74 Vichitravirya.
75 Arjuna.
76 A chataka or a peacock.
77 The critical version has 225 chapters.
78 Assembly hall.
79 Jarasandha was the king of Magadha and he had imprisoned the kings in his capital, Girivraja.
80 Yudhishthira.
81 Concerning the forest.
82 The flower of the coral tree, one of the five trees in heaven.
83 Kartyavirya was the king of the Haihayas. This Rama is Parashurama, son of Jamadagni. Kartyavirya was killed by Parashurama because he abducted Jamadagni’s sacred cow.
84 Nectar, beverage of the gods.
85 Arjuna.
86 Arjuna.
87 Arjuna.
88 Sacker of cities, Indra’s name.
89 The critical edition has 298 chapters.
90 A large tree that was believed to contain fire inside it.
91 Bhima.
92 Arjuna.
93 Duryodhana.
94 The critical edition has 197 chapters.
95 In that parva.
96 Arjuna.
97 Arjuna’s name is Kiriti, meaning the diademed one.
98 Bhurishrava.
99 Vyasa.
100 The critical edition has 173 chapters.
101 Shalya. Shalya was Karna’s charioteer.
102 The critical edition has sixty-four chapters.
103 Pritha is Kunti’s name and the sons of Pritha are the Pandavas.
104 Ashvatthama.
105 Yadava warrior.
106 Dronacharya was sage Bharadvaja’s son and was the preceptor, while Ashvatthama was Dronacharya’s son. Because he was Bharadvaja’s son, Dronacharya was known as Bhaaradvaja. The absence of diacritical marks makes distinction between Bharadvaja (the father) and Bhaaradvaja (the son) difficult, especially when we write Bhaaradvaja as Bharadvaja to make the translation smooth. However, the context should make it clear whether Bharadvaja or Bhaaradvaja is meant.
107 Arjuna. Phalguni and Phalguna are used synonymously.
108 Kunti.
109 Bhishma was on a bed of arrows when he told this.
110 The critical edition has 353 chapters.
111 The critical edition has 154 chapters.
112 By the Pandavas.
113 Arjuna’s.
114 Babhruvahana.
115 The critical edition has ninety-six chapters.
116 Kunti.
117 Vedavyasa.
118 The critical edition has forty-seven chapters.
119 Concerning clubs.
120 The men of the Vrishni lineage.
121 A kind of reed.
122 Balarama.
123 Krishna.
124 Krishna’s father. Vasudeva is Krishna’s father and therefore, Krishna is known as Vaasudeva. The absence of diacritical marks makes distinction between Vasudeva and Vaasudeva difficult, especially because Vaasudeva is written as Vasudeva to make the translation smooth. However, the context should make it clear whether Vasudeva (the father) or Vaasudeva (the son) is meant.
125 Krishna.
126 Balarama.
127 The genealogy of Hari.
128 The book of the future.
129 The Vedangas.
130 Earth, water, energy, wind and sky.
131 Those born alive from wombs, those born from eggs, those that are plants and those that are born from sweat (insects).
132 Purana means ancient account or tale and there are eighteen great Puranas, each describing creation, destruction, different eras, genealogies and the histories of the solar and lunar dynasties.
133 Vedavyasa or Vyasadeva.
134 Place of pilgrimage near Ajmer.
1 The dog is referred to as sarameya, meaning progeny of Sarama. Sarama was the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs.
2 An epithet signifying reverence.
3 Shrutashrava.
4 The sun-plant, more like a bush.
5 The twin physicians of the gods. They were sons of the sun.
6 Upamanyu.
7 Three hundred and sixty days.
8 The year.
9 The nave of the wheel is the year and the sum of 720 is obtained by adding 360 days and 360 nights.
10 The meaning is not clear and the number twenty probably represents the gap between solar days and lunar days.
11 Twelve months or twelve signs of the zodiac.
12 The six seasons.
13 The ten cardinal points, including zenith (above) and nadir (below).
14 Upamanyu.
15 Ayoda-Dhoumya.
16 Upamanyu’s.
17 That is, the preceptor must receive payment (dakshina) after the successful completion of training and the disciple must give it.
18 Funeral oblation.
19 Poushya.
20 By saying that it was unclean.
21 The word used is kshapanaka, which means not just any mendicant, but a Buddhist or a Jain one.
22 The word used now is sarpa, not naga. That is, these two words are being used synonymously here.
23 Airavata is Indra’s elephant. But this Airavata is a king of the nagas.
24 This is a different Dhritarashtra; another name for Airavata.
25 Takshaka’s son. Arjuna killed Ashvasena’s mother. In his search for revenge, Ashvasena entered Karna’s weapon in an attempt to kill Arjuna, an attempt that failed.
