by Bibek Debroy
237 Literally, a heated pot.
238 And didn’t allow them to drink.
239 The word used is karambha. This means mud, but has other meanings too.
240 Literally, jewel among men. At the moment, we have translated this as a proper name, though it is really an adjective.
241 Addressing Nararatna.
242 That is, Nararatna.
243 Meaning, the learned one.
244 Meaning desire for another woman.
245 The debt to the ancestors is paid by having offspring.
246 Anyone from the lineage of Janaka is referred to as Janaka.
247 The word used is jati.
248 As mentioned in the case of the eyes.
249 Used as fans.
250 The fragrant root of a grass, used to make fans and screens that offer cool shade.
251 A bird with a beak like a needle, such as the honeysucker.
252 Row. When sitting down to eat, different varnas are meant to sit in different rows.
253 Stale or leftover food. After touching ucchishta, one should clean one’s hands.
254 Payasam is a dish made out sweetened milk and rice. Krisara is a dish made out of sesamum and grain. When offered to the gods, food becomes clean and can be eaten after it has been sanctified and has become prasad.
255 The path of the sun probably means when the sun is directly shining down from above.
256 Interpreted as those who sell.
257 The silk-cotton tree, which is thorny all over.
258 The first fire means the fire in general.
259 We have deviated from standard interpretations in this sentence. Standard interpretations take this to mean that they become the husbands of widows. There is nothing in the text to derive such a meaning.
260 Implying those who indulged in backbiting.
261 Another hell, literally meaning the strand of time/destiny.
262 And has thus been expelled from his varna.
263 Paddy sown in May–June.
264 The word madgu has different meanings, such as, a cormorant or a snake. However, since there is an obvious progression in the birth, madgu should probably be taken as the son of a brahmana and a suta lady.
265 Havishya is food that can be offered as oblations. It is simple and has no seasoning. It is only eaten on special occasions, such as when a vow is being observed.
266 Liquor obtained through a process of distillation.
267 One of the possible meanings of the word sharngaka. It might also mean a deer, an elephant, a bee or a chataka bird.
268 Chakora bird.
269 Hari is also one of Indra’s names.
270 The word used is ghatiyantra. This does not necessarily mean a modern clock, but any contrivance for measuring time. The word also means a rope slung over a pulley, to draw water out of a well with a bucket.
271 The four stages of life (ashrama) are brahmacharya (state of being a student), garhasthya (householder stage), vanaprastha (seeking refuge in the forest) and sannyasa (renouncing).
272 The garhapatya fire that is kept burning in every household.
273 Pleasure and pain, heat and cold and so on.
274 You will be freed from the cycle of samsara.
275 Royal road means public road. The courtesan was standing outside her door, soliciting customers.
276 The sage Mandavya’s (also known as Animandavya) story is recounted in the Mahabharata. In his childhood, he tortured insects by impaling them on blades of grass. Therefore, Yama cursed him. When robbers hid their stolen goods in his hermitage, the king’s retinue took him to be a thief and wrongly punished him by impaling him on a stake.
277 Svadhyaya is self-study, interpreted here as recitation of the Vedas. Vashatkara is the exclamation ‘vashat’ made at the time of offering an oblation. Svadha is said at the time of offering oblations to the ancestors and svaha is said at the time of offering oblations to the gods. These are only done during the day.
278 Dakshinayana is the movement of the sun to the south of the equator, the period from the summer to the winter solstice. Uttarayana is the movement of the sun to the north of the equator, the period from the winter solstice to the summer solstice.
279 Rites are divided into nitya (daily) and naimittika (occasional).
280 After offering shares to gods and others.
281 To gods, sages, ancestors, humans and other creatures.
282 Those merits are earned by the husband and a wife has half a share in her husband’s merits.
283 The wife.
284 In the list of saptarshis, Atri is typically mentioned second.
285 Rajas because of the passion of creation. The text can be translated as, it had the form of the moon (Soma), that is, potentially. We have simply translated this as white, since Soma follows. Soma was thus Brahma being born as Anasuya’s son, but through mental powers.
