Mahabharata: Volume 8 (91 page)

⁷⁵⁸
Ugrasena’s minister.

⁷⁵⁹
Of ruling the Yadavas.

⁷⁶⁰
The king, the advisers, the countryside, the fortified city, the treasury and the army.

⁷⁶¹
Referring to the king as a friend.

⁷⁶²
The architect of the gods.

⁷⁶³
The ones who killed the crow.

⁷⁶⁴
The text uses the word
timingila
, which is actually an aquatic creature that eats whales.

⁷⁶⁵
Capparis aphylla
.

⁷⁶⁶
Scared of the brave husband.

⁷⁶⁷
Of killing the crow.

⁷⁶⁸
He became universal emperor, the umbrella being a sign of kingship.

⁷⁶⁹
Sabhasada
. This is more than courtier, since there is also a sense of legislative and judicial function.

⁷⁷⁰
As long as there are bribes and inducements.

⁷⁷¹
There were tests of loyalty on grounds of dharma, artha, kama, fear and an overall aggregate one.

⁷⁷²
Jnana
and
vijnana
respectively, the former learnt from teachers, the latter from one’s own self.

⁷⁷³
The three ministers.

⁷⁷⁴
At the place where the king holds his consultations.

⁷⁷⁵
There should not be distractions from people moving around.

⁷⁷⁶
Brihaspati.

⁷⁷⁷
This world and the next.

⁷⁷⁸
The Critical edition excises some shlokas where eighteen kshatriyas and twenty-one vaishyas are also mentioned.

⁷⁷⁹
In the sense of bard or raconteur. The eight qualities of the bard are readiness to listen, readiness to learn, ability to receive, ability to retain, ability to reason, ability to be critical, internal knowledge (vijnana) and external knowledge (jnana).

⁷⁸⁰
As stated, it is not obvious whether this applies only to the suta, or to all advisers. All advisers seems more likely.

⁷⁸¹
Four brahmanas, three shudras and the suta.

⁷⁸²
Hunting, gambling with the dice, addiction to women, addiction to liquor, harshness in punishment, harshness in speech and the squandering of riches.

⁷⁸³
Someone who sits in judgement.

⁷⁸⁴
In the next birth.

⁷⁸⁵
The word used is
citravadha
and probably means execution preceded by torture.

⁷⁸⁶
Probably meant for those who have intercourse with a person from another varna.

⁷⁸⁷
The king’s head. This applies to personal bodyguards.

⁷⁸⁸
This is a reference to the kind of protection a fort will have. For example, one in the water will be protected by natural water or trenches and moats on all sides. Those in the ground will be protected with high walls. Those with men will be protected by warriors and so on.

⁷⁸⁹
Actually, only sound is mentioned. So this could also be the sound of musical instruments.

⁷⁹⁰
For use as fuel.

⁷⁹¹
Goosegrass,
Eleusine indica.

⁷⁹²
These offer shade.

⁷⁹³
The sense seems to be that if the king is excessive in doing this, enemies may harm these ascetics.

⁷⁹⁴
A reference to ascetics the king should befriend.

⁷⁹⁵
The text uses the word
shakhanagara
. This literally translates as a branch town, something that is not quite a town proper.

⁷⁹⁶
There is some subjectivity in deciding who is entitled to this grain and the gold. The context suggests that we are talking about the supervisor of one thousand villages and not the king.

⁷⁹⁷
This ‘he’ seems to be the supervisor of the town, rather than the king directly.

⁷⁹⁸
The sense is that there must be a decent margin of profit, so as to ensure incentives.

⁷⁹⁹
This is a straight translation, but the reference seems to be more to the cow than to the calf.

⁸⁰⁰
In times of hardship, the subjects willingly part with their resources.

⁸⁰¹
The king must crush those who are external to the kingdom. He can then enjoy prosperity from those who are in between in the sense of belonging to the extremities of the kingdom.

⁸⁰²
Once there is fruit, the bamboo withers.

⁸⁰³
They are nomadic and mobile and will therefore leave the kingdom.

⁸⁰⁴
Without destroying the flower and the plant.

⁸⁰⁵
The word used is
niyamya
. This is best interpreted as regulation, not as a ban.

⁸⁰⁶
Wicked ones in general, not just beggars.

⁸⁰⁷
The drinking houses and brothels.

⁸⁰⁸
An intelligent king.

⁸⁰⁹
The king has found a means of sustenance. Even then, there is no limit to the brahmana’s greed.

⁸¹⁰
The three Vedas.

⁸¹¹
A reference to the king employing men as spies.

⁸¹²
The outside and inside can be interpreted in geographical terms. It can also be interpreted in terms of those who are close to the king and those who are not.

⁸¹³
Alternatively, what are my addictions?

⁸¹⁴
The bharunda bird is a mythical predatory bird with two heads. If the king isn’t careful, others will descend on him, like this predatory bird.

⁸¹⁵
Utathya was Brihaspati’s elder brother.

⁸¹⁶
He goes to heaven.

⁸¹⁷
This world and the next.

⁸¹⁸
This is a reference to the sages creating Prithu.

⁸¹⁹
Virajate
means to shine or appear beautiful and rajan is king.

⁸²⁰
Vrishala means a contemptible person.
Vrisha
means a bull, as well as moral merit.
Alam
means ‘enough’. A person who says enough of dharma, is a vrishala.

⁸²¹
Brahma.

⁸²²
This is an inconsistency, because the words are being spoken to Mandhata, not Yudhishthira. Bharata and the Pandavas are from the lunar dynasty. Mandhata was from the solar dynasty. There was a lesser known Bharata in the solar dynasty, but he came after Mandhata.

