Translation :-Have you, Sirs, never heard of the feat accomplished by Rama (that is, Parashurama)--whose battle-axe burned bright like a blaze of fire-when his father's head was touched ( by the enemy ) ? And will not. Ashvatthaman, mad as he is with fury, be able, this day, to achieve, in the forefront of the battle-field, a like feat. characterized by an abundant flow of the enemies' blood serving as a feast for ghost or (according to the interpretation that takes 'विघस' as denoting 'residue of food eaten) representing the residue of the feast enjoyed by the manes(especially by the spirit of the father that must have been gratified by the revenge) ?
P. 39. उपकरण- Equipment or accessory. साङ्कामिकाणि---सङ्कामे साधूनि, उपेत--–Equipped or fitted up with.
अवश्यप्रतिकर्तव्ये......प्रतिकर्तुमु-There being this terrible fire of insult to be resisted by all means, who else besides you is there, among us all, able to retaliate effectually? निकार = परिभव, from कृ with नि.
The reading that ends Kripa's speech with 'किं तु' as in our text is preferable since those words serve to make Ashvatthaman's interrogation more easily intelligible.
अभिषिच्य-Kripa's part would be to procure the installation of his nephew in the office of commandership, not to perform that installation, which would be Duryodhana's part. Kripa should have said अभिषेच्य therefore; but he says 'अभिषिच्य’ from a feeling of certainty that his recommendation would not fail to be complied with so that the question of installation rested almost with himself. The reading अभिषिकम् भवन्तम् &c.' does not present this difficulty but is not, at the same time, quite free from ambiguity for, apart from the light supplied by the context, the sentence in itself may mean either (1) यदा त्वं अभिषिको भविध्य्सि तदा त्वामवतारावतुमिच्छामि, or (2) यतस्त्वमभिषिक्तोऽसि ततस्त्वां &c.
परतन्त्रम् परः तन्त्रं (= प्रयोजकः) यस्य तथाभूतम्. Dependent on anther's will, lying within norther's control.
St. 26, अभीष्मं अद्रोणं धार्तराष्ट्रबलं कथं भवेत् यदि तत्तुल्यकक्षः भवान् अत्र धुरि न युज्यते (= नियुज्यते) ।
ततुल्यकक्षः-तयः (भीष्मद्रोणयोः) तुल्या कक्षा (= योग्यता) यस्य सः. Equal in worth to them. To explain 'कक्षा' as denoting योग्यता when ordinarily it never bears that sense is not, I think, satis-