286 At the Haihayas.
287 Destroy Kartavirya Arjuna, the king of the Haihayas.
288 Meaning the firmament.
289 Brahma.
290 Literally, that of being mad. Simply, indulging in unorthodox practices.
291 A specific type of liquor.
292 Kritavirya’s son.
293 Indra.
294 60,000 sages who were the sizes of thumbs. They preceded the sun’s chariot.
295 Bhuloka is earth, svarloka is heaven and bhuvarloka is the space in between the two.
296 Meant as, the goddess who is behind the creation of the entire world.
297 Chakravarti is a universal emperor, literally, a king whose wheel (chakra) travels everywhere on earth.
298 The holy fig tree.
299 Garuda.
300 The preceptor means Brihaspati. Brihaspati’s equal in intelligence, Shakra’s equal in valour and an equal of the two Ashvins in beauty. The text says Shukra. This is an obvious typo and should be Shakra.
301 This is Ashvatara speaking.
302 Respectively, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
303 Lord, as in Isha.
304 Vinata’s son, Garuda.
305 Through his austerities and devotion to Vishnu, Dhruva became the Pole Star. The story is told in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana.
306 Derived from the word valaya, meaning globe or circle. The one who covers the globe.
307 Thanks to the horse (ashva), Ritadhvaja acquired this name.
308 The demon.
309 Kama is the god of love and Rati is his wife.
310 The word used is shyama, which means dark. But the word also means a maiden who has not yet had a child.
311 Ananga is the god of love and creeper means his wife, Rati. Ananga and Madana are Kama’s names.
312 The woman who was fanning her.
313 Surabhi has several meanings. In this context, Surabhi is best interpreted as an invisible voice from the sky. However, later, she is referred to as the mother of the cows. Surabhi is the divine cow and the mother of cattle.
314 A kinnara or kimpurusha belongs to semi-divine species, companions of Kubera. Pannaga is a naga.
315 Kundala.
316 The sage Kapila reduced King Sagara’s sons to ashes. They were King Bhagiratha’s ancestors. To bring them salvation, Bhagiratha brought Ganga down from heaven.
317 Kuvalayashva.
318 Meaning, he was still young when he died.
319 He proved that he was indeed Shatrujit’s son.
320 Garuda.
321 This seems to be Kuvalayashva reporting the incidents to his father, though it could be the other way round too.
322 As in, Isha-s.
323 Sumati, the son.
324 The place of origin of the river Sarasvati.
325 Morning, noon and evening.
326 The creator of the universe.
327 Askhara means without decay, imperishable. But since it also has nuances of the imperishable syllable, we have not translated the word here.
328 The word used is paramanu.
329 Matras, the three matras ‘O’, ‘U’ and ‘M’ constitute Oum.
330 The three worlds are earth, heaven and the region in between; the three gods are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; the three Vedas are Rig, Sama and Yajur; the three fires are garhapatya, ahavaniya and dakshinagni; the three stellar bodies probably means the sun, the moon and the stars; the three categories are dharma, artha and kama; the three gunas are sattva, rajas and tamas; the three sounds are the pitches of udatta (raised), anudatta (not raised) and svarita (sounded); the three taints are bata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm); the three ashramas probably leaves out brahmacharya; and the three times are the past, the present and the future. This leaves the bit about the ancestors unclear. Since everything here is identified with the number three and day and night are mentioned, the ancestors might signify sandhya, the intervening period between night and day, when oblations are offered to ancestors.
