56. Vedamayi nou. Lit, a boat made of the Vedas.
57. Vishada is the original. It means discontent, but here it means more a mixture of discontent, perplexity and confusion than mere discontent.
58. A form of Hindu etiquette at parting.
59. It is so very difficult to translate the word Karma,–religion and morals were invariably associated with each other in ancient Hindu mind.
60. Agni or fire was supposed to convey the oblations offered by men to the gods.
61. Kumara means a boy, hence a prince. Here Kartika the war-god is meant.
62. By carrying their oblations to the gods.
63. Portions of the Vedas.
64. Raga means love.
65. Kama is the name of the god of love, Indian Cupid.
66. The body, the exciting Cause of our actions is an uktha, the soul of the vivifier of the body is the second uktha, and the Supreme Spirit, the inciter of the soul is the third.
67. The word of God.
68. In Hindu Mythology there are no gods who destroy sacrifices. It is only the Asuras who do so. The Burdwan translator renders this passage,–“fifteen other gods belonging to western nations or Asuras.” It is noticeable that the beings that were denounced as Asuras by the Hindus were worshipped as Gods (Asuras) by the followers of Zarathustra.
69. In connection with the names of these Mitra-gods, it is to be remembered that Mitra was the name of the principal god of the ancient Persians.
70. Avala is a common name of women. It means one who has no vala or strength or power. The word is also used as an adjective.
71. According to the Hindus, the sun rises from and sets behind two hills respectively. He rises from the Udaya or Sun-rise hill and sets behind the Asta or sun-set hill.
72. Raudra–belonging to Rudra, the god of fury, violence, war, &c.
73. Devasena literally means the celestial army. This fable seems to be an allegorical representation of the attempts made by Indra to procure a leader for the celestial host.
74. Anger personified is a deity.
75. Another name of gods, so named from their having only three stages of life–viz., infancy, childhood, and youth–and being exempt from the fourth–old age.
76. i.e., good and evil spirits.
77. One of the ensigns of royalty in Hindustan.
78. Brahma.
79. Devasenapati is the original. It may mean either the pati (leader) of the sena (forces) of devas or the pati (husband) of Devasena.
80. A kind of missile.
81. Another kind of weapon.
82. The word in the text is “Agrahara,” which, as Nilakantha explains, means here, “That which is first taken from a heap after the dedication of a portion to the “Viswadevas.” What Draupadi means to say is, that she always took care to feed those Brahmanas with food “first” taken from the stores, without, in fact, having taken anything there from the use of anybody else.
83. Lit, Soldiers that have sworn to conquer or die. A full Akshauhini of these soldiers was owned by Krishna, who gave them to Duryodhana to fight for him. The story of Krishna’s offering to Duryodhana the choice between these soldiers on the one side, and himself sworn not to fight but only to aid with his counsels on the other, is given in full in the Udyoga Parva. Duryodhana, from folly, accepted the former, who were all slain by Arjuna.
84. The vow of the Asuras was (according to the Burdwan Pundits) never to drink wine. It is more rational to suppose that Karna swears to give up the refined manners and practices of the Aryas and adopt those of the Asuras till the consummation of the cherished desire.
85. A very small measure.
