he 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.

"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. 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
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 be sanctified with the usual rites, and let all the beneficial
and great acts (usual on such occasions) be performed. Let the friends
and relatives of those that have been burnt to death repair thither. Let
also all other beneficial acts that ought, under the cir