331 Broadly, there are three kinds of sacrifices (yajnas)—where food is offered (paka-yajna), where soma is offered (soma-yajna) and where oblations are offered (havir-yajna). Each of these categories has seven specific types of sacrifices under it. For example, for paka-yajna, it is ashtaka, sthalipaka, parvana, shravani, agrahayani, chaitri and ashviyuji. For soma-yajna, it is agnishtoma, atyagnishtoma, ukthya, shodashi, vajapeya, atiratra and aptoryama. For havir-yajna, it is agniyadhana, agnihotra, darsha purnamasa, agrayana, chaturmasya, niruddha pashu bandha and soutramani.
332 A matra is pronounced. ‘O’, ‘U’ and ‘M’ are matras. The ardhamatra (half a matra) form cannot be expressed through speech.
333 The five senses of perception and the mind.
334 The seven svaras (notes) are shadaja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, dhaivata and nishada; the names of ragas given in various texts vary, but the listing invariably has six names, not seven; gitika is also a metre, not just a song, since there is no list of seven songs, this might mean the seven metres; murchhana is moving up or down the scale, with seven svaras to start, there are thus seven murchhanas; tala is the beat of time in music and the number is not invariably listed as forty-nine; the three gramas (octaves) are udara, mudara and tara.
335 There is a typo in the text, it should be pada, not param. A verse in a song/poem has four lines and a pada is one of these. There is a repetition of tala, and three layas (speed) are fast, medium and slow.
336 Shiva burnt down Kama, the god of love. Since he no longer has a body, he is known as Ananga (the one without a body).
337 Vrishadhvaja, Shiva.
338 Shitikantha is the one with the dark throat, Umapati is Uma’s consort and Trilochana is the one with the three eyes.
339 A pinda is a ball of food offered to ancestors at a funeral ceremony. Usually, three such pindas are offered.
340 The hood in the middle.
341 Since they are snakes, they have been born twice, first as an egg.
342 The Goutami river can be taken as either a tributary of the Godavari or the Godavari itself.
343 That great people exist, the trust in this belief.
344 Shambara was an asura.
345 Whose command has to be followed.
346 Is she made out of the five elements and, therefore, real?
347 He died.
348 The teeth.
349 Not the atman.
350 To which the body will be reduced.
351 Presumably meaning, discard false notions about these. This shloka is not easy to understand.
352 Actually, the text says kshatra-bandhu.
353 Etmologically, Alarka has no meaning, though it does mean a mad dog.
354 Vikranta means someone who steps beyond, and is therefore, powerful and valiant.
355 Meaning, one with excellent arms.
356 Meaning, one who crushes enemies. Arimardana is the same as Shatrumardana.
357 Pravritti is action with a desire for the fruits, whereas nivritti is action without a desire for the fruits, or lack of action entirely.
358 A preta is a ghost, the spirit of a dead person, or simply something evil. A bhuta has the same meaning. Strictly speaking, there are differences between preta, bhuta and pishacha (one who lives on flesh). A preta is the spirit (not necessarily evil) of a dead person before the funeral rites have been performed. A bhuta (not necessarily evil again) is the spirit of a dead person who has had a violent death and for whom, proper funeral rites have not been performed, and may not even be performed. A pishacha (necessarily evil) is created deliberately through evil powers. Guhyakas are semi-divine species, companions of Kubera.
359 Interpreted as brahmanas.
360 Murari is Krishna/Vishnu.
361 Kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (avarice), moha (delusion), mada (arrogance) and matsarya (jealousy).
362 Became five years old.
363 Explaining the number eight is difficult. Day and night were divided into eight yamas (a yama meant three hours). Perhaps this simply means that destruction is possible at any time during the day.
364 The six modes are peace, war, alliances, dividing one’s forces, marching and camping. These are decided according to whether one’s own side, and that of the enemy, is increasing or decreasing.
365 King Pandu knew he would perish if he engaged in sexual intercourse. Nevertheless, he indulged in it with Madri and died.
366 Anuhlada was Hiranyakashipu’s son and Anuhlada had two sons named Baskala and Mahisha. There is no obvious story indicating that Anuhlada killed either Baskala or Mahisha.