26 Not to be confused with Janamejaya’s brother, who had the same name.
27 All these are salutations to Indra.
28 Demon killed by Indra.
29 Demon killed by Indra.
30 This is Indra’s horse Ucchaihshrava, which emerged from the churning of the ocean.
31 One of Indra’s names.
32 Utanka.
33 The god of rain, also Indra.
34 The god of fire.
35 Takshaka killed Janamejaya’s father Parikshit. That was the reason Janamejaya undertook a sacrifice to destroy all serpents.
36 The sage Kashyapa, who tried to restrain Takshaka from killing Parikshit.
1 The numbering of chapters is sequential throughout the translation, instead of separate numbering of chapters within sections. This is also the pattern followed in the critical edition.
2 Shounaka was descended from Bhrigu.
3 Wind-gods.
4 Agni.
5 The word means to be deprived of, or perishing.
6 That is, would devour anything.
7 Maintenance of the special fire (Agni) and the offering of oblations to it.
8 Sacrifices or oblations in general.
9 Sacrifices on the day of the new moon.
10 Sacrifices on the day of the full moon.
11 There were originally thirty-three gods—eleven in heaven, eleven in the sky and eleven on earth. Another way of getting the number is by adding twelve adityas, eleven rudras and ten vishvadevas.
12 Exclamations made at the time of offering oblations.
13 Oblations offered to ancestors.
14 Exclamations made at the time of offering oblations.
15 Brahma’s epithet.
16 An apsara. Apsaras are celestial maidens associated with Indra’s court. They are sometimes regarded as wives of gandharvas.
17 Literally, the most beautiful.
18 Sthulakesha.
19 Star.
20 Better known as Uttaraphalguni.
21 Yama, who rules over death.
22 A snake that is not poisonous.
23 That is, non-poisonous.
1 The word prajapati means lord of the world and has different nuances. It is a name for Brahma. However, those who were appointed by Brahma to rule over the worlds are also known as Prajapati. Accordingly, Daksha is also known as Prajapati and the reference here is to Daksha.
2 The word used is yayavaras, an expression also used by Jaratkaru’s ancestors.
3 Vasuki is a great naga or serpent and is the king of the nagas. Vasuki was the
rope when the ocean was churned by the gods and the demons.
4 Kadru and Vinata were daughters of Daksha and were married to the sage Kashyapa. Kadru was the mother of the snakes and as the story unfolds, we will learn that Kadru cursed her offspring because they did not side with her in her rivalry with Vinata.
5 That is, Agni.
6 Vasuki.
7 Jaratkaru.
8 Janamejaya.
9 Daksha.
10 The son. Aruna is the red sky of dawn and is also the sun’s charioteer.
11 Vishnu.
12 The ocean.
13 Mythical beings with human bodies and heads of horses.
14 A yojana is a measure of distance and is equal to four kroshas. A yojana is between 13 and 15 kilometres.
15 Ananta literally means without end and is a name for the naga Shesha, on whom Vishnu rests, and who is Vasuki’s elder brother. Instructed by Vishnu or Narayana, Ananta uprooted Mandara.
16 Mandara.
17 In a loose sense, asuras and danavas are both demons. But asura is more of a general term and means the antithesis of suras or gods. Danavas are more specific demons, in the sense that they are the offspring of Danu. Daityas are also specific demons, in the sense that they are the offspring of Diti.
18 Ucchaihshrava.
19 The sun.
20 The physician of the gods.
21 Mercury.
22 Narayana.
23 Rahu.
24 A discus.
25 The eclipses.
26 Vishnu.
27 The heads were adorned with gold ornaments.
28 Weapons had to be summoned with the power of the mind.
29 Vishnu’s discus.
30 Vishnu.
31 Vishnu.
32 Indra. Indra had killed a demon named Bala.
33 Someone wearing a crown or diadem. Kiriti is another name for Arjuna. In this context, it probably means the god Nara.
34 Ucchaihshrava.
35 This should not cause confusion. The word Kourava is often used as opposite to Pandava. The Pandavas had Pandu as their father. However, Kuru was a common ancestor to both brothers. Hence any Pandava, and anyone descended from the Pandavas, can also be called Kourava.
36 Brahma.
37 Brahma.
38 The word used is timingila. A whale is a timi, a timingila is that which swallows whales.
39 The word used is makara. Since a makara is a mythical being, it is impossible to translate it satisfactorily. But shark or crocodile is close enough.
40 Krishna’s conch.
41 Vishnu. This is a reference to Vishnu’s boar (varaha) incarnation.
42 Vishnu.
43 As will be evident, this really means the gods.
44 Agni.
45 Another name for Garuda, meaning the one with beautiful feathers.
46 Indra.
47 Indra’s wife.
48 The word means destroyer of cities.
49 The wind-god.
50 Drink of the gods.
51Muhurta.
52 Lunar days.
53 A kshana is a small interval of time, the time it takes for a twinkling of the eye and is equal to four-fifths of a second. A lava is even smaller, because it is one-sixth of a kshana.
