n. The
Burdwan Pundits take it as referring to "weapons" instead of "hearers."
The passage, however, may mean that the bird screams so frightfully as if
it vomits blood. The only thing that militates against this
interpretation is that cchardayan is a causal verb. In the Mahabharata,
however, causal forms are frequently used without causal meaning.

17. This sloka is omitted in many editions, though it is certainly
genuine. I have rendered it very freely, as otherwise it would be
unintelligible. The fact is, three lunations twice meeting together in
course of the same lunar fortnight is very rare. The lunar-fortnight
(Paksha) being then reduced by two days, the day of full-moon or that of
new moon, instead of being (as usual) the fifteenth day from the first
lunation becomes the thirteenth day. Lunar-eclipses always occur on days
of the full-moon, while solar-eclipses on those of the new moon. Such
eclipses, therefore, occurring on days removed from the days of the first
lunation by thirteen instead of (as usual) fifteen days, are very
extraordinary occurrences.

18. Vishamam is battle or war, and akranda is weeping or productive of
grief. The latter word may also mean a fierce battle. If understood in
this sense, Vishamam may be taken as indicating hostility, or absence of
peace.

19. Nilakantha explains this in a long note the substance of which is
appended below. Kings are divided into three classes, viz., owners of
elephants (Gajapati), owners of horses (Aswapati), and owners of men
(Narapati). If an evil-omened planet (papa-graha) sheds its influence
upon any of the nine constellations beginning with Aswini, it forebodes
danger to Aswapatis; if on any of the nine beginning with Magha, it
forebodes danger to Gajapatis; and if on any of the nine beginning with
Mula, it forebodes danger to Narapatis. What Vyasa says here, therefore,
is that one or another papa-graha has shed its influence upon one another
of each of the three classes of constellations, thus foreboding danger to
all classes of kings.

20. Vide note ante.

21. Aparvani, i.e., not on Parva days or days of full-moon and new-moon
as ordinarily coming. The Bombay edition, after aparvani, reads grahenau
tau. A better reading unquestionably grastavetau, as many Bengal texts
have.

22. Pratisrotas; strict grammar would require pratisrotasas; the meaning
is that those that flowed east to west now flow west to east, &c. For
kurddanti some texts have nard