‘ “They81 went to Drona’s son and told him how the king had been brought down in the duel with the clubs. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When they had reported the account to Drona’s son, all of them remained immersed in thought for a long time. Then, sorrowfully, they82 went to wherever they had come from.” ’
Chapter 1283(64)
‘Sanjaya said, “O king! The remaining Kourava maharathas heard from the bards that Duryodhana had been brought down. They were mangled with sharp arrows, clubs, spears and javelins. Ashvatthama, Kripa and Satvata Kritavarma ascended swift steeds and quickly arrived at the field of the encounter. There, they saw Dhritarashtra’s great-souled son, who had been brought down. He was like a giant shala tree in the forest, shattered by the force of a storm. He was like a giant elephant in the forest, slain by a hunter. He was writhing and was covered by copious quantities of blood. It was as if the solar disc had been brought down. It was as if a giant tempest had arisen and had dried up the ocean. It was as if the disc of the full moon in the sky had been covered by mist. He was mighty-armed and like an elephant in valour, but was covered in dust. He was surrounded by a large number of fierce demons and predatory beasts in every direction, as if they were servants greedy for riches, surrounding the best of kings. There was a frown on his face and his eyes were dilated in rage. That tiger among men was like a tiger that had been brought down. They saw the great archer, the king, lying down on the ground. Kripa and the other rathas were extremely stupefied. They descended from their chariots and rushed towards the king. They saw Duryodhana and sat down on the ground, around him.
‘ “O great king! Drona’s son’s eyes were full of tears and he sighed. He spoke to the best of the Bharata lineage, the lord of all the kings on earth. ‘There is no doubt that there is nothing that is permanent in the world of men. O tiger among men! You are lying down thus, covered in dust. O king! You had earlier commanded the earth. O Indra among kings! How is it that you are alone in this deserted forest now? I do not see Duhshasana, or maharatha Karna. O bull among the Bharata lineage! All your well-wishers aren’t here either. It is a great sorrow that the ways of Yama can never be known. You possessed all the worlds. Yet you are lying down, covered in dust. This scorcher of enemies was foremost among those whose heads had been consecrated.83 Behold the course of destiny. He is covered with grass and dust now. O king! Where is your sparkling umbrella and whisk now? O supreme among kings! Where has your large army gone? It is indeed impossible to fathom the course and cause and effect, since you, who were the preceptor of all the worlds, have now been reduced to this state. Everything on earth is temporary. It is seen that only prosperity and beauty are permanent.84 You used to rival Shakra and we now see you reduced to this terrible state.’ O king! On hearing his words, which were especially full of sorrow, you son spoke these words, appropriate to the occasion. He shed tears of sorrow and wiped them away from his eyes with his hands. The lord of men spoke to those brave ones, Kripa and the others. ‘It has been said that the creator has ordained such a dharma for those who are mortal. In the course of time, death confronts all beings. In the presence of all of you, it now confronts me. I have ruled over the earth and have now been reduced to this state. It is through good fortune that I have not been defeated by the enemy in battle. It is through good fortune that I have been brought down, especially through wickedness and deception. It is through good fortune that, while engaged in fighting, I have always exhibited enterprise. After my relatives and allies have been slain in the battle, it is through good fortune that I have been brought down. It is through good fortune that I see that you have escaped from this destruction of men, and are well and hale. This is great delight for me. Because you are my well-wishers, do not torment yourself at my death. If the Vedas are proof, I have obtained eternal worlds. I know about the powers of the infinitely energetic Krishna. He has ensured that I did not deviate from following the dharma of kshatriyas. I have obtained him. Therefore, I have nothing to sorrow about. You have done what those like you should have done. You have always sought to ensure my victory. But destiny is impossible to cross.’ O Indra among kings! Having spoken these words, with tears in his eyes, the king became silent. He was severely agitated by agony.
