The Mahabharata, Volume 3: Book 4: The Book of the Virata; Book 5: The Book of the Effort 9780226223711

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The Mahabharata Book 4

The Book of Viriita

Book 5

The Book of the Effort

London

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The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 1978 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 1978 Printed in the United States of America

01 00 99 98 97 96

1098765

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Mahabharata. English. The Mahabharata. Includes bibliographical references. CONTENTS: v. I. The book of the beginning. v. 2. The book of the assembly hall. The book ofthe forest. v. 3. The book of Virata. The book of the effort. 1. Buitenen, Johannes Adrianus Bernardus van, tr. PK3633.A2B8 294.5'923 72-97802 ISBN 0-226-84648-2 (v. I, cloth); 0-226-84663-6 (v. 1, paper) 0-226-84649-0 (v. 2, cloth); 0-226-84664-4 (v. 2, paper) 0-226-84650-4 (v. 3, cloth); 0-226-84665-2 (v. 3, paper)

The relief sculpture on the title page, dating from the second half of the fifth century A.D., depicts Nara and Narayaqa in Vi~1).u temple, Deogarh, U.P., India. Photo by courtesy of Pramod Chandra.

The publication of this work has been assisted by a subvention from the Institute of Traditional Science, Haven

o'More,

Director.

Contents

Preface

ix

THE MAHABHARATA Translated Book 4. The Book of Virata Introduction Contents Summaries and Translation

3 23 25

Book 5. The Book of the Effort Introduction Contents Summaries and Translation

133 185 187

Notes to the Text

533

Concordance of Critical Edition and Bombay Edition: Books 4 and 5

557

Index

559

vii

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5

Preface

The present volume carries the translation of the Mahiibhiirata well beyond the first third of the text but not yet up to the mid-way point; that happy marker will be reached somewhere in the middle of the Dror,zaparvan in the next volume. At this point it is becoming possible to be more specific about the contents of future volumes. Volume IV will comprise MBh. 6 and 7, the books of BhI!jma and Dror,za; Volume V MBh. 8-11, the books of Ka rr,za , Salya, the Night Attack, and the Women; Volume VI MBh. 12, the book of the Peace; Volume VII MBh. l3-18, the books of Instructions, the Horse Sacrifice, the Hermitage, the Clubs, the Great Journey, and the Ascent to Heaven. The sizes of the Volumes will vary, the most massive being Volume VI, if indeed it is decided to incorporate the entire Siintiparvan within a single volume. It is more difficult to be precise about dates of publication. It is clear that the pace of publishing three volumes within a period of six years cannot be kept up. Moreover, this pace is only apparent, since the work for Volume I, which saw the light of day in 1973, was started in late 1967, and the three volumes that have appeared so far represent the labor of nine years. I doubt whether it will be feasible to publish Volume IV before 1980. But by that time most of the work on Volume VI will have been done so that both Volume V and Volume VI can be expected by 1983, and Volume VII within a reasonable time thereafter. Even then, more will need to be done. While I hope that work can be started sooner, if scholarly and financial support is forthcoming, there will remain the chores of indexing, thematic bibliographies, addenda et corrigenda, and other residual matters, which so far I have deliberately left for a later volume when the principal task, that of the translation itself, will have been completed. ix

x

The Mahabharata

While I am filled with hope that a great deal of the burden of such a volume will be lightened by the assistance of co-workers, I shall reserve for myself the more congenial obligation to sum up, in a concluding essay, what I have over the years been able to learn from the Mahiibhiirata about its being and its purposes. I have already learned from the Mahiibhiirata to cultivate the patience not to hurry that day. Once more I have the pleasant duty to speak of my gratitude to my colleagues, students, reviewers, and publisher. While this enterprise, by the very nature of its complexity and time span, cannot really be shared, as a favorite book can be shared between people who have read it time and again, the interest- of others in this venture of many years has been most encouraging to me. And I see the first signs of what is the ultimate satisfaction of the scholar: that his work is being used by others for purposes of study that lay beyond his scope, and indeed his competence. Finally let me say a word of special thanks to Haven O'More, who has subsidized the publication. His kind of support is perhaps the purest form of philanthropy. His financial contributions do not in any material way benefit either me, or the University of Chicago Press, or himself. Only the reader profits from them, and that unwittingly, by the lower price of the book that he purchases. Thus, in a very immediate sense, Mr. O'More's support has not only helped the publication of the Mahiibhiirata but substantially increased its distribution. Chicago, February 1977

J. A. B. van B.

Introduction

The Paq