159 Instant, measure of time equal to four-fifths of a second.
160 Small measure of time, equal to one-sixth of a kshana.
161 Small measure of time, but also forty-eight minutes.
162 This probably means the four yugas or eras, with the intervening periods counted as a fifth yuga.
163 The four quarters into which twenty-four hours are divided.
164 Semi-divine species, followers of Kubera.
165 Demons, also referred to as the kalakeyas.
166 The word used in the text is Vrishadvaja, meaning the one with the bull on his flag. Vrishadvaja is one of Shiva’s names.
167 Kubera.
168 Great rishis.
169 The word dvipa means island. But it also means a continent or terrestrial region, the sense in which the expression is used here. With Mount Meru in the centre, the earth was divided into four, seven, nine, thirteen or eighteen dvipas, each dvipa separated from another with an ocean. Although the number of dvipas varies from description to description, seven is the usual number.
170 Royal sacrifice performed when a king instated himself as emperor over all other kings. An integral part of a royal sacrifice was the payment of tribute by all other kings to the undisputed and universal emperor.
171 This isn’t Narada’s message to Yudhishthira. It is Pandu’s message to Yudhishthira, being conveyed through Narada. The critical edition excises some shlokas available in other versions, where Pandu’s request to Narada to act as a messenger is explicitly mentioned.
172 Brahma rakshasas are demons, but had been born as brahmanas. But they were evil, abducting other men’s wives or stealing the property of brahmanas. Consequently, after death, they become demons.
173 A war is likely, since other kings are forced to offer tribute.
174 The Dasharhas are the Yadavas and the city of the Dasharhas is Dvaravati or Dvaraka.
1 Shatru means enemy and ajata means not being born. So Ajatashatru means someone for whom no enemy has been born, one without foes.
2 The six types of sacrificial fires are named agnishtoma, kshatradhriti, vyushti, dviratri, saptapeya and saptadashapeya.
3 That is, there is no need to wait for any prescribed date. Depending on one’s powers, the sacrifice can be started immediately.
4 Krishna.
5 Indrasena is Yudhishthira’s charioteer and is clearly the one who was sent as messenger.
6 Krishna.
7 Kunti.
8 Parashurama.
9 Pururava, the son of Ila and Budha, the first king of the lunar dynasty.
10 Son of Vaivasvata Manu and the first king of the solar dynasty.
11 The region around Mathura. Mathura was the land of the Yadavas and Jarasandha laid siege to it on eighteen occasions.
12 Jarasandha. Since chatura means clever, Chaturyu may be a reference to Jarasandha’s wiliness. Jarasandha was the son of Brihadratha. He was born in two halves that were united by a she-demon named Jara. Thus, the child came to be known as Jarasandha, the word sandhi meaning to join.
13 Probably Vakra being repeated.
14 Greek. More correctly, Ionian.
15 This is odd. Elsewhere in the Mahabharata, Bhagadatta is said to rule in the east.
16 To Jarasandha.
17 Shishupala. This is repetition again, since Shishupala has been mentioned earlier.
18 There was a Vasudeva of Pundra who was known as Vasudeva and also sported Krishna’s signs. He is referred to a little later. In the text, Vasudeva of Pundra’s crimes are ascribed incorrectly to Shishupala, though the commonality is that both were Krishna’s enemies.
19 The eastern part of Bengal.
20 Kiratas are mountainous tribes who lived through hunting.
21 Jarasandha has been referred to as Chaturyu earlier. This is clearly a different Chaturyu.
22 Kingdom in southern India, near today’s Tirunelveli. It was near the mountain Malaya and the river Tamraparni.
23 Jarasandha was the king of Magadha. Magadha is the southern part of Bihar.
24 Because the Bhojas are a line of the Yadavas.
25 The king of Mathura and the son of Ugrasena. Devaki was Krishna’s mother and Kamsa was her cousin.
26 That is, he married Jarasandha’s daughters.
27 Krishna’s uncle.
28 Balarama.
29 Balarama.
30 The text uses the expression shatadha, which is a weapon that can kill a hundred at a time. More common is the expression shataghni, which is also a weapon that can kill a hundred (shata) at a time.
31 Also known as Dimbhaka.
32 Name for Mathura.
33 Dvaravati.
34 Also known as Raivataka.
35 The Yadavas are descended from Madhu and are known as Madhavas. Madhavitirtha is the same as Raivata and probably means the tirtha of the Madhavas, though Madhavatirtha would have been more appropriate.
36 The eighteen branches of the Yadavas.
37 Meaning Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini.
38 Balarama or Baladeva.
39 Shouri is a name for both Krishna and Balarama. But since Krishna is doing the speaking here, the Shouri in question is Balarama.
40 An atiratha is a warrior on a chariot who is unrivalled in battle.
41 There are thus ten maharathas.
42 The middle country is the region around Mathura.
43 Jarasandha’s capital in Magadha.
44 Meaning the Himalayas.
45 Meaning Jarasandha, the king of Magadha.
46 That is, through protecting his subjects.
47 Pashupati is Shiva, literally, the lord of animals. The sense is that the imprisoned kings have been prepared like sacrificial animals.