‘ “Drona’s son blazed up in anger, like the fire at the time of the destruction of the universe. Overcome by rage, he pressed one hand with the other hand. His voice choking with tears, he spoke these words to the king. ‘My father was slain by those inferior ones, through an extremely cruel deed. O king! But that did not torment me as much as I am suffering now. O lord! Listen to these words. I am swearing this truthfully, on the sacrifices I have performed, the donations, the dharma and the good deeds. While Vasudeva looks on, I will use every means possible to convey all the Panchalas to the abode of the lord of the dead today. O great king! You should grant me the permission.’ Having heard the words of Drona’s son, which brought pleasure to his mind, Kourava spoke these words to Kripa. ‘O preceptor! Quickly bring a pot full of water.’ On hearing the king’s words, the supreme among brahmanas followed his instructions. He brought a pot full of water and approached the king. O great king! O lord of the earth! Your son spoke these words. ‘O foremost among brahmanas! On my instructions, let Drona’s fortunate son be consecrated as the commander, if you wish to do that which brings me pleasure. On the instructions of a king, even a brahmana can fight, especially one who follows the dharma of kshatriyas. That is what those who are learned about dharma say.’ On hearing the king’s words and following the king’s instructions, Kripa Sharadvata consecrated Drona’s son as the commander. O great king! Having been thus consecrated, he embraced the best of kings. Roaring like a lion and making the directions resound, he departed. O Indra among kings! Duryodhana was covered with blood. He passed the night, which was dreadful to all beings. O king! Those warriors quickly left. Their minds were overcome with grief and they were immersed in their thoughts.” ’
This ends Shalya Parva.
Introduction
1 Brahmana is a text and also the word used for the highest caste.
2 A class of religious and philosophical texts that are composed in the forest, or are meant to be studied when one retires to the forest.
3 The six Vedangas are shiksha (articulation and pronunciation), chhanda (prosody), vyakarana (grammar), nirukta (etymology), jyotisha (astronomy) and kalpa (rituals).
4 Religion, duty.
5 Wealth. But in general, any object of the senses.
6 Desire.
7 Release from the cycle of rebirth.
8 Anukramanika is sometimes called Anukramani.
9 Krishna or Krishnaa is another name for Droupadi.
SECTION SEVENTY-FIVE
1 Samshaptakas are warriors who have taken an oath and these warriors (primarily the Trigartas) take an oath to die or kill Arjuna.
Chapter 1151(1)
2 Ashvatthama’s mother was Sharadvati or Kripi, the daughter of Sharadvata.
3 Karna.
4 This is a reference to Karna, Duryodhana, Duhshasana and Shakuni.
5 Krishnaa, Droupadi.
6 Karna.
7 Another name for Hastinapura.
8 Another name for Kurukshetra.
9 Dhritarashtra was the son of Ambika.
10 Bhishma.
11 Sanjaya was Gavalgana’s son.
12 Another name for Hastinapura, naga and hasti both mean elephant.
13 They were out fighting, but the sense is more of them having been killed.
14 Ganga’s son, Bhishma.
15 Rama means Parashurama. These incidents have been described in Section 54 (Volume 4).
16 Sanjaya was the son of a suta (charioteer).
17 Bhishma, who was one of the eight Vasus born on earth. There are eight Vasus. According to the Mahabharata, they are descended from Brahma. The names of the eight Vasus vary from one text to another. According to the Mahabharata, the names are Anala (alternatively Agni), Dhara (Prithvi elsewhe
re), Anila (alternatively Vayu), Aha (Antariksha elsewhere), Pratyusha (Aditya elsewhere), Prabhasa (Dyaus elsewhere), Soma (alternatively Chandrama) and Dhruva. Bhishma had taken a vow to kill ten thousand warriors every day.
18 Bhargava is Parashurama, also referred to as Rama. In Section 60 (Volume 5), there is a reference to Bhishma having been taught by Parashurama and having received weapons from him. Dhanurveda is the art of fighting.
19 Since the text says shaastra (sacred texts), there may be a typo. Shastra (weapons) fits better.
20 Drona’s son was Ashvatthama. The use of the divine narayana weapon has been described in Section 72 (Volume 6).
Chapter 1152(2)
21 Weapons.
22 Karna subdued Bhimasena without resorting to divine weapons. This has been described in Section 69 (Volume 6).
23 This has been described in Section 70 (Volume 6). Karna killed Ghatotkacha with the invincible spear.
Chapter 1153(3)
24 The women.
25 Dhritarashtra was blind.
26 Karna was brought up by a charioteer named Adhiratha and is known as the son of a suta.
Chapter 1154(4)
27 The word used is tata. Though this means son, it is affectionately used towards anyone who is younger or junior.
28 Bhishma. There is a great deal of inconsistency in the names that follow.
29 On the Pandava side.
30 Bhima pledged to kill Duryodhana and all his brothers. However, so far, there has been no mention of Vivimshati having been killed. In describing the deaths of Duryodhana’s brothers, there is lack of consistency in the text. Vikarna was killed in Section 69 (Volume 6), though he is mentioned again in Section 70 (Volume 6).
