Day 8 : Mahabharat : translation of the Mahabharat (2013) theme song
Hai katha sangram ki
It is a tale of struggle
Sangram : It also means battle/war. It can be a fight between your emotions or a war with weapons on a field. So, ‘struggle’ summarises both the meanings.
Vishwa ke kalyan ki
For the world’s betterment
Kalyan : uplifting someone, giving a new purpose, fulfilling something/someone
Dharm-Adharm, anaadi-anant
Dharma and Adharma, No beginning or end,
Dharma : Duties, Ethics, Moral Law (‘A’ as a prefix means the opposite of the root word.)
The story of Mahabharat begins where you start to read it from. The events were always meant to happen and everything that happened led to it. Even after it ‘ended’, its effects still ripple through our society, and will continue to, for forever.
Satya-asatya, kalesh, kalank
Truth and lies, tragedy, disgrace
Kalesh : A deep state of melancholy as a response to some wrongdoing. A mix of depression and regret/anger.
Kalank : Dishonour, Disgrace, but in a more lifelong sense.
Swarth ki katha paramarth ki
It is a tale of selfishness and humanitarianism
Swarth : ‘Swa’ is a part of ‘swayam’, which means ‘one’s self’. ‘Arth’ means ‘meaning’. So ‘Swarth’ means ‘for one’s own means / only for one’s own benefit’.
Paramarth : ‘Param’ means ‘Above all, encompassing all, Of the highest order’. So ‘Paramarth’ means ‘for the benefit of all / for the greater good’.
Shakti hai bhakti hai
It is power and faith/worship
Janamo ki mukti hai
It is ‘mukti’ from rebirth
Mukti : literal translation is ‘freedom’. In this context it is freedom from the cycle of rebirth, to be free of all worldly desires, and to be reunited with the One for forever.
Jeevan ka ye sampoorna saar hai
It is core/essence of Life
This a reference to the book Geeta, the holy book in Hinduism. Krishna tells Arjun about everything there is to know about Dharma and Life on the battlefield before the war, and the collection of those verses is called Bhagwat Geeta.
Yug yug se kan kan mein
In every particle since Yugas/Ages
Yuga : A yuga is a measure of time. There are four Yugas ; Sat Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, Kali Yuga. All the yugas make a cycle of 43,20,000 years, at the end of which all creation is erased and the universe starts over from scratch. Mahabharat took place in Dwapar Yuga. It is Kali Yuga currently for us.
Shrushti ke darpan mein
In the mirror of the Universe
Vedo ki katha apar hai
This tale of the Vedas is ‘apar’
Vedas : The oldest religious texts from ancient India, written in Vedic Sanskrit.
Apar : Never surpassed. The most there can be.
Karmo ki gaatha hai
It is the story of actions
Karma : It what you do, what actions you commit. If Dharma is like the Legislation, Karma is the Executive.
Gaatha : a story told through songs or poems
Devo ki bhasha hai
It is the language of the Gods
Sadiyon ke itihas ka praman hai
It is evidence for centuries of history
Krishna ki mahima hai
It is Krishna’s mahima
Mahima : Glory, brilliance, praise, high regard
Geeta ki gareema hai
It is Geeta’s dignity
There are other meanings too , but Mahima and Gareema are near synonyms here
Grantho ka granth ye mahaan hai
It is the greatest epic among all epics
Granth : a very important piece of text, a huge piece of text
Mahabharat!
Maha : Great || Bharat : Ancient India.
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Bridging the gap for all our non-Hindi speakers. The soundtrack for that show is a bop and we need it reach as many people as possible. I tried my best to keep it accurate, but if there’s anything off, feel free to correct me.
(Part summary by me: Krishna turned into a scary giant, Karna respects women)
During that time, king Krishna with anger stood up and left the meeting hall. In the garden, he enlarged his body as he turned into a giant, Kalamretyu. He showed his real form, that he is actually the incarnation of the god Vishnu. With ease, he turned himself into a triwikrama and he had the body of three worlds.
He had four fingers and three heads, with three eyes. His body covered the great gods, and also the group of gods in the meeting place, the giants, the brave courts, the people of daitya, danawa, pisatya, and all the powerful humans.
King Krishna walked with big steps and roared like a lion. The earth quaked and everything moved up and down. The top of the hill vibrated which shows us clearly that the hills had been shaken. The water in the sea was dumped and turtles were thrown in a similar manner as a chakram.
