in these words to show that he had really been sent by Vidura, ’O Yudhishthira, he said, “listen to these words the learned Vidura had said (unto thee) as a proof of the fact that I come from him.  Neither the consumer of straw and the wood nor the drier of dew ever burneth the inmates of a hole in the forest.  He escapeth from death who protecteth himself knowing this, etc.’  By these credentials know me to be the person who has been truly sent by Vidura and to be also his trusted agent.  Vidura, conversant with everything, hath again said, ’O son of Kunti, thou shalt surely defeat in battle Karna, and Duryodhana with his brothers, and Sakuni.’  This boat is ready on the waters, and it will glide pleasantly thereon, and shall certainly bear you all from these regions!’

“Then beholding those foremost of men with their mother pensive and sad he caused them to go into the boat that was on the Ganga, and accompanied them himself.  Addressing them again, he said, ’Vidura having smelt your heads and embraced you (mentally), hath said again that in commencing your auspicious journey and going alone you should never be careless.’

“Saying these words unto those heroic princes, the person sent by Vidura took those bulls among men over to the other side of the Ganga in his boat.  And having taken them over the water and seen them all safe on the opposite bank, he uttered the word ‘Jaya’ (victory) to their success and then left them and returned to the place whence he had come.

“The illustrious Pandavas also sending through that person some message to Vidura, began, after having crossed the Ganga, to proceed with haste and in great secrecy.’”

SECTION CLII

(Jatugriha Parva continued)

“Vaisampayana said, ’Then, when the night had passed away, a large concourse of the townspeople came there in haste to see the sons of Pandu.  After extinguishing the fire, they saw that the house just burnt down had been built of lac in materials and that (Duryodhana’s) counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death.  And the people began to bewail aloud saying, ’Indeed, this had been contrived by the sinful Duryodhana for the destruction of the Pandavas.  There is little doubt that Duryodhana hath, with Dhritarashtra’s knowledge, burnt to death the heirs of Pandu, else the prince would have been prevented by his father.  There is little doubt that even Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and Drona and Vidura and Kripa and other Kauravas have not, any of them, followed the dictates of duty.  Let us now send to Dhritarashtra to say, ’Thy great desire hath been achieved!  Thou hast burnt to death the Pandavas!’

“They then began to extinguish the members to obtain 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.