Mahabharata (English)

by Kisari Mohan Ganguli | 2,566,952 words | ISBN-10: 8121505933

The English translation of the Mahabharata is a large text describing ancient India. It is authored by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa and contains the records of ancient humans. Also, it documents the fate of the Kauravas and the Pandavas family. Another part of the large contents, deal with many philosophical dialogues such as the goals of life. Book...

Sanjaya said,—

"Deserving as you are, this question is, indeed, worthy of you, O great king. It behoves you not, however, to impute this fault to Duryodhana. The man who incurs evil as the consequence of his own misconduct, should not attribute that misconduct to others. O great king, the man that does every kind of injury to other men, deserves to be slain by all men in consequence of those censurable deeds of his. The Pandavas unacquainted with the ways of wickedness had, for a long time, with their friends and counsellors, looking up to your face, borne the injuries (done to them) and forgiven them, dwelling in the woods.

"Of steeds and elephants and kings of immeasurable energy that which has been seen by the aid of Yoga-power, hear, O lord of earth, and do not set your heart on sorrow. All this was pre-destined, O king. Having bowed down to your father, that (wise and high-souled[1]) son of Parasara, through whose grace, (through whose boon bestowed on me,) I have obtained excellent and celestial apprehension, sight beyond the range of the visual sense, and hearing, O king, from great distance, knowledge of other people’s hearts and also of the past and the future, a knowledge also of the origin of all persons transgressing the ordinances,[2] the delightful power of coursing through the skies, and untouchableness by weapons in battles, listen to me in detail as I recite the romantic and highly wonderful battle that happened between the Bharatas, a battle that makes one’s hair stand on end.

"When the combatants were arrayed according to rule and when they were addrest for battle. Duryodhana, O king, said these words to Dussasana,—O Dussasana, let cars be speedily directed for the protection of Bhishma, and do you speedily urge all our divisions (to advance). That has now come to me of which I had been thinking for a series of years, viz., the meeting of the Pandavas and the Kurus at the head of their respective troops. I do not think that there is any act more important (for us) in this battle than the protecting of Bhishma. If protected he will slay the Pandavas, the Somakas, and the Srinjayas.

That warrior of pure soul said,—'I will not slay Sikhandin. It is heard that he was a female before. For this reason he should be renounced by me in battle. For this, Bhishma should be particularly protected. Let all my warriors take up their positions, resolved to slay Sikhandin. Let also all the troops from the east, the west, the south, and the north, accomplished in every kind of weapon, protect the grandsire. Even the lion of mighty strength, if left unprotected may be slain by the wolf. Let us not, therefore, cause Bhishma to be slain by Sikhandin like the lion slain by the jackal. Yudhamanyu protects the left wheel, and Uttamauja protects the right wheel of Phalguni. Protected by those two, Phalguni himself protects Sikhandin. O Dussasana, act in such a way that Sikhandin who is protected by Phalguni and whom Bhishma will renounce, may not slay Ganga’s son."

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The words "high-souled" and also "through whose boon bestowed of me occur in the 9th sloka following.

[2]:

Vyotthiopatti vijananam, Vyutthita is a very doubtful word.

Conclusion:

This concludes Section XV of Book 6 (Bhishma Parva) of the Mahabharata, of which an English translation is presented on this page. This book is famous as one of the Itihasa, similair in content to the eighteen Puranas. Book 6 is one of the eighteen books comprising roughly 100,000 Sanskrit metrical verses.

FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Which keywords occur in Section XV of Book 6 of the Mahabharata?

The most relevant definitions are: Bhishma, Sikhandin, Dussasana, Pandavas, Phalguni, Duryodhana; since these occur the most in Book 6, Section XV. There are a total of 16 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 31 times.

What is the name of the Parva containing Section XV of Book 6?

Section XV is part of the Bhagavat-Gita Parva which itself is a sub-section of Book 6 (Bhishma Parva). The Bhagavat-Gita Parva contains a total of 112 sections while Book 6 contains a total of 3 such Parvas.

Can I buy a print edition of Section XV as contained in Book 6?

Yes! The print edition of the Mahabharata contains the English translation of Section XV of Book 6 and can be bought on the main page. The author is Kisari Mohan Ganguli and the latest edition (including Section XV) is from 2012.

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