The people of the 100 Kauravas were scared and their hearts became small. They were quiet and did not say a word; Karna paled while Duryodhana, Yuyutsu, and Wikarna fell unconscious. They really would turn into ash, if king Krishna really wanted to destroy them
At the same time, Drona, Bhisma, and also Narada who was the leader of the group of gods had gone towards Krishna, and they said worships and praises under the rain of flowers. They said: “… oh God Vishnu, please do not be angry. Please take pity and care for the peace of the world.
If Milord killed the stubborn king Duryodhana, then the wish of the famous Bhima would not be fulfilled. And Draupadi may not raise her hair if she does not bathe in the blood of the 100 Kauravas who will die in the battle.
Because of that, please appease your anger Milord”. That was the word of the leader of the group of gods and his highness Bhisma. Krishna felt pity towards them, and also felt joy because he was praised. In an instant, he transformed back into king Krishna’s previous form.
Because at that time the kauravas did not follow the recommendation of the group of gods, they stepped back to a far-away place. Krishna came back to Kunti’s cottage, the queen of king Pannddu. After he came, he hurriedly told the queen about the refusal from king Duryodhana, who only wanted war where he would die in the battle field.
And with great sadness, the queen said: “… Oh no, please pity and tell the people of Pandava that they have to fulfil their responsibility as a ksatria by putting their lives at stake. Whoever would die in the battle field, they will be sent to heaven.”
Such were the words of the queen to king Krishna. He respected her suggestions and then he with respect said his farewell to her. He hurriedly left to ride his shiny chariot while accompanied by Vidura, Sanjaya, and Yuyutsu.
Karna went along with Krishna and sat with him in the shiny chariot. He was constantly urged by Krishna to side with the Pandavas. However, Karna, the king of Awangga, did not change his mind, because he wanted to test his strength and greatness to defeat Arjuna.
Such were the words of the hard-headed king Karna. He answered that he only wanted to see them in the battle field. Quickly he said: “… we will start the war on the 5th day; tonight is coincidentally a new moon, and as such, if the war ends on the 15th day, the night after that will be completely dark”.
Such were the words of Karna that sounded very boisterous and loud. Along with Vidura, Sanjaya ,and Yuyutsu, king Karna asked to bid farewell with king Krishna. The story of how he went back to his home is not foretold in this story. King Krishna’s journey went faster after that.
The story of king Krishna’s journey is not foretold. The story of which Kunti, the daughter of the king of Kuntibhoja will instead be told in this story. She felt sad as she thought about his son, Karna who will be sent to war. When Krishna came to the queen, she asked Krishna about Karna’s well-being.
She wanted to meet with king Karna herself. She asked Karna to tell king Suyodhana that the war could be prevented. She then called king Karna “Konteya”, because in reality, Karna is the son of Kunti when she was still a virgin.
But king Karna respectively refused. He bid farewell and walked while constantly giving her the sign of respect (TL note: the literal translation for this is giving worship). Karna pleaded so that his journey to the battlefield would not be delayed. “I only seek to fulfill my responsibility as a Ksatria”, that is the word that he said with firm, because he had been blessed and gifted many things by the king of Kaurava.
And because of that, Kunti became sad. It was not foretold about the arrival of the highness minister Vidura. But it would be foretold about the journey of king Krishna, who left shortly accompanied by the famous Satyaki and as the hero of the Wreshnni family.
He left hurriedly; but it was not foretold how fast this journey is with his chariot. He arrived at Viratta and met with the king of Pandava who had gathered. At that time, Krishna told them about the refusal of the Kaurava King. The king wanted to measure their strengths through war.
All of the people of Pandavas, which was Bhima, Arjuna, the highness Nakula, and their little brother complained loudly with anger hearing the news. They also heard the message from Kunti who commanded them to make a name out of their prowess in the battle field.
With that, all of the kings who had allied with the king of Pandava were asked to leave the battlefield. It is not needed to tell the story of Dhrishtadyumna, the son of king Drupada and the sons of the king of Viratta who are all ready to go during the daybreak.
(Part summary by me: Duryodhana throws a tantrum lol)
After the kings came and sat near king Duryodhana, they, together with king Krishna as the honorable guest, met in the king’s meeting hall. He met with many different kings. Dhretarashttra was the head. Along with Bhisma and Drona, king Dhretarashttra sat on the best chair on the front, taller than the rest.
In that place, Krishna looked up to the sky and he saw a group of gods who gathered from the mystic world; they were incarnated gods. After Bhisma and Drona swapped seats, the two showed the seats to the group of gods. And king Duryodhana hurriedly honored them by worshipping them.
To summarize, the way they met and discussed was perfect. After king Krishna started to talk and paid attention to king Dhrestarashttra, he said this to king Duryodhana, and he told him firmly, that on behalf of the people in Pandava he asked for half of the kingdom of Hastina.
