31. The meaning entirely depends upon the word Swabhavam, manifestation of self. In the second line, if Vrittam be read for Bhutam the sense would remain unaltered.
32. The three kinds of angas referred to, as explained by Nilakantha are (1) the strength that depends on the master, (2) that depending on good counsels, and (3) that depending on the perseverance and the courage of the men themselves.
33. Literally, “crushed with the rod of chastisement.”
34. Censure is the only punishment for a Brahmana offender. A Kshatriya may be punished by taking away all property, but care should be taken to give him food sufficient for maintaining life. A Vaisya should be punished by forfeiture of possessions. There is practically no punishment for a Sudra, for being unable to possess wealth, dispossession of wealth cannot be a punishment in his case; again, service being his duty, the imposition of labour on him cannot be a punishment. For all that, hard work may be imposed upon him.
35. A fisherman who would not slay fish would go without food.
36. The sense is that if in supporting life one kills these creatures, he does not in any way commits sin.
37. Bhoga is explained by Nilakantha as Palanaya (maryyadaya).
38. The meaning seems to be that the milch cow suffers herself to be milked, only through fear of chastisement, and maidens also marry, without practising free love, through fear of chastisement by the king, society, or Yama in the next world.
39. If this does not come up to the grossness of the doctrine–spare the rod and ruin the child,–it at least is plain that the fear of being regarded a dunce and a fool and incurring the ridicule or displeasure of the tutor and class-mates, induces one to acquire knowledge.
40. The illustration used by the commentator is that it is better to kill the tiger that has invaded the fold that remain quiet for fear of injuring that beast of prey and commit sin. For that slaughter there is merit, for if not slaughtered, the beast will slaughter the kine before the spectator’s eyes and the latter would incur sin by passively witnessing the sight. At any rate, to be more general, it is better to injure, says Arjuna, from righteous motives than not to injure from fear of sin.
41. Otherwise named phlegm, bile and wind.
42. The sense is that thou wert ever superior to joy and grief and never sufferedst thyself, to be elated with joy or depressed with grief.
43. The argument seems to be this: if it is thy nature to call back thy woes even when happiness is before thee, why dost thou not then recollect the insult to your wife? The recollection of this insult will fill thee with wrath and convince thee that in slaying thy foes,–those insulters of thy wife–thou hast acted very properly.
44. The meaning is that in consequence of thy abandonment of prosperity and kingdom and, therefore, of the means of effecting thy salvation by sacrifice and gifts and other act, of piety, thou shalt have to he re-born and to renew this mental battle with thy doubts.
45. This is a difficult verse, and I am not sure that I have understood it correctly. Gantavyam is explained by Nilakantha as connected with paramavyaktarupasya. According to Nilakantha, this means that thou shouldst go to, i.e. conquer, and identify thyself with, the param or foe of that which is of unmanifest form, the mind; of course, this would mean that Yudhishthira should identify himself with his own soul, for it is the soul which is his foe and with which he is battling. Such conquest and identification implies the cessation of the battle and, hence, the attainment of tranquillity.
46. The condition of Draupadi’s lock,–i.e., thou hast been restored to the normal condition. Draupadi had kept her locks dishevelled since the day they had been seized by Duhsasana. After the slaughter of the Kurus, those locks were bound up as before, or restored to their normal condition.
47. The Bengal tiger acts as a fisher to both animals and men. When the tiger goes on a fishing expedition, what it usually does is to catch large fishes from shallow streams and throw them landwards far from the water’s edge. The poor beast is very often followed, unperceived, by the smaller carnivorous animals, and sometimes by bands of fishermen. I have seen large fishes with the claw-marks of the tiger on them exposed for sale in a village market.
48. The sense seems to be that unless kings perform such penances they cannot escape hell. Such penances, however, are impossible for them as long as they are in the midst of luxuries. To accept wealth and not use it, therefore, is impracticable.
49. i.e., Thou art not liberated from desire.
50. The false speech, in this instance, consists in professing one’s self to be really unattached white enjoying wealth and power, i.e., the hypocritical profession of renunciation in the midst of luxuries. As already said by Yudhishthira, such renunciation is impracticable.
51. The path of the Pitris means the course of Vedic rites by which one attains to bliss hereafter. The path of the gods means the abandonment of religious rites for contemplation and pious conduct.
52. This truth has been expressed in various forms of language in various passages of the Mahabharata. The fact is, the unification of infinite variety and its identification with the Supreme Soul is attainment of Brahma. One, therefore, that has attained to Brahma ceases to regard himself as separate from the rest of the universe. Selfishness, the root of sin and injury, disappears from him.
53. i.e., Sacrifice.
54. Literally, ‘thy resolution is of one kind, while thy acts are of another kind!’
55. Paratantreshu is explained by Nilakantha as “dependent on destiny.” If this means the fate that connects one’s present life with the acts of a former one, the explanation is not incorrect. The more obvious meaning, however, is “dependent on action.”
56. A wedded wife is the companion of one’s religious acts.
57. Thou shouldst not, therefore, abandon action.
58. The meaning seems to be this: if a person can truly act up to his resolution of complete renunciation of everything, then that person stands alone in the midst of the world, and he is nobody’s, and nobody is his. Hence, he can neither be pleased nor displeased with any one. King Janaka’s abandonment, therefore, of wife and kingdom, is inconsistent with that Perfect renunciation or withdrawal of self within self. He might continue to enjoy his possessions without being at all attached to or affected by them.
59. Such libations, to be efficacious, ought to be poured upon fires properly kindled with mantras.
60. Therefore, Janaka should resume his kingdom and practise charity; otherwise, religious mendicants would be undone.
61. Such an man might rule even a kingdom without forfeiting his title to be regarded a mendicant, for he might rule without attachment.
62. Refers to the well-known definition of the soul or mind in the Nyaya philosophy, which says that it is distinguished by the attributes of desire, aversion, will, pleasure and pain, and the cognitive faculties.