31 Vinda and Anuvinda were killed by Arjuna in Section 69 (Volume 6). Vaivasvata is Yama.
32 Jayadratha was Dhritarashtra’s son-in-law and was killed by Arjuna in Section 69 (Volume 6). The Sindhus, Souviras and Shibis seemed to be more like a confederation of assorted kingdoms. Hence, the reference to ten kingdoms. An akshouhini is a large army and consists of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses and 109,350 soldiers on foot. Since the entire Kourava army consisted of eleven akshouhinis and since the war is not yet over, this only means that Arjuna defeated them, not killed them.
33 Subhadra’s son is Abhimanyu. He killed Duryodhana’s son, Lakshmana, in Section 67 (Volume 6).
34 So far, there is no information about Duhshasana’s son having been killed by Droupadi’s sons.
35 Hunters.
36 Bhagadatta was Indra’s friend. He was killed by Arjuna in Section 66 (Volume 5).
37 Bhurishrava was killed by Satyaki in Section 69 (Volume 6).
38 Arjuna killed Shrutayu from Ambashtha in Section 69 (Volume 6). Savyasachi was Arjuna’s name.
39 However, Duhshasana has not yet been killed.
40 Sudakshina of Kamboja was killed by Arjuna in Section 69 (Volume 6).
41 Abhimanyu killed Brihadbala, the king of Kosala, in Section 67 (Volume 6).
42 Chitrasena was killed by Bhima in Section 69 (Volume 6).
43 Shalya was the king of Madra and his son was Rukmaratha. Rukmaratha was killed by Abhimanyu in Section 67 (Volume 6).
44 Vrishasena was Karna’s son. However, he has not yet been killed.
45 This Shrutayu (distinct from the Shrutayu from Ambashtha) was killed by Arjuna in Section 69 (Volume 6).
46 Since Rukmaratha was killed by Abhimanyu, there is an inconsistency. Shalya was Madri’s brother and Sahadeva’s maternal uncle. Thus, Rukmaratha and Sahadeva were brothers.
47 Brihatkshatra was killed by Drona in Section 69 (Volume 6). We do not know about Bhagiratha.
48 Bahlika was Pratipa’s son and was killed by Bhima in Section 70 (Volume 6). Pratipa had three sons, Devapi, Bahlika and Shantanu. Shantanu was Dhritarashtra’s grandfather and so, by extension, was Bahlika. However, that Bahlika would have been too old to take part in the battle.
49 We do not know anything about Jayatsena having been killed. In Section 67 (Volume 6), Abhimanyu killed Ashvaketu from Magadha.
50 Durmukha and Durjaya were killed by Bhima in Section 69 (Volume 6). There is no information yet about the deaths of Duhsaha, Durmarshana and Durvishaha.
51 The name of this king is not indicated.
52 Arjuna killed the samshaptakas in Section 66 (Volume 5).
53 Vrishaka and Achala were Shakuni’s brothers and were killed by Arjuna in Section 66 (Volume 5).
54 If this is Shala (not Shalva), he was killed by Satyaki in Section 70 (Volume 6).
55 So far, we have no information about these deaths.
56 Section 69 (Volume 6) says that Kshemadhurti was killed by Brihatkshatra.
57 Section 69 (Volume 6).
58 Section 70 (Volume 6).
59 Radheya is Karna’s name.
60 This is left implicit. They were killed in the battle.
61 Vritra was a demon killed by Indra.
62 Mura was the general of the demon Narakasura and was killed by Krishna. Hence, Krishna is known as Murari, or Mura’s enemy. Bhargava Rama is Parashurama and he killed Kartavirya Arjuna.