King Dhretarashttra quickly answered that he agreed with what king Krishna said, because this would gently tighten the relationship between the families. But king Duryodhana was quiet. He looked at Dussasana, Shakuni, and Karna and they all shook their heads and recommended him to refuse.
At that time, the group of gods, namely Ramaparashu, Kanwa, Narada and Janaka also agreed and honored what king Krishna had said, and they deemed it very good, so that the families and their descendants could live peacefully and loyal for any commands.
Even Drona, and especially Bhisma said that happiness will be reached if they would agree upon what the gods have said. Minister Vidura, and also the prestigious Sanjaya also agreed with them, and the queen of king Dhretarashttra commanded with tears so that they would also agree with this request.
About king Duryodhana, he did not agree upon this at all. Even the opposite, he replied rudely and impolitely, that he did not want to have this discussion. Because of that, he was suggested to leave the meeting hall inside the palace; with this, Duryodhana with short breath hurriedly resigned from the meeting.
The discussion was not done; the people of Kaurava negotiated to kill Krishna. Not long after that, a number of weapons, elephants, and horses were ready and were placed for war. “Look at the power of one person, siege him and flood him!” those were the words of Karna, Shakuni, and Dussasana; their commands were done.
This is why, king Duryodhana once was called upon by king Dhretarashttra. Of his father and mother of the queen he was calmed down, but with more people calming him down, he became angrier; he refused loudly what was said by his parents. He wasnted to siege and torture king Krishna.
During that time the famous Satyaki said to king Krishna, that king Duryodhana wanted to kill him. That is also the same for the soldiers of the Yadu family who were ready with their sharp weapons. They were waiting for the orders from king krishna; because of that they did not pay attention to the enemies’ activities.
(part summary by me: Finally, the endless descriptions of the garden ends, let’s move on with the plot now in the next chapter please)
The day had almost become morning. The red sun looks like the eyes of a person feeling heartbroken and looking tired. The sound of the engkuk birds on top of the kanigara tree is akin to the vibration of the song that was blown by people who just made love. The screams of the chicken on the fields sounds like the sound of torture. The peacock shouts, and the bees swarm into flowers in the beauty room inside the fragrant palace.
The smell of the djangga and menur flowers came from the garden house, smelling like a kumkuma (some sort of spices) that was fragrant. The garden house is always visited by smoke from the worshippers of the ganesha statue. The statue accepts the smells like the selasih flower, cendana bark, and rose water that is fragrant; the srigading flower in front unfurled like a carpet, and welcomed anyone who wanted to come and visit.
There were some servants who had unappealing faces, because the strong winds always hit their faces. Because of the presence of jealousy, it was stated that the opening of the angsana flowers in the garden was very beautiful! Because of their low temper, they wanted to see how to enter; in the road they had to enter quietly, they even had to walk as the fragrant smell of the flowers radiated. They did this to see them, to see the flowers quietly as a sign of love and then it was taken and placed on the hair bun.
As time went on, it was clearer that the jewel on top of the palace gates were sparkling. The trees stopped appearing like a shadow puppet by the women who were placing their hair buns underneath the dews (TL note: I have no idea what this means this shit is too damn poetic). It is then that the pine trees that were heard complaining at night had started to be seen. The sound of the waterfall could be heard clearer, as if they were in the middle of a meeting; such was what people would have thought.
The Meru hill was seen very clear (TL note: probably better to say that it sticked out like a sore thumb), as if they were meeting the skies. That was also the direction of the bright light that shines on the beauty of the hill, as if the hill wanted to see the boundaries of the sky. Why would the Meru hill have to submit to the sky while it had many jewels, gold, red stones, dukula, chako, and chawali (these are the names of gemstones).
The sun shined like the mouth of a person who was smiling to their lover so that the ornaments in the house were made even more beautiful like a fine gemstone. The curtains were made of glass, and it was said that the bees were stunned when they saw the shadow of the kemuning flower facing the other direction.
And there was also the rain that fell down trickling, along with the gentle wind and the fragrance that spread equally everywhere. The rainwater made the beautiful garden house wet, and thus the garden house looked even more beautiful and stunning. The beauty of the top of the sparkling garden house was an attraction for the thin clouds, as if they were the skin of the moon that were left when the night was gone.
It was not foretold about how it was at night; the day was starting to dawn. King Duryodhana who’s story would be told had just gone outside. He had cleaned his body and put on his clothes. He acted as usual. He commanded Vidura to call king Krishna, and also his highness Yuyutsu, Krpa, Shakuni, Karna and other kings that were his allies.
