371 One who has long strides, a reference to the vamana incarnation.
372 One who resides in speech.
373 The hidden winner.
374 The invader of enemies.
375 The one who makes the path.
376 The waves that rule the ocean.
377 The one with three humps.
378 The one with three abodes.
379 The one who is known to be undecaying in three ways.
380 Emperor.
381 Large.
382 Ruler of one’s own self.
383 Lord of the gods.
384 The earth.
385 The supreme lord.
386 The one with a dark path.
387 The one who is worshipped well.
388 The one who heals healers.
389 The flying one.
390 The one with victorious armies.
391 One with a tonsure.
392 The brown one.
393 One who touches the sky.
394 One who brings riches back.
395 The extremely brown one.
396 The harsh one.
397 One whose axle radiates light.
398 One who is the subtlety in everything.
399 The store of waters.
400 The refuge.
401 The bow.
402 The origin.
403 Destruction.
404 The one who holds the sharnga bow, chakra and sword in his hand.
Chapter 1372(44)
405 Yudhishthira.
406 Yudhishthira.
407 Sahadeva.
408 Kubera.
409 There was no reason for Dhoumya to have had a house in Hastinapura.
410 Krishna.
Chapter 1373(45)
411 A snataka is one who has completed the brahmacharya stage of studying and is about to enter the householder stage.
412 Those who used tarka (logic) and debated. Clearly, this means heterodox schools that questioned the basis of traditional dharma.
413 Mountain from which the sun rises.
414 A reference to Vishnu’s vamana (dwarf) incarnation.
Chapter 1374(46)
415 There are three normal states—being awake, sleeping (with dreams) and deep sleep (without dreams and without distractions). There is a fourth stage beyond this, known as turiya. This transcends consciousness and one experiences union with the brahman.
416 This is a reference to the five winds (vayu) of pranayama—udana, prana, samana, apana and vyana.
417 We have used intelligence for buddhi.
418 The atman, the text using the word kshetrajna.
419 In the sense of destroyer.
420 Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. Described in Section 60 (Volume 5).
421 Parashurama.
422 The word used is tata.
423 Parashurama.
424 One associated with each of the Vedas.
425 Yudhishthira.
426 Towards uttarayana.
427 Garuda.
Chapter 1375(47)
428 The one with a lotus in his navel.
429 The swan (hamsa) is superior to all beings in flight and is often used as a description of the supreme being.
430 The vakas are mantras. The anuvakas are chapters of the Vedas. The nishads are musical renderings of the mantras.
431 This can be interpreted in different ways. Each being has the four components of jivatman, paramatman, mind and consciousness. In the world, the manifestations of the supreme being are worshipped as Vasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. The four names of the supreme being are Vishnu, Hari, Nara and Narayana.
432 The twelve Adityas or gods.
433 In the form of soma offerings.
434 Verses that are recited.
435 Clarified butter, milk, grain, cakes and soma (or water).
436 The seven main Vedic metres.
437 Rig, Yajur and Sama.
438 Forms of sama hymns.
439 Of soma.
440 Akshara has several meanings. It is the syllable om, representative of the brahman, and means something that is immutable. It also means word, speech, syllable or letter of the alphabet.
441 Padas, alternatively, lines.
442 Rules of grammar for combining words.
443 Literally, kshetrajna means the one who knows the kshetra, kshetra meaning field. Kshetra is usually interpreted as the body and more rarely, as intelligence. Kshetrajna is thus the knower of the field, that is, the atman.
444 This is a reference to the samkhya school of philosophy. The sixteen qualities are the five organs of sense, the five organs of action, the mind and the five elements.
445 The four is probably a reference to the four forms of Hari, Krishna, Vishnu and Narayana.
446 Period of six months.
447 Vaisheshika means specific or distinctive. But this is also a reference to the vaisheshika school of philosophy.
448 The five senses or the five elements.
449 This is a description of Brahma.
450 This is a description of Shiva.
451 The five elements.
452 Heaven, the earth and the nether regions.
453 A blue flower, Linum usitatissimum.
454 Krishna had not been there physically and Bhishma had prayed to him in his mind. Before Krishna went there physically, the knowledge was also delivered mentally.
455 The past, the present and the future.
456 Krishna.
457 Krishna killed a demon named Keshi.
Chapter 1376(48)
458 Parashurama.
459 Garuda.
460 Gada was Krishna’s younger brother.
Chapter 1377(49)
461 Bharatavarsha.
462 Indra.
463 Indra’s.
464 The text uses the word kavi, which means wise, and refers to Richika as the son of Kavi. There was a sage named Kavi. However, Richika was the son of Ourva. Therefore, kavi is being used as an adjective and not as a proper noun.