54 The bright half of the lunar month.
55 The dark half of the lunar month. The term used in the text is bahula.
56 The daily increase or decrease in the size of the moon. A kala is the span of a zodiac sign divided by 1800. So it is roughly around 1 minute, as in minutes and degrees. Measured in time, a kala is variously defined as 1 minute, 48 seconds or 8 seconds.
57 One-thirtieth of a kala.
58 Very small interval of time, equal to half of a lava.
59 Timi.
60 Timingila.
61 Makara. However, a makara is actually a mythical being.
62 Indra.
63 Indra.
64 The Malaya mountains are in south India, adjoining Malabar. The Malaya mountains had several sandalwood trees. Thus, an alternative translation is that the island had many sandalwood trees, since malaya also means a sandalwood tree.
65 Synonym for nagas.
66 Garuda.
67Amrita is nectar or ambrosia and was produced when the ocean was churned.
68 Hunters, fishermen. Usually, they are described as dwelling in the mountains.
69 Kashyapa.
70 Supratika is a common name for an elephant and this elephant should not be confused with Bhagadatta’s elephant Supratika.
71 A yojana is between 13 and 15 kilometres.
72 Sacred place of pilgrimage.
73 Alternatively, fig tree.
74 Garuda.
75 Rishis who number 60,000 and were generated from the creator’s body. They are the size of a thumb and precede the sun’s chariot.
76Maya.
77 Garuda.
78 Garuda’s epithet.
79 Garuda.
80 The performer of a hundred sacrifices, Indra.
81 Great sage and preceptor of the gods.
82 Indra.
83 The son, Garuda.
84 Indra.
85 A tree with large, fragrant and orange-coloured flowers, the Butea frondosa.
86 On the road.
87 Indra.
88 A sacrifice.
89 Indra.
90 Daksha’s daughter.
91 Marichi was Kashyapa’s father.
92 Kashyapa.
93 Indra.
94 Aruna is the dawn and also the sun’s charioteer.
95 Vishvakarma is the architect of the gods and Bhouvana (or Bhoumana) is one of his names.
96 Indra has a thousand eyes.
97 The wind-god.
98 The Ashvins.
99 Shiva.
100 That is, enter the place where the amrita was.
101 Suparna, another name for Garuda.
102 That is, Vishnu.
103Vahana or mount.
104 The one with beautiful feathers.
105 Dhritarashtra is also the name of a naga and this should not be confused with the Dhritarashtra who was Duryodhana’s father.
106Prayuta.
107Arbuda is 100 million.
108 This can also be translated as the forest of Pushkara.
109 Brahma.
110 Indra.
111 Another name for Shesha.
112 A reference to Brahma.
113 The fee.
114 These words are being addressed to Vasuki.
115 The ocean.
116 Vasuki.
117 Souti’s name.
118 The great-grandfather was Pandu.
119 From their mothers.
120 The hermit’s.
121 The hermit.
122 Hastinapura.
123 Vaivasvata is one of Yama’s names.
124 This refers to Shamika’s message, not the curse. The curse was levied by Shamika’s son, Shringi.
125 Shamika.
126 Shamika.
127 The name used in the text is Nagasahnya.
128 The ministers and advisers.
129 Yudhishthira, who in a sense was also the great-grandfather, though not as directly as Arjuna.
130 Janamejaya.
131 An ancient king of the lunar dynasty and therefore an ancestor of the Kouravas and the Pandavas. Pururava married the apsara Urvashi.
132 That is, the merit obtained through these austerities.
133 A brahmachari, usually translated as celibate. However, a brahmachari is strictly someone who treads the path of the brahman.
134 Time.
135Shvetakakiya. This is an unhappy translation, though white crow is right. However, the sense is that the dedication has the watchfulness of a dog, the timidity of a deer and the instinct of a crow.
136 Vasuki’s sister.
137 Agnihotra is a sacrificial fire. The text means that the time for making offerings to the sacrificial fire has arrived.
138Asti can be translated as ‘it is there’. Jaratkaru meant that an embryo was there in the womb.
139 Shiva, the one with a trident in his hand.
140 Dhanur Veda. This is about the science of fighting and weaponry.
141 Krishna.
142 Soubhadra means Subhadra’s son, that is, Abhimanyu. Parikshit was Abhimanyu’s son. Parikshina means to become weak, thin, lean, emaciated. Since this is what had happened to the Kuru lineage, he came to be known as Parikshit.
143Kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (ego), moha (delusion) and matsarya (envy).
144 The Pandavas.
145 Takshaka had assumed the disguise of a Brahmana.
146 This is now a reference to Kashyapa.
147 Takshaka.
148 Superintending or assisting priests; probably means assisting here.
149 Officiating priests. Usually, there were four types of ritvijas—hotar (one who recited prayers, identified with Rig Veda), udgatar (one who chanted or sang prayers, identified with Sama Veda), adhvaryu (one who officiated, identified with Yajur Veda) and brahman (chief priest, identified with Atharva Veda).
150 Indra.
151 Brahma.
152 Indra.
153 Send the sacrifice up to the gods.
154 That is, dying.
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