After the kings had hurriedly faced him, Krishna met with Vidura. They, with courtesy and politeness, greeted each other and said that king Krishna was asked to come to the meeting. Not long after that, they went to the meeting together. The journey was very beautiful as there were many guards. And there was also the melodic sound of the gamelan(musical instrument); because it was quite crowded, there were those with beautiful appearances who ran outside.
(Chapter summary by me: *sobbing* finally, after 5 pages of descriptive text we get to the actual plot)
After the kings came and sat near king Duryodhana, they, together with king Krishna as the honorable guest, met in the king’s meeting hall. He met with many different kings. Dhretarashttra was the head. Along with Bhisma and Drona, king Dhretarashttra sat on the best chair on the front, taller than the rest.
In that place, Krishna looked up to the sky and he saw a group of gods who gathered from the mystic world; they were incarnated gods. After Bhisma and Drona swapped seats, the two showed the seats to the group of gods. And king Duryodhana hurriedly honored them by worshipping them.
To summarize, the way they met and discussed was perfect. After king Krishna started to talk and paid attention to king Dhrestarashttra, he said this to king Duryodhana, and he told him firmly, that on behalf of the people in Pandava he asked for half of the kingdom of Hastina.
King Dhretarashttra quickly answered that he agreed with what king Krishna said, because this would gently tighten the relationship between the families. But king Duryodhana was quiet. He looked at Dussasana, Shakuni, and Karna and they all shook their heads and recommended him to refuse.
At that time, the group of gods, namely Ramaparashu, Kanwa, Narada and Janaka also agreed and honored what king Krishna had said, and they deemed it very good, so that the families and their descendants could live peacefully and loyal for any commands.
Even Drona, and especially Bhisma said that happiness will be reached if they would agree upon what the gods have said. Minister Vidura, and also the prestigious Sanjaya also agreed with them, and the queen of king Dhretarashttra commanded with tears so that they would also agree with this request.
About king Duryodhana, he did not agree upon this at all. Even the opposite, he replied rudely and impolitely, that he did not want to have this discussion. Because of that, he was suggested to leave the meeting hall inside the palace; with this, Duryodhana with short breath hurriedly resigned from the meeting.
The discussion was not done; the people of Kaurava negotiated to kill Krishna. Not long after that, a number of weapons, elephants, and horses were ready and were placed for war. “Look at the power of one person, siege him and flood him!” those were the words of Karna, Shakuni, and Dussasana; their commands were done.
This is why, king Duryodhana once was called upon by king Dhretarashttra. Of his father and mother of the queen he was calmed down, but with more people calming him down, he became angrier; he refused loudly what was said by his parents. He wasnted to siege and torture king Krishna.
During that time the famous Satyaki said to king Krishna, that king Duryodhana wanted to kill him. That is also the same for the soldiers of the Yadu family who were ready with their sharp weapons. They were waiting for the orders from king krishna; because of that they did not pay attention to the enemies’ activities.
The day had almost turned into morning. The red sun looks like the eyes of a person feeling heartbroken and looking tired. The sound of the engkuk birds on top of the kanigara tree is akin to the vibration of the song that was blown by people who just made love. The screams of the chicken on the fields sounds like the sound of torture. The peacock shouts, and the bees swarm into flowers in the beauty room inside the fragrant palace.
The smell of the djangga and menur flowers came from the garden house, smelling like a kumkuma (some sort of spices) that was fragrant. The garden house is always visited by smoke from the worshippers of the ganesha statue. The statue accepts the smells like the selasih flower, cendana bark, and rose water that is fragrant; the srigading flower in front unfurled like a carpet, and welcomed anyone who wanted to come and visit.
There were some servants who had unappealing faces, because the strong winds always hit their faces. Because of the presence of jealousy, it was stated that the opening of the angsana flowers in the garden was very beautiful! Because of their low temper, they wanted to see how to enter; in the road they had to enter quietly, they even had to walk as the fragrant smell of the flowers radiated. They did this to see them, to see the flowers quietly as a sign of love and then it was taken and placed on the hair bun.
As time went on, it was clearer that the jewel on top of the palace gates were sparkling. The trees stopped appearing like a shadow puppet by the women who were placing their hair buns underneath the dews (TL note: I have no idea what this means this shit is too damn poetic). It is then that the pine trees that were heard complaining at night had started to be seen. The sound of the waterfall could be heard clearer, as if they were in the middle of a meeting; such was what people would have thought.