63 The word used is tata.
64 Since Brihatkshatra (killed by Drona) has been mentioned, this is not entirely correct.
65 Drona killed Satyajit in Section 66 (Volume 5). Kiriti is Arjuna’s name. Drupada and Virata were killed by Drona in Section 71 (Volume 6).
66 Abhimanyu was killed in Section 67 (Volume 6). Though he was surrounded by seven great warriors, he killed one of them (Brihadbala) before he was slain.
67 The Kekayas were divided in the war. While most fought on the side of the Kouravas, five Kekaya brothers fought on the side of the Pandavas.
68 The dual is used, so there were two Rochamanas.
69 Purujit Kuntibhoja is the same individual. Kuntibhoja was Kunti’s father and Kuntibhoja’s son was Purujit. Purujit Kuntibhoja means Purujit, the son of Kuntibhoja. Purujit was thus Arjuna’s maternal uncle.
70 Lakshmana was Duryodhana’s son.
71 The word used is tata. Though this means father, it is affectionately used towards anyone who is senior.
72 Satyadhriti is mentioned again.
73 This means Sahadeva, Jarasandha’s son.
74 Weapons are of five types—mukta (those that are released from the hand, like a chakra), amukta (those that are never released, like a sword), muktamukta (those that can be released or not released, like a spear), yantramukta (those that are released from an implement, like an arrow) and mantramukta (magical weapons unleashed with incantations). If one leaves out mantramukta or divine weapons, there are four kinds of weapons.
75 Anarta was the kingdom of the Yadavas in the northern part of Gujarat. Kritavarma was a Yadava and Satvata is a term for the Yadavas.
76 Kripa, Sharadvata’s son and descended from the Goutama lineage.
77 Shalya. Shalya’s sister was Madri. Ajatashatru is Yudhishthira’s name and Shakra is Indra’s name. In Section 49 (Volume 4), Shalya sided with the Kouravas, but promised Yudhishthira that he would sap Karna’s energy in the battle.
78 Shakuni.
79 The names that follow are the names of Duryodhana’s brothers. However, there is often a problem with these names, because of lack of consistency. For example, Chitrasena has been killed in Section 69 (Volume 6).
80 There is no kingdom named Kaitavya. This is probably an adjective, drawing on kaitava, which means gambling and deceit. This is usually associated with Shakuni, but Shakuni has already been mentioned. This is thus a probable reference to Uluka, Shakuni’s son.
81 However, these two have already been killed in Section 69 (Volume 6).
Chapter 1155(5)
82 This Bhargava means Shukra, the preceptor of the demons and the fount of wisdom. Shukra was the son of the sage Bhrigu.
83 The one without decay, Krishna’s name.
84 Krishna and Arjuna respectively.
85 The name of Indra’s horse, w
hich arose from the churning of the ocean.
86 Kubera.
87 Yakshas are semi-divine species and companions of Kubera, the god of treasure.
88 This is the story of an alliance between Jarasandha and Karna that does not figure in the Critical edition.
89 Parashurama.
90 Phalguna is Arjuna’s name.
91 An unrivalled warrior, whose valour is unlimited, greater than a maharatha.
92 Indra (Shakra) killed a demon named Bala.
93 This incident has been described towards the end of Section 64 (Volume 5). Bhishma addressed Duryodhana.
94 Karna.
95 That spear could kill only one person and was used to kill Ghatotkacha, in Section 70 (Volume 6).
96 This jumps the gun. In Section 19 (Volume 2), in the course of burning down the Khandava forest, Arjuna destroyed the serpents. Ashvasena, a serpent who escaped, vowed vengeance on Arjuna and became an arrow in Karna’s quiver.
97 Parashurama.
98 Abhimanyu’s.
99 Since Karna was Kunti’s son, Bhima was his brother.
100 Karna had given word to Kunti that barring Arjuna, he would not kill any of the other Pandavas.
101 The period of exile.
102 Karna. Panchali is Droupadi or Krishnaa.
103 Vasava is Indra’s name.
104 Karna was reared by a suta named Adhiratha.
105 Meaning Duryodhana.
106 For peace, described in Section 54 (Volume 4).
107 Karna’s son.
Mahabharata: Volume 7 Page 60