465 This means Richika. The entire lineage was descended from the sage Bhrigu.
466 Mixture of milk and rice used as a sacrificial offering.
467 Satyavati’s.
468 This suggests that Satyavati’s mother had done this consciously.
469 Dvipas.
470 Literally, the one with the wonderful and shining light. A name for the fire god, Agni.
471 Kartavirya Arjuna possessed one thousand hands.
472 This means the sage Vasishtha, who is sometimes described as the son of Mitra and Varuna.
473 Vasishtha.
474 Parashurama.
475 The calf was in the inner quarters of Kartavirya Arjuna’s palace.
476 Parashurama.
477 Yayati fell down from heaven. This has been described in Section 54 (Volume 4). The point is that some kshatriyas were still alive.
478 Parashurama resided in Mount Mahendra.
479 The earth.
480 Kashyapa was the officiating priest at the sacrifice.
481 Rasatala is a general term for the nether regions. More specifically, there are seven worlds in the nether regions. Their names vary from one list to another. But rasatala happens to be one of the seven.
482 Uru and urvi both mean thigh. Urvi also means the wide one and is one of the earth’s names.
483 Riksha also means a bear.
484 Sarvakarma means someone who performs all the tasks.
485 Gopati means lord of the cows.
486 Vatsa means calf.
487 Gridhrakuta is a peak and golangulas are cow-tailed monkeys.
488 By performing their funeral rites.
489 All of them were travelling, to see Bhishma.
Chapter 1378(50)
490 The word used is tata.
491 The word used is tata.
492 The suras are also gods. But the text uses both the words for gods, devas and suras.
493 There are eight Vasus. Thou
gh Bhishma is himself regarded as one of these Vasus born on earth, he is regarded as a ninth Vasu. However, because of his qualities, he is not ninth in merit.
494 The four stages of life.
495 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).
496 One of the six schools of philosophy (darshana) associated with the sage Kapila.
497 The text does not indicate what that single dharma is.
498 Itihasa is history and is specifically used for the two epics.
499 Specific sacred texts, in the smriti tradition, about dharma.
Chapter 1379(51)
500 Heaven, earth and the nether regions.
501 Vayu (wind) has seven flows—avaha, pravaha, nivaha, varaha, udhvaha, samvaha and parivaha.
502 No rebirth.
Chapter 1380(52)
503 The lord of speech.
504 The moon.
505 Those born from wombs, those born from eggs, those born from seeds and those born from sweat (moisture).
506 The sages.
507 Narmada is believed to originate in Mount Rikshavat, in the Vindhyas.
508 Hastinapura.
509 The lion.
Chapter 1381(53)
510 A night consists of three yamas. So a yama is four hours.
511 Yudhishthira.
Chapter 1382(54)
512 Narada is primarily speaking to Yudhishthira.
513 The word used is tata.
514 Bhishma.
515 The word Vedanta is usually used for the Upanishads.
516 Jatis.
517 The Critical edition says manudharma, which brings in Manu. Some non-Critical versions say sarvadharma, which means all forms of dharma, without bringing in Manu.
Chapter 1383(55)
518 Bhishma.
519 Yudhishthira’s.
520 The word used is tata.
Chapter 1384(56)
521 The dharma of kings.
522 The three objectives, dharma, artha and kama.
523 Mokshadharma is the dharma that leads to emancipation or liberation.
524 Without getting bogged down by minute trivia.
525 These three are left implicit and have to be deduced. One’s weaknesses, one’s policy and the weaknesses of enemies have to be concealed.
526 Fire is quenched with water, iron is blunted by stone and kshatriyas are controlled by brahmanas.
527 Though not directly stated, this seems to mean that the king should restrain imperfect brahmanas.
528 The killing of a foetus is being equated with the killing of a brahmana.
529 Those protected by deserts, water, earth, forests, mountains and men.
530 Of the sacred texts.
531 The master’s.
Chapter 1385(57)
532 Because of excessive attachment for his wife and children.
533 The king, the army, advisers, allies, the treasury, forts and the geographical expanse of the kingdom.
534 This story has been recounted in Section 33 (Volume 3). Bahu was also known as Asita.
535 Probably referring to dharma, artha and kama.
536 The dharma of the four varnas should not be mixed up.
537 The six aspects of policy—alliances, war, marching, halting, dividing and fortifying the army and sowing dissension in the enemy.
538 Dharma, artha and kama.
539 Kubera.
540 Advisers, fortified cities, the countryside, the treasury and the army add up to five. There are these five on one’s own side and five on the side of the enemy. The king must know about these ten.
541 The king’s relatives.
542 He will not differentiate between them and him.
543 The king in question is Yudhishthira himself, who was told Rama’s (i.e., Parashurama’s) story (by Krishna) earlier in this section. Bhargava is Parashurama.
544 That is, choose a kingdom where you wish to live.
545 Son is to be interpreted as descendant. Prachetasa is Daksha and the Manu in question is Vaivasvata Manu.
546 The cowherd’s tasks are in pastures, not in the village. The barber’s tasks are in the village, not in the forest.
Chapter 1386(58)
547 Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons.
