289 Malevolent beings.
290 Gayatri is a famous mantra from the Vedas, also personified as a goddess. There is no identifiable region known as Gayatri. However, there is the Gayatri River.
291 The gayatri mantra is metrical and musical, but only pure brahmanas know how to recite it properly. There are inferior brahmanas born of mixed parentage and their recitals will not be metrical and musical, except in the region known as Gayatri.
292 Venna (or Vena) is a tributary of the Godavari.
293 The Varada River flows through Karnataka and joins the Tungabhadra.
294 The Krishna River originates in Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and so does the Venna. The rivers Koyna and Gayatri also originate there. The lake of the gods is Venna lake.
295 The Payoshni is either the Purna or the Tapti.
296 Shurparaka is a region (kingdom) near the origins of the Narmada, that is, what is the southern part of Gujarat now. Shurparaka was founded by Parashurama, Jamadagni’s son.
297 Saptagodavari is in the East Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh in Draksharama (a corruption of Daksha ashrama).
298 Sarasvata was the son of Angiras. The sages had respectfully spread out their upper garments for him to sit on.
299 Brahma.
300 Bhrigu.
301 In the Bundelkhand region, in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.
302 Chitrakuta is partly in Madhya Pradesh and partly in Uttar Pradesh. The Mandakini joins the Alaknanda in Rudraprayag.
303 Skanda or Kartikeya.
304 There is a minor internal inconsistency, because Pulastya is actually speaking to Bhishma, and Narada is repeating the conversation to Yudhishthira.
305 Shringaverapura is near Allahabad and was the capital of the nishada kingdom. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita crossed the Ganga there.
306 In this context, demi-gods with demonic characteristics.
307 Suparna means one with beautiful feathers. Suparna is Garuda’s name, but is also a general name for birds.
308 Chakracharas are those that travel in circles. Beyond that, it is not clear what is meant. Perhaps one means the stars and the planets. It is more likely that this should really be characharas, in which case, one means mobile and immobile objects.
309 Another name for the Ganga.
310 Tapana is the sun-god and his daughter is the Yamuna.
311 There is a minor internal inconsistency, because Pulastya is actually speaking to Bhishma, and Narada is repeating the conversation to Yudhishthira.
312 Vasuki is the king of the nagas and Bhogavati is his capital.
313 Literally, the flight (prapatana) of the swans (hamsa).
314 Literally, where ten (dasha) horse sacrifices (ashvamedha) have been held.
315 Heaven.
316 Vasava is Indra’s name.
317 Bhishma’s.
318 Yudhishthira.
319 Pulastya.
320 The text of the critical edition mentions Galava twice, whereas other versions have Jabali in place of the second mention of Galava.
321 The Mahabhisha story has been told in Section 1 (Volume 1). He was reborn as Shantanu.
322 The sun.
323 Indra.
324 Yudhishthira.
325 Brahma.
326 That is, Arjuna and Krishna.
327 The lotus-eyed one, Vishnu and Krishna’s name.
328Satya, treta and dvapara yugas, kali yuga is still in the future.
329 An unrivalled warrior, whose valour is unlimited, greater than a maharatha.
330 Ashvatthama.
331 A suta was the son of a kshatriya father and a brahmana mother and by profession sutas were charioteers. But they were also bards and raconteurs.
332 Of battle.
333 Here, Indra’s weapon means Indra’s bow, a term used for a rainbow. Since clouds are part of the imagery, Gandiva is being compared to a rainbow.
334 Literally, the cause (karana) of that which never decays (akshaya).
335 Koushika is one of Vishvamitra’s names. Kusha was his great grandfather.
336 Jamadagni’s son was Parashurama. While there are different versions of the Vishvamitra story, the reference here is to the story where Vishvamitra was almost like Parashurama’s ancestor. Gadhi had a daughter named Satyavati and she was married to Richika. Gadhi was a kshatriya and Richika was a brahmana. Richika prepared some boiled rice. Part of this was to be given to Satyavati, so that she would have a son with the characteristics of a brahmana and part was to be given to Satyavati’s mother, so that she would have a son with the characteristics of a kshatriya. But these were interchanged. Consequently, Satyavati’s mother gave birth to Vishvamitra and Satyavati gave birth to Jamadagni.