⁸²³
Bali was an asura and was Virochana’s son. He was deprived of the three worlds by Vishnu in his vamana (dwarf) incarnation. There are no stories to suggest that Bali was wicked or resentful towards brahmanas. Vishnu restored the three worlds to Indra, who had been deprived by Bali.

⁸²⁴
Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.

⁸²⁵
Indra killed a demon named Paka.

⁸²⁶
Bali.

⁸²⁷
Insolence.

⁸²⁸
Probably in the sense of intoxicated with insolence.

⁸²⁹
The word used is
kanya
, meaning girl, as well as virgin. Girl seems to fit better.

⁸³⁰
Mixing of the varnas.

⁸³¹
The careless king.

⁸³²
So that the weak could be protected.

⁸³³
The word used is tata.

⁸³⁴
One has to wait for a cow to have a calf, before it can be milked.

⁸³⁵
Descend on the king.

⁸³⁶
The king is being compared to the tree and the royal officers to those who have made homes in the tree.

⁸³⁷
In the sense of strife and discord.

⁸³⁸
Indra.

⁸³⁹
As ministers and advisers.

⁸⁴⁰
This is again an inconsistency.

⁸⁴¹
Vasumana.

⁸⁴²
Dharma and artha respectively.

⁸⁴³
That is, he must want more of these.

⁸⁴⁴
The king’s officers.

⁸⁴⁵
The king.

⁸⁴⁶
That is, they do nothing to mitigate it.

⁸⁴⁷
The ministers and advisers.

⁸⁴⁸
Because they are not kshatriyas.

⁸⁴⁹
Of protecting them.

⁸⁵⁰
The invader.

⁸⁵¹
Referring to weapons.

⁸⁵²
With poison.

⁸⁵³
The cow has to have a calf before it yields milk.

⁸⁵⁴
In the house of the captor.

⁸⁵⁵
This is a difficult shloka to translate. The idea seems to be that property seized from those in the enemy’s kingdom must be resorted to the original owners.

⁸⁵⁶
The people in the country that has been invaded.

⁸⁵⁷
On the king.

⁸⁵⁸
This abuse refers to deceit and a fight through unfair means. The injunction against killing thus applies to an unfair fight. Alternatively, it may refer to torturing an enemy who has been captured.

⁸⁵⁹
This is a difficult shloka to translate. It could conceivably apply to the enemy who has been captured.

⁸⁶⁰
The king of Kashi.

⁸⁶¹
That is, King Pratardana took what should be taken, but King Divodasa took what should not be taken.

⁸⁶²
In the battle.

⁸⁶³
The straight translation does not capture the nuance. The word used is
katagni
and is a method of execution used against criminals. Dry grass and straw are tied around the criminal and he is then burnt.

⁸⁶⁴
If the kshatriya dies in his bed.

⁸⁶⁵
The word used is tata.

⁸⁶⁶
There are four types of officiating priests—hotar (one who recites from the Rig Veda), udgatar (one who recites from the Sama Veda), adhvaryu (one who recites from the Yajur Veda) and brahman (one who recites from the Atharva Veda). A ritvija is an officiating priest in general. A sadasya is an assistant priest or a spectator.

⁸⁶⁷
When the kindling is piled up in the form of a hawk (
shyena
).

⁸⁶⁸
A kind of acacia.

⁸⁶⁹
Secondary oblations.

⁸⁷⁰
The exclamation vashat when oblations are made.

⁸⁷¹
There is an imagery of a river.

⁸⁷²
Of the river.

⁸⁷³
Of the enemy.

⁸⁷⁴
As part of funeral rites.

⁸⁷⁵
There is a typo in the critical edition. It reads
balam
, which makes no sense. It should read
baalam
.

⁸⁷⁶
Symbolically, the person pretends to be a cow, as a token of unconditional surrender.

⁸⁷⁷
Signifying surrender.

⁸⁷⁸
The danavas.

⁸⁷⁹
The king of Kashi.

⁸⁸⁰
The king.

⁸⁸¹
The king.

⁸⁸²
This is in the context of a battle and the difference between the four types of dharma is unclear. Conceivably, truth means the dharma of kshatriyas, reason is persuading soldiers to give up their lives, virtuous conduct is encouraging those who are ready to fight and implementation is punishing those who are not ready to fight.

⁸⁸³
Respectively, April–May or November–December.

⁸⁸⁴
The seven rishis, the constellation of Ursa Major. This means that the army will face southwards.

⁸⁸⁵
Venus. The sense probably is that these should be to the rear of the army.

⁸⁸⁶
The shloka in the text is brief and states that each is superior to the succeeding one. We have expanded it, so that the meaning becomes clear.

⁸⁸⁷
The tithi is the lunar day and the nakshatras must be auspicious.

⁸⁸⁸
That is, those who have cast aside their weapons and are meditating and fasting to death on the field of battle, ready to give up their lives.

⁸⁸⁹
They are non-combatants.

⁸⁹⁰
Gone outside the camp to collect forage or fodder.

⁸⁹¹
They are gatekeepers rather than soldiers.

⁸⁹²
They are servants rather than soldiers.

⁸⁹³
In the ranks of the enemy.

⁸⁹⁴
In one’s own ranks.

⁸⁹⁵
It is not clear where the pledge ends, but this is as good a place as any.

⁸⁹⁶
The pledge begins again.

⁸⁹⁷
Literally, the mouth of a needle.