SECTION CL
(Jatugriha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Seeing the Pandavas living there cheerfully and
without suspicion for a full year, Purochana became exceedingly glad. And
beholding Purochana so very glad, Yudhishthira, the virtuous son of
Kunti, addressing Bhima and Arjuna and the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva)
said, 'The cruel-hearted wretch hath been well-deceived. I think the time
is come for our escape. Setting fire to the arsenal and burning Purochana
to death and letting his body lie here, let us, six persons, fly hence
unobserved by all!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then on the occasion of an almsgiving, O king,
Kunti fed on a certain night a large number of Brahmanas. There came also
a number of ladies who while eating and drinking, enjoyed there as they
pleased, and with Kunti's leave returned to their respective homes.
Desirous of obtaining food, there came, as though impelled by fate, to
that feast, in course of her wanderings, a Nishada woman, the mother of
five children, accompanied by all her sons. O king, she, and her
children, intoxicated with the wine they drank, became incapable.
Deprived of consciousness and more dead than alive, she with all her sons
lay down in that mansion to sleep. Then when all the inmates of the house
lay down to sleep, there began to blow a violent wind in the night. Bhima
then set fire to the house just where Purochana was sleeping. Then the
son of Pandu set fire to the door of that house of lac. Then he set fire
to the mansion in several parts all around. Then when the sons of Pandu
were satisfied that the house had caught fire in several parts those
chastisers of foes with their mother, entered the subterranean passage
without losing any time. Then the heat and the roar of the fire became
intense and awakened the townspeople. Beholding the house in flames, the
citizens with sorrowful faces began to say, 'The wretch (Purochana) of
wicked soul had under the instruction of Duryodhana built his house for
the destruction of his employer's relatives. He indeed hath set fire to
it. O, fie on Dhritarashtra's heart which is so partial. He hath burnt to
death, as if he were their foe, the sinless heirs of Pandu! O, the sinful
and wicked-souled (Purochana) who hath burnt those best of men, the
innocent and unsuspicious princes, hath himself been burnt to death as
fate would have it.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The citizens of Varanavata thus bewailed (the
fate of the Pandavas), and waited there for the whole night surrounding
that house. The Pandavas, however, accompanied by their mother coming out
of the subterranean passage, fled in haste unnoticed. But those
chastisers of foes, for sleepiness and fear, could not with their mother
proceed in haste. But, O monarch, Bhimasena, endued with terrible prowess
and swiftness of motion took upon his body all his brothers and mother
and began to push through the darkness. Placing his mother on his
shoulder, the twins on his sides, and Yudhishthira and Arjuna on both his
arms, Vrikodara of great energy and strength and endued with the speed of
the wind, commenced his march, breaking the trees with his breast and
pressing deep the earth with his stamp.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 1 : UPA-PARVA 150 ---------------------