548 This can be interpreted as fair taxation.
549 For administrative duties.
550 Corporal punishment and monetary fines.
551 This can be interpreted as superiority of kshatriyas over brahmanas.
552 The aberrations are justified if there is an overall framework of rectitude.
553 Part rectitude and part deceit.
554 Yudhishthira.
555 Hastinapura.
Chapter 1387(59)
556 This is interpreted as meaning that the knowledge of the Vedas was destroyed.
557 The gods showered down rain. Sustained by this, men offered oblations to sustain the gods.
558 The self-creating one, Brahma’s name.
559 The three objectives or categories.
560 Respectively, the qualities of purity, passion and darkness.
561 Place and time are counted as one, so that there are six and not seven.
562 The three Vedas.
563 A king might face treachery from aides and princes.
564 Sama, dana, danda, bheda are the four respective familiar principles of conciliation, gifts (to wean away), punishment and sowing dissension. Upeksha can be translated as both endurance and neglect.
565 Probably very good, good, bad and very bad muhurtas.
566 Dharma and artha are not gained from an asura victory.
567 The five categories are the advisers, the countryside, the fortified city, the treasury and the army. These can have three characteristics—superior, middling and inferior.
568 The text actually suggests that one should take these guides from the country one is at war with.
569 The word used is payana, which means drink. This is not about the blades of weapons being made to drink the enemy’s blood. It is about the way those iron blades were crafted, heated and then cooled with water.
570 Guilds (shrenis) in the enemy’s kingdom.
571 The king, the army, advisers, allies, the treasury, forts and the geographical expanse of the kingdom.
572 These are the six that arise from anger.
573 Newly acquired kingdoms. The succeeding shlokas are difficult to understand. We have interpreted them as learning about these practices in newly acquired kingdoms.
574 These numbers are about complicated relationships between kings. At the central core is a king, his main ally and the ally’s ally. The core king has an adversary, an enemy, a neutral and a king whose kingdom is geographically contiguous to the core king and the enemy, but is not necessarily a neutral. 3 multiplied by 4 gives the number of 12. Each kingdom has six elements—the king, the advisers, the countryside, the fortified city, the treasury and the army. 12 multiplied by 6 gives 72.
575 Dharma, artha and kama.
576 As a river, or as the goddess of speech.
577 The policy of chastisement.
578 The king, the advisers, the countryside, the fortified city, the treasury and the army.
579 Associated with the four Vedas.
580 Probably the Vedangas.
581 The human span of life decreases progressively from satya yuga to kali yuga. Hence, people wouldn’t have the time to read long texts.
582 Prepared by the one with large eyes, Vishalaksha or Shiva.
583 The word used is tata.
584 Named after Brihaspati.
585 Shukracharya.
586 The five elements. He too was interested in renunciation.
587 The policy of chastisement.
588 Death.
589 Because a king was needed.
/> 590 Nishida is an instruction to be seated.
591 That is, the son of Vena. Also known as Prithu.
592 Literally, the reckoner of the year, samvatsara. The word can also be translated as astrologer.
593 Vainya was the eighth because he followed Vishnu, Virajas, Kirtiman, Kardama, Ananga, Atibala and Vena.
594 Respectively, suta and magadha.
595 Vainya.
596 Literally, the one whose mount is a man, a name for Kubera.
597 The word for grain is shasya and it is difficult to pin down the number seventeen. Five types are more common—paddy (dhanya), beans (mudga), sesamum (tila), barley (yava) and black gram (masha).
598 The word for king is raja. Ranjita means pleased or delighted. Since he delighted the subjects, he came to be known as raja, from the root ranj. The word for king is actually rajan and raja is the nominative, in the singular.
599 With a play on the words kshata (wound/injury) and save (trana).
600 Prathita means extended or famous. The name prithivi for earth is being linked with that word.
601 Kings are like human gods and Vainya was a king among them.
602 Prosperity personified.
603 The word used is tata.
Chapter 1388(60)
604 The officiating priest is for a specific purpose like a sacrifice, while the priest is more like a permanent appointee.
605 In general, a maitra is a benevolent and affectionate person who is friendly towards all beings. However, more specifically, a maitra is also a brahmana who has attained the highest level of human perfection.
606 Similar to Indra.
607 The vaishyas’.
608 The vaishya thus takes care of animals, but only ‘owns’ designated shares. When a cow is dead, the shares presumably refer to trade in the dead bodies.
609 This follows the earlier shloka, so it is not clear whether one means one-seventh or one-sixteenth. It could be either, but one-seventh seems more likely.
610 The shudra. That is, the shudra is allowed to accumulate riches under some conditions, such as spending those riches on pursuits of dharma.
Mahabharata: Volume 8 Page 76