48 Jarasandha is waiting for the tally of imprisoned kings to become one hundred, which is when he will sacrifice them.
49 Arjuna.
50 Arjuna obtained the sabha in the sense that it was because of him that Maya built the assembly hall.
51 Of his enemies.
52 By becoming ascetics.
53 That is, if both sides are guided by good policy.
54 Jarasandha.
55 An akshouhini is an army and consists of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses and 109,350 infantrymen.
56 Son of Vishrava. In this context, Kubera.
57 Brahma.
58 The root sandha (as in sandhi) means union or junction.
59 Brihadratha. A few lines later, Magadha will also be used for Jarasandha.
60 Meaning, kings.
61 That is, the ocean.
62 Jarasandha.
63 Rudra, Mahadeva and Hara are different names for Shiva. Tripura was a collection of three (tri) cities (pura), constructed by Maya for the demons. Tripura was in the sky and the three cities were made out of gold, silver and iron. Shiva burnt them down. Tripura is also the name of the demon-king who ruled over these cities.
64 All names of Yadava tribes.
1 There is a problem of translation here. The text says prana yuddha. Prana is the breath of life and yuddha is battle. What ensues is a duel and wrestling match between Bhima and Jarasandha. Why is it described as a battle of breath? Some regional versions say bahu (arm) yuddha, which fits in with a wrestling match. Is it the case that the strength of one’s breath is important in a wrestling match?
2 Arjuna.
3 In this case, Arjuna.
4 Krishna. Shouri is also a name for Balarama.
5 In this case, Arjuna.
6 Although used relatively infrequently, Krishna is also one of Arjuna’s names.
7 The sense probably is that forces must be directed to places where the enemy possesses weaknesses. Holes or gaps are symbolic of weaknesses.
8 Krishna was the Pandavas’ cousin.
9 The word used is snataka, meaning a brahmana who has completed his period of celibate student life and is about to step into the householder stage.
10 Literally, the
forest (jangala) of the Kuru kingdom. It roughly corresponds to Haryana today.
11 Literally, a lake with lotuses.
12 A mountain towards the north.
13 Geographically, this cannot be in sequence. In sequence, the journey to Magadha would have involved crossing the rivers Gandaki, Sadanira and Shona, in that order.
14 The river Sarayu flows through Koshala, a region around Ayodha. Again geographically, they should have crossed the Sarayu earlier.
15 Charmanvati is today’s Chambal and actually takes them in a completely opposite direction. The next sentence takes them back to the right route.
16 The amaranth tree.
17 Obviously meaning the capital of Magadha, Girivraja or Rajagriha. Girivraja is surrounded by five hills, but none of them is today known as Goratha. These hills will be named in the next chapter.
18 The word is usually used for a son, but has a more general meaning and can be applied to any student, child, inferior or junior. It is a term of affection. The word is also used for a father or someone in similar paternal position.
19 Rajagriha’s five hills are today known as Vipulagiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Shonagiri and Vaibhara (or Vyahara).
20 Tree with red or white flowers.
21 Tree, also known as piyala.
22 That is, there is never scarcity of rain. Mani is also known as Maniman.
23 There is clearly a problem with the text here, since the word used is masha, which means bean. Should it be mamsa (meat), as it reads in some regional versions? Then, Brihadratha may have killed a meat-eating demon named Rishabha. Nor is it clear that Rishabha is a proper name. The word also means a bull. In that case, why did Brihadratha kill a bean-eating bull and why is it important enough to be mentioned?
24 The drums were made out of Rishabha’s skin. So perhaps it was a bull.
25 One of the five peaks.
26 As a metaphor, by scaling Chaitya.
27 Presumably, they broke down a fortification on the mountain, rather than the mountain itself. The word shringa, which is used, means the peak of a turret, as well as that of a mountain.
28 Known as madhuparka and customarily offered to a guest.
29 Krishna’s name.
30 On the throne. Sahadeva was Jayadratha’s son.
31 Vishnu’s name, and thus Krishna’s too.
32 A crowd had assembled to watch the duel and people had to back off if the wrestlers approached too close.
33 That is, Krishna didn’t directly speak to Bhima what he intended. Directly advising a warrior engaged in a duel would have been improper. Krishna offered advice that seemingly meant one thing, but reading between the lines, was interpreted by Bhima the way Krishna meant it to be interpreted. Bhima understood that Jarasandha was now weakened.
34 Kunti’s son and, in this context, Bhima.
35 Bhima.
36 Bhima was the son of the wind-god.
37 The kings, some of whom must have been Yadavas.
38 Krishna.
39 Bhima and Arjuna.
40 A demon eventually killed by Kartikeya.
41 Garuda came and sat on the flagstaff.
42 Krishna.
43 As the king.
44 Bhima and Arjuna.
45 Yudhishthira.
46 They had also come to Indraprastha.
47 Krishna.
48 Droupadi.
49 Arjuna.
50 Yudhishthira.
1 Another name for Kubera, the lord of wealth. Since this was to the north, Arjuna’s quest for victory was in a northern direction.