337 Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.
338 Brahma.
339Yaga is a sacrifice.
340 Parashurama.
341 The name of a river.
342 Nala.
343 Kanyakumari.
344 Tamraparni was an old name for Sri Lanka. But this must be the Tamraparni River in Tamil Nadu, now known as Thamirabarani.
345 Heaven.
346 All of these are Vishnu’s names.
347 Creeper believed to blossom at a woman’s touch.
348 Kubera is the sage Vishrava’s son. His more common mount (vahana) is a mongoose. But he is also shown with a horse or a man as his mount.
349 Literally, with vaidurya on its peak.
350 The story of Yayati’s fall is recounted in Section 1 (Volume 1).
351 Brahma’s.
352 A vaikhanasa is a hermit or ascetic, a brahmana who has resorted to the forest.
353 Heaven.
354 The name Sarasvati means one with many lakes or pools (saras).
355 The sacrificial peg or staff is shamya. It was thrown to measure out the length of the sacrificial ground.
356 The text says one hundred hundred thousand.
357 Mountainous tribes who lived through hunting.
358 Indra’s name.
359Amrita has been translated as ambrosia. The reference is to the churning of the ocean. In the course of the churning, both amrita and the weapon arose.
360 Vishvavasu was the king of the gandharvas. Chitrasena was a king of the gandharvas and it was from Chitrasena that Arjuna learnt these skills, described in Section 32. Chitrasena is being described as Vishvavasu’s son.
361 The knowledge of singing and dancing.
362 Yudhishthira’s younger brother is Bhima and Bhima’s younger brother is Arjuna.
363 Indra is telling Lomasha this.
364 Karna.
365 Indra is addressing these words to Yudhishthira and they are being repeated by Lomasha.
366 Arjuna is addressing Lomasha.
367 Arjuna’s name.
368 Dadhicha (or Dadhichi) donated his bones so that the vajra could be constructed, used by Indra to kill Vritra. Angiras rescued the sun when it was hidden by the Panis in their cave.
369 The king of Panchala, Drupada.
370 Hastinapura.
371 Dhritarashtra’s mother was Ambika.
372 The ninth month in the calendar, alternatively, Agrahayana. Roughly end November to end December. The month is named after the constellation (nakshatra) Mrigashira.
373 The eighth of the twenty-seven nakshatras.
374 Their companions and servants.
375 Tirtha of horses.
376 Tirtha of cows.
377 Brahma’s.
378 Brahma’s lake.
379 Vaivasvata is the son of Vivasvata or the sun-god and is one of Yama’s names. Dharma also means Yama.
380 The wielder of the pinaka is Mahadeva. Pinaka means both a bow and a trident.
381 A sacrifice performed once every four (chatur) months (masa) and performed at the beginnings of the months of Kartika, Phalguna and Ashadha.
382 Speaking to Yudhishthira.
383 Ilvala.
384 Yama’s.
385 Vatapi.
386 The father is believed to recreate himself in the form of his son.
387 As will become clear in the next chapter, the king of Vidarbha did not know that this had been done by Agastya.
388 The fourth of the twenty-seven nakshatras. The moon was married to all twenty seven, but was partial to the beautiful Rohini.
389 Agastya.
390 Rambha is the name of an apsara and the translation has been done with this meaning in mind. However, rambha is also the name of a plantain tree. Therefore, with thighs like plantain, is also an accurate translation.
391 This is a reference to the story about Agastya’s birth. Mitra and Varuna were smitten with the apsara Urvashi’s beauty. The resultant semen was kept in a pot and became the sages Agastya and Vasishtha. Agastya is often referred to as Kumbhayoni, kumbha being a pot.
