|
14.THE ESCAPE OF THE PANDAVAS
Some bustled aimlessly in futile efforts to
put out the conflagration and all joined in
the cry: "Alas! Alas! This surely is
Duryodhana's work, and he is killing the
sinless Pandavas!"
The palace was reduced to ashes.
Purochana's residence was enveloped in
flames before he could escape and he fell
an unpitied victim to his own wicked plot.
The people of Varanavata, sent the
following message to Hastinapura: "The
palace which was the abode of the
Pandavas has burnt down and no one in it
escaped alive."
Vyasa has beautifully described the then
mental state of Dhritarashtra: "Just as the
water of a deep pool is cool at the bottom
and warm on the surface, so the heart of
Dhritarashtra was at once warm with joy
and chilled with sorrow."
Dhritarashtra and his sons cast off their
royal garments in token of mourning for
the Pandavas whom they believed
consumed in the fire. They dressed
themselves in single garments as became
sorrowful kinsmen and went to the river
and performed the propitiatory funeral
rites.
No outward show of heart broken
bereavement was omitted. It was noticed
by some that Vidura was not so overcome
by sorrow as the others and this was set
down to his philosophical bent of mind.
But the real reason was that he knew that
the Pandavas had escaped to safety.
When he looked sad, he was in fact
following with his mind's eye the weary
wanderings of the Pandavas. Seeing that
Bhishma was sunk in sorrow, Vidura
secretly comforted him by revealing to
him the story of their successful escape.
Bhima saw that his mother and brothers
were exhausted by their nightly vigils as
well as by fear and anxiety. He therefore
carried his mother on his shoulders and
took Nakula and Sahadeva on his hips,
|
|