utas, i.e.,
deliberate obscurities for puzzling Ganesa, who acted as the scribe, for
enabling Vyasa to gain time for compositions. In verse 4 'Pitus' means
uncle's and not father's; so also 'durga decam' in verse 6 means
entanglements, like Duryodhana's hostility with the Gandharvas on the
occasion of the tale of cattle. In verse 7 of the Bengal reading is
Yudhishthiram bhaktya. The Bombay reading which I adopt, is Yudhishthire
bhaktas. In 8, the purushadhamas are Sakuni and Karna. &c.

350. As both operations are useless, so are these thy regrets.

351. The sense is that Arjuna representing one force, and Bhishma
another, the two forces seemed to mingle, into one another, like one bolt
of heaven against another, as one may say.

352. Aplavas and Alpave are both correct.

353. In the first line of the 14th verse Aviseshana seems to be
incorrect. The Bombay text reads Avaseshena which I adopt.

354. The correct reading is Vishnu, and not Jishnu as in many of the
Bengal texts.

355. Indrayudha is Indra's bow or the rainbow. Akasaga (literally a
ranger of the skies) is a bird. The vapoury edifices and forms,
constantly melting away and reappearing in new shapes, are called
Gandharvanagar as (lit. towns of the Gandharvas or celestial choiristers).

356. The Bengal reading is Savayambhuriva bhanuna which I have adopted.
The Bombay reading is Merurivabhanuna, which means "like the mountain
Meru with Sun." It is difficult to make a choice between the two.

357. The Bombay text differs in many respects from the Bengal texts as
regards the positions assigned to the several warriors and races in the
Pandava host. It is impossible to settle the true readings. I have,
therefore, without any attempt at correction, followed the Bengal text.

358. The last word of the 28th verse is 'Ratheshu cha', and not 'Dhajeshu
cha' for umbrellas could not possibly be fastened to standards.

359. This identical verse occurs in the first chapter of the Bhagavad
Gita (vide, Verse 10, Chap. 25, of this Parvan, ante). There following
the commentators, particularly Sreedhara, I have rendered Aparyaptam and
Paryaptam as less than sufficient and sufficient. It would seem, however,
that that is erroneous.

360. For these names, vide note in page ante, Bhishma Parva.

361. The 26th verse in the Bengal texts consists of three lines. In the
Bombay texts, the half-sloka about Artayani does not occur.

362. In the first line of the 5th verse, the