“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Seeing the Pandavas living there
cheerfully and without suspicion for a full year, Purochana became exceedingly happy.
Seeing Purochana so very glad, Yudhishthira, the Dharmic son of Kunti, addressing
Bhimasena, Arjuna and the twins (Nakula and
Sahadeva) said, ‘The cruel-hearted
wretch (Purochana) has 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, escape hence unobserved by all!’
“Vaishampaayana continued, ‘O king (Janamejaya), then on the
occasion of an almsgiving (Dhaanaa in Sanskrit), 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. In course
of her wanderings, there came a Nishada woman, the mother of five children,
accompanied by all her sons, as though driven by fate to that feast desirous of
obtaining food.
“O king (Janamejaya), 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 Pandava (Bhimasena)
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 Pandavas were satisfied that the house
had caught fire in several parts those punisher of enemies (Pandavas) with their mother, entered the underground
passage without losing any time.
“Then the heat and the roar of the fire became intense
and awakened the townspeople. Seeing 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 (Purochana) indeed hath set fire
to it. O, fie on Dhritarashtra's heart which is so partial. He has burnt to
death, as if he were their enemy, the sinless heirs of Pandu! O, the sinful and
wicked-souled (Purochana) who has
burnt those best of men, the innocent and unsuspicious princes, has himself
been burnt to death as fate would have it.’
“Vaishampaayana
continued, ‘The citizens of Vaaranaavata 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 underground
passage, fled in speed unnoticed. But those punishers of enemies (Pandavas), for sleepiness and fear, could not with
their mother proceed in speed. But, O monarch (Janamejaya), 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 (Bhimasena) of great energy and strength and endued
with the speed of the wind, commenced his march, breaking the trees with his chest
and pressing deep the earth with his stamp.’”
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