392 Vatapi.
393 Literally, the text says that he released some wind.
394 Agastya’s.
395Idhma is fuel or firewood for the sacrificial fire and vaha means to bear.
396 Another name for Satya yuga.
397 Indra’s name. Literally, the destroyer of cities.
398 Brahma.
399 Partridge.
400 Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods.
401 The text uses the word rodasi and rodasi (or rodas) means heaven and earth.
402 The Kalakeyas are also known as the Kaleyas.
403 This seems to be a reference to the churning of the ocean, when Mount Mandara was the churning rod and was supported at the base by Vishnu in the form of a turtle (kurma). However, the use of the word ‘hand’ remains unclear.
404 In some versions of the Vritra story, Vritra was a brahmana. Though Vritra had been killed, Indra might have been scared because he had killed a brahmana, other than the obvious reason of his not believing that Vritra was truly dead.
405 Vaikuntha is one of Naryana’s ephithets and also the name of his abode.
406 That is, mobile and immobile.
407 This is a reference to Vishnu’s boar (varaha) incarnation.
408 This is a reference to Vishnu’s man-lion (narasimha) incarnation.
409 This is a reference to Vishnu’s dwarf (vamana) incarnation.
410 Several demons had the name of Jambha. The more common Jambha was killed by Indra, though in one of the accounts, he was aided by Vishnu. There was another Jambha who was killed by Krishna.
411 Those born from wombs, those born from eggs, vegetables and plants and those born from sweat (insects).
412 The text uses the term havyakavya. Oblations offered to gods are called havya and oblations offered to ancestors are called kavya.
413 Indra has one thousand eyes.
414 While Parameshthi is usually Brahma’s ephithet, it is also an epithet for Vishnu and Shiva, and even for Agni and Garuda.
415 Having killed the brahmana Vritra, Indra disappeared and Nahusha temporarily obtained the title of Indra, the lord of the gods. There are different reasons for his fall from grace and one of these is Agastya’s curse.
416 The sun.
417 There doesn’t seem to be any difference between kinnaras and kimpurushas.
418 Kimshuka is the name of a tree with red blossoms and is also the name of the flower.
419 All of these are Shiva’s names. Pinaki is the wielder of the pinaka, Shulapani is the one with a shula (trident) in his hand and Tryaksha (or Tryambaka) is the one with three eyes. Shiva destroyed the demon fortress named Tripura. Hara and Rudra are also Shiva’s names.
420Makara is a mythical creature and can also be translated as a shark.
421Patala. There are actually seven nether regions—atala, vitala, sutala, rasatala, talatala, mahatala and patala. Thus patala is the lowest of the seven nether regions.
422 Mahadeva.
423 Asamanja was Shaibya’s son.
424 Anshuman is actually a grandson. But the word tata (son) is not only used for a son, but is affectionately used for anyone who is an inferior or subordinate.
425 There is a clear error in the text of the critical edition. The word used is khura. Khura has several meanings, hoof, razor, perfume, the foot of a bedstead—but none of them make any sense. Some other versions say gala (neck or throat) and that would be fine, since the children could be grabbed by the neck.
426 The word used is naraka (hell) and this is not quite the same as the nether regions.
427 Anshuman.
428 Literally fathers, but meaning uncles.
429 The three-coursed one is Ganga, because the Ganga flows in heaven, on earth and in the nether regions.
430 Shiva.
431 Sagara.
432 Anshuman’s.
433 The ocean is called sagara, meaning Sagara’s son.
434 Ancestors.
435 Shrike or thrush.
436 Gallinules.
437 Woodpeckers.
438 Chakora birds. However, chakoras are also mentioned separately.
439 Eight elephants guard the eight cardinal directions.
440 Semi-divine species.
441 Ganga.
442 Nilakantha is Mahadeva’s name. His name is Nilakantha, because his throat (kantha) became blue (nila) after swallowing the poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean.