The Meru hill was seen very clear (TL note: probably better to say that it sticked out like a sore thumb), as if they were meeting the skies. That was also the direction of the bright light that shines on the beauty of the hill, as if the hill wanted to see the boundaries of the sky. Why would the Meru hill have to submit to the sky while it had many jewels, gold, red stones, dukula, chako, and chawali (these are the names of gemstones).
The sun shined like the mouth of a person who was smiling to their lover so that the ornaments in the house were made even more beautiful like a fine gemstone. The curtains were made of glass, and it was said that the bees were stunned when they saw the shadow of the kemuning flower facing the other direction.
And there was also the rain that fell down trickling, along with the gentle wind and the fragrance that spread equally everywhere. The rainwater made the beautiful garden house wet, and thus the garden house looked even more beautiful and stunning. The beauty of the top of the sparkling garden house was an attraction for the thin clouds, as if they were the skin of the moon that were left when the night was gone.
It was not foretold about how it was at night; the day was starting to dawn. King Duryodhana who’s story would be told had just gone outside. He had cleaned his body and put on his clothes. He acted as usual. He commanded Vidura to call king Krishna, and also his highness Yuyutsu, Krpa, Shakuni, Karna and other kings that were his allies.
After the kings had hurriedly faced him, Krishna met with Vidura. They, with courtesy and politeness, greeted each other and said that king Krishna was asked to come to the meeting. Not long after that, they went to the meeting together. The journey was very beautiful as there were many guards. And there was also the melodic sound of the gamelan(musical instrument); because it was quite crowded, there were those with beautiful appearances who ran outside.
The beauty of the moon is pristine, as it radiated light and decorated the inside of the queens’ palace. As time went on, there was nothing that could be compared to the beauty of the golden house that sparkles in the sky. And that was also the case with the jeweled curtains, that were sewn like the flowers inside the cloths. That is the place of the queen Bhanumati when she sleeps with king Suyodhana.
On the west side from this palace and close to the location, there is a garden that was decorated with the halls made of gold. The stones on the yard sparkes and looked clear, because they were mixed with pearls. The fences of the walls that surrounded it was made of the widuri stone, a blue jewel and red jewel that sparkles. The jewelries in the gates sparkled, while the statues shone as bright as suryakanta (sun stone).
In that place beautiful women were playing beneath the shine of the moon (sometimes) looking up to see its beauty. Such were the beauty of these women in that palace, as if they are the words in a beautiful poem. Everything that they do gave rise to the feeling of love and lust, because they were filled with beauty, as if they are the sweetness of a mangosteen that was scooped with a spoon made of pudak flower, and on top of it was written with songs.
The scenery was beautiful because of those who whispered while playing under the shine of the moon. One of the women was shot by cupid’s arrow (TL note: it actually says the arrow of romance) and it is said that she is trying to find the feeling of love. There is a slave woman who sneaked in because she was interested by this feeling of love and uttered the words that evoke love. She was pretending to whisper to constantly whisper the amorous screams of people.
There were also women who slept in rown and placed their thighs on top of each others’; they were playfully hugging each other. With that, they felt the fantasy from the women who felt the highest form of love. But they placed their thighs one on top of the other not just for that reason; no, they have other reasons as well. This is so that their fantasy (can become much closer to reality) while they are flirting while singing somber songs.
There are other women that were shot by the arrow of god Kama and they retreated to the Wungu tree. They closed their eyes, while another slave woman massaged their tired feet to give her pleasure. They can also be heard singing a letter of their lover that was filled with their love. And thus, their hearts were shattered like glass that fell on top of a rock.
It is not just one, the game that they were playing, for there are within them, those who were playing the musical instruments under the light of the moon. But the moon deliberately dimmed its light, as if an oil lamp extinguished by someone who had stolen their hearts. The darkness engulfed equally everywhere, so that the outside looked as dark as a room that is used for the highest form of love. Only the stars can be seen sparkling, as if they were the eyes of the people who felt pain from loving, and so it did not look pleasant to see.
During midnight, the place became quiet; beautiful was the sound of the songs from the priests; as if they are bees that followed the falling flower from the hair-bun of someone who just finished making love. Melodic was the sound of the bells that were chiming alongside with the constant victories, and that this was touching, as if it is a song that was chosen from a section to entertain a girl who bled (during her first sex) and hugged by her husband.
The night was late, as if it was the thought of somebody who decided to sever their love, not looking at their lover. The stars became a sign of time to those people who were stealing hearts were visible in appearance. The hammer being hit was the secret sign for those who were coming to pounce on their love, but did not want to leave. The sound of the rooster can be heard like the the passionate moans of a woman in love.
