'"
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.
"The citizens then sent to Dhritarashtra to inform him that the Pandavas
along with (Duryodhana's) counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death.
King Dhritarashtra, on hearing the evil news of the death of the Pandavas,
wept in great sorrow.
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