443 Mahadeva.
444 Mahadeva.
445 Mahadeva’s name, meaning the hunter.
446 Mahadeva.
447 Yudhishthira.
448 The fire.
449 Both durva and kusha are sacred sacrificial grasses and the two are sometimes used synonymously. However, kusha seems softer and more sacred than durva.
450 Indra.
451 Indra killed two demons named Bala and Vritra.
452 Because it had rained.
453 Savita is the sun-god. Savitri’s story will be recounted in Section 42. Savitri is not exactly Savita’s daughter, but was born as a boon from the sun-god.
454 Paka is a demon killed by Indra.
455 Rishya is a type of antelope and shringa means horn.
456 Indra has a thousand eyes.
457 The god of rain, Indra.
458 Marking-nuts.
459 Myrobalans.
460 Some unidentified fruit, probably harsh to the taste.
461Inguda is a medicinal tree.
462 Probably some kind of berry.
463 The fruit of a kind of fig tree.
464Shala trees.
465 Tree with beautiful flowers.
466 The breasts.
467 There were anklets.
468 Earrings.
469 The ball.
470 Literally, the king’s hermitage.
471 Indra.
472 Vibhandaka’s wrath.
473 These are Lomapada’s instructions to his warriors.
474 Champa was the capital of Anga. Anga is the eastern part of Bihar, and east of Munger, there are two villages by the name of Champa.
475 Shanta went to the hermitage with Rishyashringa.
476 Indra.
477 Yudhishthira’s name is Ajamidha.
478 There are different stories about Mudgala. He was both a king and a sage. In some accounts, Mudgala’s wife was Indrasena. In other accounts, Indrasena was his daughter-in-law. Indrasena was Narayana’s daughter. Thus, Nadayani could also read Narayani, as in some non-Critical texts.
479 There are stories about Rudra (Shiva) not being offered a share in the sacrifices and about how this was altered later.
480 Brahma.
481 As has been mentioned earlier, rasatala is one of the seven nether regions.
482 The celestial drink, ambrosia.
483 Yudhishthira.
484 Parashurama.
485 Richika.
486 These are different types of fig trees.
487 In a different version of the story, the two women were given two separate bowls of charu that they were supposed to eat and they mixed these up.
488 The knowledge of weapons is
dhanurveda. More specifically, dhanurveda is the knowledge of archery. Weapons are of four types—mukta, amukta, muktamukta and yantramukta. Mukta weapons are released, such as a chakra. Amukta weapons are not released, such as a sword. Muktamukta weapons can either be released or not released, such as a spear. Yantramukta weapons are released from an implement or machine, such as a missile.
489 Kartavirya had one thousand arms. Kartavirya also had the name of Arjuna.
490 Meaning sons.
491 A vyama is a measure of length. When the arms are extended, it is the distance from the tips of the fingers of one hand to the tips of the fingers of the other. A vyama is thus roughly equal to 2 yards.
492 The brahmanas. Khanda means a piece.
493 Earlier, the earth was given to the officiating priests.
494 Janamejaya was Parikshit’s son.
495 It is not clear which feat this refers to. Arjuna’s conquests did not take him to the south. This must therefore be a reference to Lomasha’s account of Arjuna’s exploits in heaven.
496 Yudhishthira.
497 Droupadi.
498 Parashurama. The word son is being used in a loose sense. Parashurama is Jamadagni’s son and Richika’s grandson.
499 Meaning Yama.
500 Meaning Kubera.
501 The sun-god.
502 Bhaga also means the sun and the moon. In this context, it means Shiva.
503 The sun. Literally, the one who creates the day.
504 Varuna.
505 Brahma.
506 Pushan has several meanings—the sun, Indra and Shiva. However, all three have already been separately mentioned.
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 63
