Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/472

trustless and discontented. Nor did the citizens of Varanavata know anything about these plans of the Pandavas. In fact, none else knew of them except Vidura's friend that good miner."

Thus ends the hundred and forty-ninth Section in the Jatu-griha of the Adi Parva.

Vaisampayana said, "Seeing the Pandavas living cheerfully and without suspicion for a full year, Purochana became exceedingly glad. And beholding Purochana so very glad, Yudhish-thira 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 unmarked by all.'

"Then on the occasion of a gift, O king, Kunti fed on a certain night a large number of Brahmanas. And there came also a number of ladies. These eating and drinking enjoyed there as they pleased, and with Kunti's leave at last returned to their respective homes. And desirous of obtaining food, there came, as if impelled by the fates, to that feast, in course of her wanderings a Nishada woman—the mother of five children—accompanied by all her sons. And, O king, she and her children, intoxicated with the wine they drank, became incapable. And 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. Then Bhima set fire to the house just where Purochana was sleeping. Then the Pandava set fire to the door of that house of lac. Then he set fire to that 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 enemies, with their mother, entered the subterranean