2 Paka was a demon vanquished by Indra and Arjuna was Indra’s son.
3 Also known as Kulinda, but difficult to pinpoint.
4 The region around Dvaraka.
5 Identified with Sialkot.
6 The word used in the text is dvipa, which not only means island, but also a continent or region of the earth. The earth was commonly believed to be divided into seven continents.
7 Shakala had kings other than Prativindhya too.
8 Assam.
9 Should be identified with Tibet rather than China proper.
10 Presumably, the Bay of Bengal. The text is best translated as ‘surrounded’. However, the sense probably is that these warriors also supported Bhagadatta.
11 Tone of affection towards a junior, not to be literally interpreted as son.
12 The tribute.
13 Kubera.
14 Brihanta.
15 It is not clear why Brihanta’s intelligence was limited. Some regional versions say that Brihanta was invincible and that certainly fits the circumstances better.
16 Arjuna was aided in his next campaign by Brihanta.
17 Arjuna.
18 A wild tribe that lived in the Himalayas. The word utsava means festival and also means height or elevation. It is not obvious how the name Utsavasamketa relates to the word utsava.
19 Arjuna’s name, meaning the one who wore a diadem.
20 Identified with what is West Bengal now.
21 The famous Cholas ruled in the south. So this must be a different set of Cholas.
22 The region around Punjab.
23 Another name for Arjuna, shorter form of Phalguna or Phalguni.
24 Area around the Hindu Kush, extending up to Ladakh and Tibet.
25 Famous battle between the gods and the demons. It took place after Chandra, the moon, abducted Tara, Brihaspati’s wife.
26 One who has no decay, a name usually used for Krishna.
27 Gandaki is a tributary of the Ganga and Videha is the region to the north-east of Magadha, including parts of what is now Nepal.
28 Dasharna is the region around Vidisha and there is a geographical problem. Not only is Dasharna far from Videha, it cannot be described as part of the east.
29 It was an unarmed wrestling match.
30 Kunti’s son. Here, Bhima.
31 In this context, Bhima.
32 Shishupala.
33 That is, accepted Yudhishthira as a sovereign.
34 The text says pashubhumi, translated as the land (bhumi) with animals (pashu). It is perfectly possible that there might have been someone named Pashubhumi.
35 This broadly covers the territory of Bengal, that is, West Bengal and Bangladesh. It was to the west of Vanga.
36 Karna was the king of Anga.
37 Probably a wrestling match.
38 The name of a river, Koshi in Bihar.
39 Bengal, specifically the eastern part, mostly in Bangladesh now.
40 Capital of the Suhmas. Tamralipta is identified with today’s Tamluk. At that time, it was on the sea.
41 Pavana is the god of the wind and Bhima was his son.
42 The Brahmaputra River, so named because it had a reddish tinge.
43 Bhima.
44 The text says ten kotis and a koti is ten million.
45 There is a geographical inconsistency, since the Shurasenas refer to the region around Mathura.
46 Also known as Virata, in Rajasthan today.
47 Kuntibhoja.
48 Of the Pandavas.
49 The river Chambal.
50 The next sentence states that this son’s name was Bhoja.
51 There is a problem with the text of the critical edition here. It is not clear whom this tribute was extracted from. Other versions have a sentence about Sahadeva defeating the Sekas. Had this sentence been included in the critical edition, the tribute would have been from the Sekas.
52 The country around the Narmada. Its capital was Ujjayini (Ujjain), also known as Avantipuri.
53 The capital of the Chedi kingdom, adjacent to Avanti. In today’s Madhya Pradesh.
54 The critical edition excises shlokas that give the story. Agni seduced King Nila’s daughter and was caught in the act.
55 Agni was in the form of a brahmana and the king did not recognize him.
56 As wives.
57 To one husband.
58 The word used is svairini. This m
eans a woman who is her own mistress and is unrestrained. But specifically, it is used for a wanton or unchaste woman.
59 One of Agni’s names. Literally, the purifier.
60 Yudhishthira.
61 Sahadeva.
62 This is not a reference to the Tripura that is towards the east. The Chedis were known as the Traipuras and their capital was Tripuri.
63 In today’s Gujarat.
64 Bhishmaka’s daughter Rukmini was married to Krishna.
65 Land between the rivers Narmada and Godavari.
66 This is a literal translation and clearly misses a nuance. For example, there may have been only footpaths in the forest and ekapadi means a footpath. So ekapada might mean those who used footpaths, rather than men with single legs.
67 Perhaps the Cholas.
68 Identified as residents of Antioch.
69 Identified as residents of Rome.
70 The yavanas.
71 Today’s Gujarat.
72 Ravana’s younger brother, the son of the sage Pulastya.
73 Sahadeva.
74 Vibhishana.
75 Krishna.
76 The Indus River.
77 Abhiras are cowherds.
78 That is, the river.
79 Nakula.
80 Vasudeva.
81 Nakula’s.
82 Nakula’s mother Madri was Shalya’s sister.
83 This can also be translated, instead of as a proper name, as barbaras, meaning those who were barbarians or not Aryas.
84 Dvaraka is to the west and when Dvaraka was established, these regions were conquered by Krishna.
Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 49