After goddess Kunti saw Krishna who had just arrived, it seemed that Kunti’s heart was opened, and she became weak; her joy had turned into melancholy. She spoke to king Krihsna as if the Pandavas themselves were the ones who came to her. As such, she approached him and hugged his neck gently.
Not too long after that, the goddess told him the story about the difficulty that she had encountered. She talked coarsely, as she had to stop her tears from flowing: “… my son (TL note: this is just an expression, not like she’s saying Krishna’s her actual son), you are like a medicine to me that can stop and alleviate my pain. I see it as if I am chattering with the people of Pandava and also my own children.”
Such were the words of goddess Kunti to Krishna while she cried. King Krishna who accepted the words then said: “… oh empress, do not fret. All that you wish, can be entrusted to me.” That was the word of king Krishna. After that, as requested by Vidura, the king left the cottage.
The details surrounding the situation of which Krishna was treated by Vidura was not told in the story. Vidura’s act was intriguing, because deep in his heart, he and Krishna are like-minded. It will be told later in the story that the king of Kaurava that was left by Krishna; he was desperate and shocked, because he felt that all his gifts to Krishna were not to his liking.
And because of that, he initiated a meeting with Dusasana and Shakuni, and also king Karna who slyly burned the heart of the Kaurava king, he says: “.. what is the reason that the king will be giving one half of your own country; it is obvious that king Krishna is siding with the people of Pandava.
And that is why he mocked the feast presented by your highness! Does the king need to accept this behavior? Does your highness need to conceal his hatred and his wish to fight? Who is the number one enemy of the king? It is clear that king Krishna is the enemy of the king.” Such were the words of Krna, and he then leaves with Dusasana and Shakuni.
After they left, they arrived at their own homes. King Kaurava, filled with turmoil in his heart, stayed with his queen. As such, the painting about the peak of beauty reached by the queen will be highlighted. It can be said that she is similar to the goddess Ratih in appearance, as she incarnated onto the earth, or she is similar to the goddess who ruled over the sea of honey.
The arrival of king Kaurava after he went to his queen was not told in the story, but the sadness in the heart of Suyodhana filled his heart with doubt. And then the sun set, which turned the day quiet. The sun’s rays were hot and now it is replaced by the cold air. The wind carried the smell of Angsana flowers.
Surya had started to disappear to the shining sea; when the sun saw the beauty within the queen’s palace, he fell in love. And because of that, he peeked up for a bit, and was touched as if he was forced to see again. For a moment, he sees the women of the palace humoring each other.
The birds were choosing the trees in the garden to sleep in, akin to someone with two wives that goes to one wife to the other to give her their love. The bees are busy buzzing gently in front of the hole to their nest. This can be visualized as a man in the middle of a flirtatious play, attempting to take off the cloth from a woman.
The flowers of depression radiated a fragrant smell and filled up the hair-buns, like the smell of the cream of a woman that attracts anybody approaching her. The heron bird made a sound when the sun rose, it was such a beautiful view to see. The sound of the word sounded like a girl crying “…mother”, during her first time sleeping with her husband.
It cannot be foretold, about the sun that sets in such a majestic way when the dusk has engulfed nature. In the sky, the stars are akin to golden flowers, as if the flowers had been worn by people who had just gotten married. The clouds in the sky are long and engulfed the sparkling sky, as if the world was in flames. This is akin to the viscous blood on the red cloth worn by women during their menstruation.
The moon that had fallen out had started to rise. Even though it is not bright yet; because it was only a half-moon, but it already looked beautiful, as the face of a girl peeking from the back of a half-open door. The fragrant gadung flower reminded us of the cloth that had been ripped by someone who wanted to open it. The menur flower pointed to the stars, as if they were washing their lover, so that they became holy.
The bells outside of the palace of the princesses sounded aloud, and surprised the people who heard it. The sound is similar to the sign of a person that had just been spying on a princess so that she can be taken away by him. The Churing (some sort of instrument that makes loud noises) chimed aloud; this indicated that there was a princess that was about to be wed to. The sound is akin to the chiming sound of a bracelet when a woman persisted from a man’s flirtatious actions.
Figure 4: A scene in wayang kulit that pictures Yudhistira and Suyodhana gambling. Because of his loss, Yudhisthira had to give his kingdom to Suyodhana.
(Summary by me: Duryodhana is salty becuse Krishna doesn’t want to eat his food)
The vibration of the souls from these people were never endingly burned upon seeing him. After king Krishna hurriedly arrived at the palace, he did not come to the Kaurava king, but he instead came to king Dhretarashttra.
