Reading Notes: PDE Mahahbharata, Part B)

 the house fire But Prince Vidura came to guess the cruel plot of prince duryodhana. Now prince vidura was half-brother of kind pandu and of king dhritarashtra. but his mother was a slave girl, so he could never reign over hastinaoura. yet although he was lowly born he was a just a prince and he let fall befroe yudishtira words dark yet full of meaning to him who could interpret them. and prince yudhishthira who was thoughtful beyond his years knew from viduras words that he and his brothers and his mother were in grave danger. 

When the wueen and pandavas reached the palace they were astonished by its beauty, prince yudhishthira saw that the furniture looked expensive and beautiful but was covered in oil. he also noticed that the palace and roof were built only of wood or such other material as would easily burn.

 he called his mother and brothers and repeated to them the dark words of prince vidura

I fear my mother that we are in grave danger and the king of prince duryodhana seeks to burn us alive. else why should the furniture and tapestries be soaked in oil and the palace walls and roof be made only of wood?

The good prince Vidura had evere kept his nephews the Pandavas in his mind from the time when they had left Hastinapura. he thought he could dig a passage way that led to the forest outside they might yet free themselves form the toils of the evil prince duryodhana. So prince Vidura sent varanavata a skllful miner. he eluded the guards outside and made his wy safely into the lac palace. by night and day he wored by covering the mouth of the passage with wooden planks so that purochana the wicked captain should not guess that the pandavas were palanning flight. 

purochana the wise captain was waiting for a moonless night so that he could set fire to the palace. the miner sent by the good and wise prince vidura finished the digging the passage.the very night that the miner ended the job pandavas lifted the planks form the mouth of the passage and descending into it they and queen kunti walked until they reached the other mouth that opened that opened into the forest there prince bhima asked his mother and brothers to wait while he went back to the palace and had his revenge on the wicked purochana. they agreed and he went back to the guardhouse and unseen he entered and killed the wicked captain purochana. 

as the guard house burned a voilent wind arose and blew the flames towards the lac palacce and it also took fire. Now is so happened that on that same night a low cast woman and her five sons had come to the lac palace to beg food. the pandavas gave the food and other goods and they are and drank and as they lay asleep the palace took fire and they perished in the flames. 

the nect morning the people of varanavata woke and went outise thee city they saw the smoke and found within the charred raimed of the low caste woman and her sons. the men of varanavata were greatly sadened by the death of the princes and the mother. the burning palace and there too the citizens grieved for them sorely. when the vil prince heard the news he told it to king dhritarashtra and they both thought that their creul plot had succeeded. so they did not sorrow at all but were rejoiced. 

the house fire

 

 

 

 

 Bibliography: The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie (1921). [400 words] Macfie's book is a very brief summary of the Mahabharata, but it is very readable and comprehensive.