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...

Section LXXXI

Sanjaya said,

"Then those heroes, O king, who cherished feelings of hostility towards one another, retired to their tents, their persons covered with blood. Having rested for a while agreeably to rule, and praising one another (for the feats of the day), they were again seen clad in mail, desirous of battle.

Then your son, O king, overwhelmed with anxiety and covered with blood trickling down (from his wounds), asked the grandsire, saying.[1]

'Our troops are fierce and terrible and carry innumerable standards. They are, again, arrayed properly. Yet the brave and mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas, having penetrated (into our array) and afflicted and slaughtered (our troops), escaped unhurt.[2] Confounding us all, they have won great fame in battle. Bhima again, having penetrated into our Makara array which was strong as the thunder-bolt, afflicted me with his terrible shafts each resembling the rod of Death. Beholding him excited with wrath, O king, I was deprived of my senses. Even now I cannot regain my peace of mind. Through your grace, O you that art firm in truth, I desire to obtain victory and slay the sons of Pandu.'

Thus addressed by him, the high-souled son of Ganga, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, endued with great mental energy, understanding that Duryodhana was possessed by grief replied unto him, laughing the while though cheerless, saying,[3]

'Penetrating into (their) army with the utmost exertions and with my whole soul, O prince, I wish to give you victory and joy. For your sake I do not at all dissemble. They that have become the allies of the Pandavas in this battle are fierce and numerous. Mighty car-warriors of great renown, they are exceedingly brave and accomplished in arms. Incapable of being fatigued, they vomit forth their wrath. Cherishing feelings of animosity towards you, and swelling with prowess, they are not capable of being defeated easily. I will, however, O king, contend against those heroes with my whole soul and throwing away my very life.

For your sake, in battle, O you of great glory, my life itself shall today be recklessly exposed. For your sake I would consume all the worlds with the celestials and the Daityas, let alone your foes here. I will, O king, fight with those Pandavas, and do all that is agreeable to you. Hearing these words, Duryodhana became inspired with great confidence and his heart was filled with delight. And cheerfully he ordered all the troops, and all the kings, (in his army) saying, Advance. And at that command, O king, his army consisting of cars, steeds, foot-soldiers, and elephants, began to advance. And that large force. O king, armed with diverse kinds of weapons, was exceedingly cheerful.

And that army of thine, O monarch, consisting of elephants, steeds, and foot-soldiers, on the field of battle, looked exceedingly beautiful. And huge tuskers, stationed in large bodies, and skilfully urged, looked resplendent on the field all around. And many royal combatants accomplished in diverse weapons were seen in the midst of your troops. And the dust, red as the morning sun, raised by those cars and foot-soldiers and elephants and steeds in large bodies as they were duly moved over the field, looked beautiful, shrouding the rays of the sun. And the many-coloured banners stationed on cars and elephants, waving in the air and moving along the welkin, looked beautiful like flashes of lightning amid the clouds. And loud and fierce was the uproar made by the twang of the bows stretched by the kings, resembling the roar of the ocean while churned in the Krita age by the gods and the great Asuras. And that army of your sons, looking so proud, consisting of (combatants of) diverse hues and shapes, shouting so fiercely, and capable of slaying hostile warriors, then looked like those masses of clouds that appear at the end of the Yuga.[4]'"

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Bombay reading, which I adopt, is visravat in the beginning of the 2nd line. The Bengal reading is visramvat, meaning "from motives of affectionate enquiry". It may also mean "from confidence," though not in this connection.

[2]:

The last word of 4 is read differently in the Bengal texts viz., Rathanghas, instead of, as in the Bombay edition, Maharathas.

[3]:

Vimana the nominative singular of Vamanas refers to Gangasutas. The Burdwan Pundits wrongly translate it "with mind unmoved." I am not aware of any other reading.

[4]:

The last verse is read variously. But the Bombay and the Bengal texts have faults of their own. The first word is ugranadam (Bengal) and not ugranagam (Bombay). The Vahuvarnarupam (Bombay) is correct, and not Vahuvarnarutam (Bengal). The last word of the first line is Samudirnamevam (Bombay), and not Samudirnavarnam (Bengal).

Conclusion:

This concludes Section LXXXI 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 LXXXI of Book 6 of the Mahabharata?

The most relevant definitions are: Pandavas, Duryodhana, Sanjaya, Bhima, Makara, Pandu; since these occur the most in Book 6, Section LXXXI. There are a total of 11 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 14 times.

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

Section LXXXI 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 LXXXI as contained in Book 6?

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

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