In this place, he met with Dronna, Bhisma, Krepa, Shalya, and negotiated with Arya Vidura, king Dhretarashttra, and Karna. To king Krishna, the feast was presented, as with the other food as well. Gold, jewels that are fitting for his position as a king were also gifted to him.
Krishna was filled with the utmost joy in his heart when he saw the gifts from these noteworthy men, especially from Bhisma. After that, the king of Hastina with his feast arrived. But anything that he presented to Krihsna, Krishna replied with: “.. I don’t need it”.
Because of that, king Kaurava says this to Krishna: “Oh, king Krishna, milord has such improper behavior. Milord does not want to accept my feast. This refusal is cruel. This behaviour is not appropriate to be done by someone who the world has deemed to be good.”
Such are the words of the king of Hastina when he rebuked king Krishna. King Krishna quickly tells his reason as an envoy: “.. If the goal has not been reached (as an envoy), one cannot accept any kindness, because if the goal has not been reached, even though the person has accepted the kindness, such is akin to drinking poison.”
Such are the words of king Krishna and the group of gods disappeared. King Krishna walks to a cottage accompanied by the great minister Vidura. After he arrived, he washed the feet of empress Kunti. After he showed worship towards her, he conversed with her and showed courtesy to the goddess.
(Part summary by me: everyone’s going crazy over Krishna’s arrival, some snails died because they’re sad that Arjuna isn’t there with them)
Such is the beauty of the roads and the gathering places in the town of Hastina. Meanwhile, king Krishna has arrived in the fields of Kuru; he met with Parasurama, Kanwa, Janaka, along with Narada in that field and they help the work of the king (Krishna).
With hurry, king Krishna headed towards his chariot, while 7 high priests had taken the seat of king Krishna on the chariot. After he took worship of them, they replied back by uttering the songs from the Weda. The reason for these songs is to assure that the king can obtain happiness.
It is amazingly beautiful, when he, with full devotion, becomes the charioteer for these gods. As such he delivered upon the reason behind his departure to the kingdom of Hastina. However, he did not only talk about that, but also advanced topics. The words of the gods sound gentle along the trip, as if the words themselves were immortal.
When king Krishna went through the Kuru fields, at the same time Dhrestarashttra heard about the arrival of king Krishna. Because of that, he commanded his servants to decorate the roads of the king and spread beautiful cloths until the front of the meeting hall.
Through the recommendations of Bhisma it is stated that everyone has to act polite. Such is the rule of king Dhrestarashttra and this rule is obliged. However Shakuni, Karna, and Suyodhana (TL Note: Duryodhana’s Indonesian name) does not comply with such rule and ridiculed it, because they know that deep inside his heart, king Krishna is on the side of the people of Pandava.
During the time when all the different food in the whole palace that consists of six different flavors are served, during that time king Krishna arrived in front of the town of Hastina. Such beautiful sounds of gamelan were heard, with joy accompanying his arrival. Slowly his chariot was guided until the place of meeting.
All the people who wanted to see the arrival of king Krishna came in a hurry, as they did not want to miss seeing him. There are a few of them who fixed his ponytail (TL note: or man-bun) that became messy from the trip. There are also people who were in the middle of blackening their teeth, but because they have not finished and wanted to see king Krishna, their teeth were black and white.
And they who ran while holding their breasts in their two hands, showed an act as if presenting their breasts to king Krishna so that he can use them. There is a doll made of ivory that was held while they were running. After he arrived at the meeting place, the doll was made to confess that the king was the doll’s father.
There is also another that had decorated themself with paint on top of their decorative branch. The deed was done as if they were welcoming the arriving king and they who arranged flowers came with their unfinished works. It seemed that they came running hurriedly so that the king could see their flowers.
And that is why the women that had run hurriedly dragged their fallen clothes on the roads. This is because they were afraid to miss seeing the king; they hurriedly climbed up a ladder, and thus the ladder broke. As such, the drunken-man’s mouth was gaping open.
[Figure 3: King Krishna as the ambassador of the Pandava family heading towards Hastina, as according to Wayang stories. Behind him are the four gods: Nadara, Kanwa, Janaka, and Parasurama]
Hi there! I’m usually more active on twitter, but I can’t put my Bharata Yuddha translation there.
Anyways, Bharata Yuddha is the Javanese version from Mahabharata and I found a 1950′s Indonesian translation by Sutjipto W. There’s 58 pages to the book, and I’m planning to translate them to English one page a day.
I’ll also upload my art from twitter too every now and then. Most of those will be on FGO Arjuna.
how many rapes jokes does it take to be funny? he knows the answer is none. no one had to tell Amnon the sin in taking Tamar, nor was Duryodhana confused when he patted his thigh mocking Draupadi, nor Dusshasana dumb when attempting to disrobe her. yet you chant men need to understand, to read and watch our unending torment to understand evil.
