130 Shunaka’s son, Indrota.
131 Before Janamejaya killed the brahmana.
132 A minor liberty has been taken with the text here. As it stands, a translation is difficult.
133 As examples of barbarians.
134 He is concerned with the present.
135 To perform a sacrifice.
136 The performance of the sacrifice.
137 The word used is tata.
Chapter 1476(148)
138 That Janamejaya has voluntarily reduced himself to. He is neither weak, nor miserable (in riches).
139 Pehowa in Kurukshetra district.
140 Literally, death the next day.
141 Also known as Kalodaka, Mundkol lake in Kashmir.
142 Yayati.
143 Both unhappiness and happiness are transitory illusions.
144 A plough uproots enemies, thunder scorches them.
145 Of the lineage.
146 The number saved is equal to the number of foetuses killed.
147 This is a reference to the Aghamarshana suktam (after the sage Aghamarshana) from the Rig Veda. This is used for consecration ceremonies, ablutions and at times of bathing.
Chapter 1477(149)
148 For the day. The vulture is lying.
149 Unlike humans, birds and animals are not sustained by their offspring in their old age.
150 Animals and birds.
151 In earlier lives.
152 To have a bath of purification before leaving.
153 This is specifically addressed to the dead son’s father.
154 Take the son away in case he revives.
155 In battles.
156 Ultimate liberation.
157 This is a story from Uttara Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana. A brahmana’s son had died because there was adharma in the kingdom, resulting from a shudra engaging in prohibited practices. Rama killed the shudra.
158 Shveta.
159 Yama.
160 The jackal is the resident of the cremation ground. The sense is that the jackal used these false words to persuade them to stay till it was night, hoping to feed on the carcass. Had the people left before it was night, the vulture would have fed on the carcass instead.
161 The vulture.
162 The relatives.
163 The vulture and the jackal.
164 Shiva.
Chapter 1478(150)
165 The silk-cotton tree.
166 A furlong, 660 feet.
167 The word used is tata.
168 The wind is named prabhanjana, the one who shatters. This is the word used in the text.
169 Kubera.
170 Kind of tree.
Mahabharata: Volume 8 Page 79
