Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

[p. 105]

52 Phagwā iv [Nieuw Nickerie, 1967]
Rājpūtī

de dai pą̄co bāna sahodrā maiyā, ḍharakā de ratha ko pahiyā
cakra byūha ropyau kairo ne, dala mę köi jānat ną̄y, sahodrā maiyā
jaba maį rahyau udra ke bhītara, pitā kahī kathā sāmajhāy, sahodrā maiyā
bāri baras umara ko choṭo, rana dekhyau ita ną̄y, sahodrā maiyā
chau daravāje toṛa bahāvaų, satavą̄ jānata ną̄y, sahodrā maiyā

Give me the five¹ arrows, mother Subhadrā²; give a push to the chariot's wheel.
The Kaurava has arranged the wheel formation, (the way of entering which) no one in (our) group knows, mother Subhadrā.
When I was inside (your) womb, father had told the story³ with an explanation, mother Subhadrā.
Twelve years old, young in age, (I) have not yet seen a battle, mother Subhadrā.
I can break and throw away six (of the) gates (but) I do not know (the way to break) the seventh, mother Subhadrā.

1 This seems to be a confusion with the five arrows of Kāma.

2 Subhadrā was the sister of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna's wife, Abhimanyu's mother. While Arjuna was fighting on another front, the Kaurava army was arranged in cakra-vyūha, the wheel formation which no one but Arjuna knew how to break into. When Subhadrā had been pregnant with Abhimanyu, Arjuna had told her the art of breaking into such a formation but she had fallen asleep before he could complete the story and tell her how to get out of it. Abhimanyu is stated to have thus learnt the art of breaking into a cakra-vyūha while still a foetus, but he could not get out of the vyūha, was surrounded by enemies and killed. Vide MB. Droṇaparvan (Abhimanyu-vadhaparvan) chapters 34 ff., also note on 7.34.18.

3 That is, the details.