There is a passage in the Bhagavad Gita that has Krishna tell all the efforts he’s made to help mankind grow in knowledge. He taught Vivaswat who taught Manu (Noah) and then through that line of training he led the Seven Sages which I’m convinced is a college of knowledge not seven people. We didn’t maintain the knowledge though and it was lost. He also confirms that he has always been here as Vishnu and he is the master of his Maya (stardust you might say). He says that when man becomes weak, as it had at the start of the Mahabharata, he makes himself a body and returns to the world to “to deliver the holy, To destroy the sin of the sinner, To establish righteousness. He tries in each age to teach the path to man since all paths lead to him.
When walking the path men you understand the nature of Vishnu will never become slaves to the fallacy of action and sense. "He who sees the inaction that is in action, and the action that is in inaction, is wise indeed.” He will be in touch with his Atman and he knows that doing and being is enough. He is contented with the acts of the world as the hand of God. True knowledge of the Atman and Vishnu leads to Brahman in all things and shows that the act of living is a right thing. You follow one of the many paths to God and once you know your path, your relationship with your soul and its relation to the universe you are free. “The fire of knowledge turns all karmas to ash.”
The Greek gods are personalities that many of us are raised with in myth but is seems that they are far closer in their relation to humans than the Sumerians or the Hindus. They are human in personality and form. Their concerns seem to mirror very human concerns. Whereas entities like Krishna have existential existence the personality of Zeus for example is very concrete. He comes into being new unlike the other gods before.
They are also bound to outside fate in a way other gods aren’t. They can act in their own interest as Hera and Athena do so many times but as shown for both of them and Zeus, they cannot change the fate of their favorites. They can influence the behaviors acting as a devil/angel on the should as Athena does for Achilles many times to extend his life but she cannot save him anymore then Zeus can save his son or Troy.
The difference may be subtle but I think it is important to understanding the epic and I want to keep it in mind while reading the text to study the changes in cultural understanding. The Iliad is to the Greeks as the Mahabharata is the Hindu showing earlier culture concepts of Gods in battle. I will have to see if I can find a parallel to the Bhagavad Gita for the Greeks showing sophistication of the religious concept. (If anyone knows it please respond.)
For part 3 of the desi remix series I chose to illustrate“Visha Kanyas” (poisonous damsels). These young women were used as assassins against kings and other powerful enemies. They were often sent by kings to kill their enemies by seduction and giving their targets poisoned alcohol. It was believed that their blood was extremely poisonous to humans, and that even a single look or touch could kill a person.
“Visha Kanyas” is a remix of “Hylas and the Nymphs” by John Williams Waterhouse, in which Hylas (the companion of Greek God Hercules) is abducted by water nymphs.
Part of my goal is to easternize western paintings, but my main goal with these remixes isn’t necessarily to highlight religion or to make religious iconography. I see a lot of young desi women trying to rebel against traditional images of how desis have been depicted in the past and how they should look in order to create a new image of what modern desi women look and feel like today. I definitely support this notion, however instead of using my paintings to create a single snapshot of what the modern desi looks like, or instead of rebelling against my culture in any way, I’d rather create a scene that shows women taking action. I don’t want to make portraits to suggest that how I paint someone is what I believe beauty should look like because then the conversation becomes just about what we look like on the outside. I make paintings rooted in mythology because it tells a story of women doing things their way and being powerful. So much of history in Indian mythology is about men fighting epic battles, but you don’t hear enough about HERstory. I want to show examples from our past to prove that not all traditionally depicted women are weak, shy, or whatever other stereotypes give us negative sentiments about who we are as Indian women today. The point is that there are stories to be told that show action, not just questions about beauty captured in a single way. Whether this power comes through women defeating men by trickery, using seduction to get what they want, or going as far as killing men, these stories all show women having the upper hand, which if you ask me, defies stereotypes just as much as being a “rebel” or changing up our looks.
Vichitravirya (Aryamann Seth) has been captured. For someone shirtless and roped up, he looks surprisingly cocky until his bonds are tightened painfully.
He’s then rescued as a flaming arrow cuts the ropes.
Vichitravirya (Aryamann Seth) has been captured. For someone shirtless and roped up, he looks surprisingly cocky until his bonds are tightened painfully.
Maybe the notion of the ramayana & mahabharata being a telling of an ancient war isn’t so farfetched..It could explain why india has alot of birth defect cases…The film Mortal engines & Stargate atlantis could help with the vimana concept that has been given…