367 Aila means Pururava. Pururava hankered after some gold utensils used by sages. When he tried to forcibly take these away, the sages killed him.
368 Vena was an insolent and oppressive king and the brahmanas killed him.
369 This son is interpreted as Bali. That can’t be right. If the word killed is taken literally, Bali wasn’t killed. Nor was he proud. There is nothing to suggest that Bali’s mother was Anayusha. Anayusha was Daksha’s daughter, married to Kashyapa. In some accounts, she gave birth to nagas. Perhaps some naga was intended.
370 This is a reference to the allegorical story in the Bhagavata Purana, where King Puranjaya was destroyed because of excessive addiction to pleasure.
371 Perseverance from the crow, accumulation from the cuckoo, collection of taxes from the bee, patience from the crane, concentrated virulence from the snake, extension (of the kingdom) from the peacock, discrimination from the swan, arising at the right time from the cock and hardness from iron.
372 Strike when the enemy is not aware.
373 Accumulate like the ant.
374 They will only manifest themselves at the right time.
375 Like a courtesan, he must please many. He must be as delightful as a lotus and as brave as a sharabha. A woman with heavy breasts has delivered and nourishes her child. He must nourish like that. The word shulika causes problems. While the word can mean female hare, it is not obvious what can be learnt from a female hare. But the word shulika also means spiked. Perhaps the sense is that the enemy must be killed, as with a spike or spear.
376 The traditional four means are sama (conciliation or negotiation), dana (bribery), danda (punishment) and bheda (dissension).
377 He obtains a share in the good merits earned by citizens.
378 That is, sannyasa.
379 The wife must not be from the same gotra.
380 The five sacrifices of a householder are to render offerings to gods, ancestors, rishis, humans and non-human creatures.
381 Each manvantara has a different Indra and there are fourteen manvantaras in a kalpa. Hence, this means that he resides there for a kalpa.
382 Ishta is religious rites, purta is civic works, suktas are hymns, shanti means peace, pushti is nourishment.
383 Hantakara is the exclamation ‘hanta’. Depending on the context, it can signify joy, surprise, compassion or grief.
384 Hells that respectively mean darkness and blinding darkness.
385 Dhatri and Vidhatr
i are both words used for the creator. Dhatri has the nuance of a creator who arranges, while Vidhatri has the nuance of a creator who determines destiny.
386 The sun god.
387 Bhutas.
388 This is an unexpected guest, atithi. Tithi is a lunar day and there are guests who are invited and arrive on specific tithis, because these are festive occasions. These are expected and invited guests, visitors. Atithi means a-tithi and is therefore not any guest, but a guest who arrives uninvited and is unexpected. Though it is sometimes used in the sense of an instant, a muhurta is a measure of time equal to forty-eight minutes.
389 Sacrifice (yajna) offered to men (nri).
390 Respectively, regular, occasional and periodical.
391 For example, the samskaras. There are thirteen samskaras or sacraments. The list varies a bit. But one list is vivaha (marriage), garbhalambhana (conception), pumshavana (engendering a male child), simantonnayana (parting the hair, performed in the fourth month of pregnancy), jatakarma (birth rites), namakarana (naming), chudakarma (tonsure), annaprashana (first solid food), keshanta (first shaving of the head), upanayana (sacred thread), vidyarambha (commencement of studies), samavartana (graduation) and antyeshti (funeral rites). After samavartana, one ceases to be a student and becomes (usually) a householder.
392 Specific lunar tithis.
393 Before any festive occasion, such as marriage, the ancestors known as Nandimukha are first worshipped.
394 Without rendering offerings in the name of the Vishvadevas.
395 Funeral rite for a deceased person.
396 The brahmana who has been invited.
397 This is a mantra from the Yajur Veda—ye samanah samanasah . . . etc.
398 There is a long list of those who are sapindas, such as, in the absence of a son, a daughter, a daughter’s son, a father, a mother, a brother, a brother’s son and so on.
399 There is another such list.
