The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (4 vols., libros 1–18) · 2 · 55

340 (return) [ I adopt the Bombay reading of the 22nd verse.]

341 (return) [ ‘Swayam’ in some of the Bengal texts is a misprint for ‘Kshayam’.]

342 (return) [ Chakrapani is Vishnu armed with the discus.]

343 (return) [ For ‘Yuthan’ which gives no meaning, I read ‘Yodhas’. The Bengal reading ‘muktvagnimiva daruna’ is better than the Bombay reading ‘muktam ripumishu darunam.’

344 (return) [ The Bombay reading ‘jivitam dustyajam’ is better than the Bengal reading ‘jivam taduttham’, if it has any meaning.]

345 (return) [ In the first line of 71st verse, the word is not ‘Laghu’ but ‘alaghu’, the initial ‘a’ being only silent according to the rule of Sandhi. Though omitted in the Bengal texts, it occurs in the Bombay edition.]

346 (return) [ ‘Ghoram’, ‘ugram’, ‘mahabhayam’, are pleonastic.]

347 (return) [ In the first line of 87 for Maheswara (meaning Siva) the Bombay text reads Dhaneswara (meaning Kuvera, the lord of treasures). For also ‘Bhimainipatitiya’ in the second line the Bombay text reads ‘Bhishma inipainya’.]

348 (return) [ The transgression of which Dhritarashtra alludes is the slaughter by Bhishma from his car, of Sweta who was then a combatant on foot. Or, it may be the very slaughter of Sweta, who was dear to the Pandavas and which act would, the king thought, provoke them more.]

349 (return) [ Verses 4 to 7 are exceedingly difficult. I am not sure that I have understood them correctly. They are of the nature of Vyasakutas, i.e., deliberate obscurities for puzzling Ganesa, who acted as the scribe, for enabling Vyasa to gain time for compositions. In verse 4 ‘Pitus’ means uncle’s and not father’s; so also ‘durga decam’ in verse 6 means entanglements, like Duryodhana’s hostility with the Gandharvas on the occasion of the tale of cattle. In verse 7 of the Bengal reading is Yudhishthiram bhaktya. The Bombay reading which I adopt, is Yudhishthire bhaktas. In 8, the purushadhamas are Sakuni and Karna. &c.]

350 (return) [ As both operations are useless, so are these thy regrets.]

351 (return) [ The sense is that Arjuna representing one force, and Bhishma another, the two forces seemed to mingle, into one another, like one bolt of heaven against another, as one may say.]

352 (return) [ Aplavas and Alpave are both correct.]

353 (return) [ In the first line of the 14th verse Aviseshana seems to be incorrect. The Bombay text reads Avaseshena which I adopt.]

354 (return) [ The correct reading is Vishnu, and not Jishnu as in many of the Bengal texts.]

355 (return) [ Indrayudha is Indra’s bow or the rainbow. Akasaga (literally a ranger of the skies) is a bird. The vapoury edifices and forms, constantly melting away and reappearing in new shapes, are called Gandharvanagar as (lit. towns of the Gandharvas or celestial choiristers).]

356 (return) [ The Bengal reading is Savayambhuriva bhanuna which I have adopted. The Bombay reading is Merurivabhanuna, which means “like the mountain Meru with Sun.” It is difficult to make a choice between the two.]

357 (return) [ The Bombay text differs in many respects from the Bengal texts as regards the positions assigned to the several warriors and races in the Pandava host. It is impossible to settle the true readings. I have, therefore, without any attempt at correction, followed the Bengal text.]

358 (return) [ The last word of the 28th verse is ‘Ratheshu cha’, and not ‘Dhajeshu cha’ for umbrellas could not possibly be fastened to standards.]

359 (return) [ This identical verse occurs in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita (vide, Verse 10, Chap. 25, of this Parvan, ante). There following the commentators, particularly Sreedhara, I have rendered Aparyaptam and Paryaptam as less than sufficient and sufficient. It would seem, however, that that is erroneous.]

360 (return) [ For these names, vide note in page ante, Bhishma Parva.]

361 (return) [ The 26th verse in the Bengal texts consists of three lines. In the Bombay texts, the half-sloka about Artayani does not occur.]

362 (return) [ In the first line of the 5th verse, the true reading is avidhata and not amarshanam.]

363 (return) [ In the first line of 29, the correct reading is Prishna and not Pritana.]

364 (return) [ ‘Samuchchhritam’ or ‘Samutthitam,’ meaning risen, is scarcely a happy adjective here.]

365 (return) [ ‘Parshni’ is the wing or side of a car-warrior. The last word of this verse is not ‘Satpurushochitam’ but ‘Satparushairvritam’.]

366 (return) [ ‘Kovdara’ is the species of ebony called Bauhinia Variegata.]

367 (return) [ The Bombay reading ‘Vegavattaram’ is better. Literally, it means, ‘capable of imparting a greater impetus.’ To avoid such periphrasis I render it ‘tougher’.]

368 (return) [ The sense is that all these were entirely shrouded by Arjuna’s arrows.]

369 (return) [ The true reading is Charmanam and not Varmanam: also bhumipa and bhutale.]