The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (4 vols., libros 1–18) · 2 · 80

125 (return) [ Twilight is herself the goddess who is supposed to be adored by certain prayers and on the occasion.]

126 (return) [ These slaps mark the cadences.]

127 (return) [ Literally, ‘in crossing.‘]

128 (return) [ The Bengal reading Satyavrataiv in the first line of 9 is vicious. I adopt the Bombay reading Satyaratas, qualifying tara. To suppose that Krishna paid such a complement to the Kauravas as is implied by the Bengal reading is an absurdity.]

129 (return) [ i.e. added his voice to that of Jayadratha, requesting Drona to protect the latter.]

130 (return) [ A kind of car or vehicle.]

131 (return) [ Nilakantha supposes that tasmai here refers to the Three-eyed and not to Krishna. This seems to be right.]

132 (return) [ The second note of the Hindu gamut.]

133 (return) [ Vasavamiva is a mistake for Vasavasyeva.]

134 (return) [ Apavrittam is explained by Nilakantha as endangered or made doubtful. What Sanjaya says is that if it is not so, thou shalt then have to undergo the bitterness of ruling over the whole world bestowed upon thee by the Pandavas. Either the Pandavas will snatch away thy kingdom or make thee ruler of the whole after slaying thy sons. Either of these alternatives would be bitter to thee.]

135 (return) [ The original is pleonastic.]

136 (return) [ This verse obviously needs correction. Instead of “golden coats of mail,” I think some such correction is needed, viz. coats of mail, of black iron, decked with gold and dyed with blood, etc.]

137 (return) [ The original is pleonastic.]

138 (return) [ This Sloka occurs in all the texts. It would seem, therefore, that Sanjaya was not always a witness only of the battle for narrating what he saw to Dhritarashtra, but sometimes at least he took part in the battle.]

139 (return) [ The words tatsainyanyabhyapujayan seem to be unmeaning in this connection. The Bengali translators, unable to do anything with them, have left them out.]

140 (return) [ The celestial weapons were forces dependent on mantras. Ordinary shafts, inspired with these mantras, were converted into celestial weapons.]

141 (return) [ In other words. Arjuna’s car shot as quickly through the enemy as the arrows themselves sped from it.]

142 (return) [ The Bengal reading of the first line is vicious. The Bombay reading is Vamatkum Vipathum, Vanan. The first word means the froth in the mouth of the steeds.]

143 (return) [ i.e., his funeral obsequies. The vernacular translators do not see the intended joke.]

144 (return) [ I give the sense of this verse, without giving a closely literal version.]

145 (return) [ Avabhritha is the final bath undergone, on completion of as sacrifice by the person performing the sacrifice. The slaughter of Duryodhana would according to Krishna, be the avabhritha of the sacrifice of battle.]

146 (return) [ Praviddham means fallen down or loosened from its usual place. Thus Nilakantha.]

147 (return) [ Tripura means the three cities constructed by the Asura artificer Maya. The Asura, however, who owned those cities is also called Tripura. It was Mahadeva who destroyed the three cities with all their population vide the close of the Harivansa.]

148 (return) [ The true reading is alohita and not lohita. Arka here is crystal and not the sun. It was a silvern boar, which could not, evidently, be like the sun.]

149 (return) [ Owners of golden cars.]

150 (return) [ Nidas were niches or drivers boxes.]

151 (return) [ Many of the opening slokas of this section are nearly the same as those of section 76 of Bhishma Parva, vide ante. In a few instances I have adopted the readings of the Bombay edition.]

152 (return) [ I prefer the reading Samakulam to Jhashakulam.]

153 (return) [ i.e., using cars and elephants as weapons for destroying cars and elephants.]

154 (return) [ The fear behind them was from the Pandava army. The fear before them was from the car-warriors who had succeeded in penetrating the Kuru host.]