THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

202 The Harmony of Virtue11. TarasÀ — taras expresses any swift, violent and impetuous act,anything that has the momentum of strength and impulse or fire andenergy.SatyarathaiÕ — This is a word of doubtful import; it may mean“of unerring chariots”, i.e. skilful fighters, or else “honourable fighters”,rathaÕ being used as in mahÀrathaÕ, adhirathaÕ fighter in a chariot.Cf. satyaparÀkramaÕ. In the first case the epithet would be otiose andornamental and an epic assonance. I cannot think however that Vyasawas capable of putting a purely decorative epic epithet in so emphatica place. It must surely mean either “honourable fighters” or “makingtruth their chariot”; ratha being used as in manoratha etc. The latterhowever is almost too much a flight of fancy for Vyasa. [The word issatye sthitaiÕ, according to another version.]12. TrayodaÙaÙcaiva, — agreeing with Samvatsara which the mind suppliesfrom varØÀÍi in the last line and Virvatsa has to be supplied from Chirnam.This is the true Vyasa style.NiviØÒa — niviÙ: to abide. This sense though not given in Aptemay be deduced from niveÙaÕ: impersonal “it has been dwelt”.13. It will be seen from Krishna's attitude here as elsewhere that hewas very far from being the engineer and subtle contriver of war intowhich later ideas have deformed him. That he came down to force onwar and destroy the Kshatriya caste, whether to open India to the worldor for other cause, is an idea that was not present to the mind of Vyasa.Later generations writing, when the pure Kshatriya caste had almostdisappeared, attributed this motive for God's descent upon earth, justxKtWivRjetu' trsa mhI' c sTye iSqtW" sTyrqWyRyqavt( -pa