Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/475

Thus ends the hundred and fifty-first Section in the Jatu-griha of the Adi Parva.

Vaisampayana said, "Then when the night had passed away, a large concourse of the towns-people came there in haste to see the sons of Pandu. Extinguishing the fire, they saw that the house just burnt down had been built of laccine materials and that (Duryodhana's) counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death. And the people began to wail aloud, saying, 'Indeed, this had been contrived by the sinful Duryo-dhana for the destruction of the Pandavas. There is little doubt that Duryodhana hath, with Dhrita-rashtra's knowledge, burnt to death their heirs of Pandu, else the prince would have been prevented by his father. There is little doubt that even Bhisma the son of Shantanu and Drona and Vidura and Kripa and the other Kauravas have, none of them, followed the dictates of duty. Let us now send to Dhrita-rashtra to say—Thy great desire hath been achieved! Thou hast burnt to death the Pandavas!'

"They then began to extinguish the embers for obtaining some trace of the Pandavas, and they saw the innocent Nishada woman with her five sons burnt to death. Then the miner sent by Vidura, while removing the ashes covered the hole he had dug with those ashes in such a way that it remained unnoticed by all who had gone there.

"The citizens then sent Dhrita-rashtra to inform him that the Pandavas along with (Duryodhana's) counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death. King Drhita-rashtra hearing the evil news of the death of the Pandavas wept in great sorrow. And he said, 'King Pandu my brother of great fame hath, indeed, died today when those heroic sons of his together with their mother have been burnt to death! Ye men, repair ye quickly to Varanavata and cause the funeral rites to be performed of those heroes and of the daughter of Kuntiraj! Let also the bones of the deceased