Vaishampayana said: -
1. When the night had passed away a large number of the people of the city came there to see the sons of Pandu.
2. Those men extinguished the fire and saw that the house was made of lac and that the counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death.
The Citizens said: -
3. Indeed this sinful act was contrived by the wicked Duryodhana to destroy the sons of Pandu.
4. There is no doubt that the son of Dhritarastra (Duryodhana) has burnt to death the heirs of Pandu, with the full knowledge of Dhritarastra, else he would have been prevented (by his father).
5. Indeed, the son of Santanu (Bhisma,) Drona. Vidura, Kripa and other Kurus have not followed the dictates of duty.
6. Let us (now) send words to the wicked minded Dhritarastra, (saying),- “Your great desire is fulfilled; you have burnt to death the Pandavas.”
Vaishampayana said: -
7. They then began to extinguish the fire to find out the Pandavas. They saw the Nishada woman burnt to death with her five sons.
8. The miner, while removing the ashes, covered with it the hole he had dug in such a way that it remained unnoticed by all who had gone there.
9. The citizens then sent words to Dhritarastra to inform that the Pandavas along with counsellor Purochana had been burnt to death.
10. Hearing the great evil news of the death of the sons of Pandu, the king Dhritarastra bewailed in great sorrow.
Dhritarastra said: -
11. King Pandu, my illustrious brother, has (indeed) died today, when those heroes (the Pandavas) with their mother have been burnt to death.
12. O man, go quickly to the city of Varanavata and perform the funeral rites of those heroes and of the daughter of the king of Kunti (Bhoja).
13. Let also the bones of the deceased be sanctified by the usual rites and let all the beneficial and great acts be performed. Let the friends and relatives of those that have been burnt to death also go there.
14. Let also all other beneficial acts that ought to be performed by us for the Pandavas and Kunti be accomplished by spending wealth.
Vaishampayana said: -
15. Having said this, the son of Ambika, Dhritarastra, surrounded by his relatives, offered oblations of water to the manes of the sons of Pandu.
16. Being greatly afflicted with sorrow, he wept with all others! (saying,) “O Yudhisthira!” “O descendant of Kuru!” others cried, “O Bhima!”
17. Others again, “O Falguni!” some again, “O the twins!” “O mother Kunti!” They thus bewailed and gave oblations of water.
18. The other citizens also bewailed for the Pandavas. But Vidura did not bewail much, for he knew the truth.
19. Leaving the city of Varanavata, the greatly strong Pandavas, altogether six in number with their mother, reached the river Ganges.
20. Aided by the strength of arms of the boatmen and by the rapidity of the current and favourable wind, they then speedily reached the opposite bank.
21. They then left the boat and proceeded towards the south, fin ding their way in the dark by the light of the stars.
22. O king, afternoon much suffering, they at last reached a dense forest. The sons of Pandu became tired, thirsty and sleepy.
23. Yudhisthira thus spoke to the greatly energetic Bhimasena, “What could be more painful than our being in a dense forest! We do not know the directions; we are incapable of proceeding further.
24. We do not know whether the sinful Purochana has or has not been burnt to death. How shall we escape from the dangers unobserved by others!
25. O descendant of Bharata, take us on you again and proceed as before. You alone amongst us are strong and (you are) as swift as wind.”
26. Having been thus addressed by the king of virtue (Yudhisthira), the greatly strong Bhimasena took his brothers and Kunti (on his body) and walked on.
Thus ends the hundred and fifty second chapter, the escape of the pandavas, in the Jatugriha of the Adi Parva.
Vaishampayana said: -
1. By the force of that mighty (heroes’) breast, the forest with its trees and their branches appeared to tremble.
2. The motion of his thighs raised a wind like that of the month of Jyeshtha and Asharda. The greatly strong (Bhima) made a road for himself by treading down the trees and creepers.
3. He proceeded on, breaking the kings of the forest (big trees) and the plants with their flowers and fruits that stood on his way.
4. Thus breaking large trees angrily goes through the forest the leader of a hard of elephants of sixty years of age, the liquid juice (at the season of rut) trickling down the three parts of his body.
5. So great was the force with which Bhima, endued with the speed of Garuda or Maruta, proceeded that the Pandavas seemed to be fainted.
6. By the strength of his arms, he swam across many streams difficult to be crossed; and they (the Pandavas) disguised themselves from the fear of the sons of Dhritarastra.
7. He carried his delicate and illustrious mother on his back over even and uneven grounds on the banks of rivers.
8. best of the Bharata race, in the evening he reached a fearful forest where fruits and roots and water were scarce and (which was) full of terrible roars of birds and beasts.
9. The twilight became fearfully bark and (the roars of) birds and beasts (grew) fiercer. All sides became invisible, (being covered with darkness).
10. A strong wind began to blow. It broke and laid low many large and small trees and many creepers with fruits and dry leaves.
11. Those descendants of Kuru (the Pandavas), afflicted with fatigue and thirst and heavy with sleep, were unable to proceed further.
12. They then sat down in that great forest without food or water and Kunti, afflicted with thirst, then spoke thus to her sons-
13. “I am the mother of the five Pandavas though I am now in their midst, yet I am burning in thirst!” She repeatedly said this to her sons.
14. Having heard this, Bhimasena’s heart was warmed with compassion from the affection (he bore) for his mother and he began to proceed again.
15. Then Bhima, entering a large fearful and terrible forest, saw a beautiful banian tree with wide spreading branches.
16. Placing them all there (under the tree) that best of the Bharata race, (Bhima) said, “O lord, rest here; I shall go to bring water.
17. I hear the sweet notes of the water fowl Sarashas. I think there must be a big lake (somewhere here).”
18. O descendant of Bharata, commanded by his eldest brother who said, “Go,” he went there where the aquatic Sarasas were.
19-20. O best of the Bharata race, ever affectionate to his brothers he want for the sake of his bothers. He drank water and bathed there in that lake; he brought water for them by soaking his upper garment. O descendant of Bharata, retracing his way with all speed, over four miles he came to his mother and began to sigh like a snake in sorrow and grief.
21. Seeing his mother and brothers asleep on the ground, Vrikodara was greatly afflicted with grief and lamented thus-
22. “Alas! what more painful sight can I see then what I see now, my brothers sleeping on the ground! 0 unfortunate am I!
23. They who could not formerly sleep at Varanavata on the softest and costliest bed are now asleep on the bare ground!
24. The sister of that chastiser of foes, Vasudeva, the daughter of the king of Kunti (Bhoja), Kunti, endued with all auspicious marks.
25. The daughter-in-law of Vichitravirya and the wife of the illustrious Pandu and the mother of us (the Pandavas), resplendent as the filament of lotus.
26. Delicate and tender, fit to sleep on the costliest beds, is now asleep as she could never do not the bare ground!
27. She, who has given birth to these sons by Dharma, Indra, Maruta; and who has ever slept in palaces, is now asleep on the ground from fatigue!
28. What more painful sight shall I ever see than what I see (now) the best of men (the Pandavas) sleeping on the (bare) ground’
29. The ever virtuous (Yudhisthira) who deserves to be the king of the three worlds, now sleeps on the ground, fatigued and tired like on ordinary being.
30. Aryuna of the colour of the blue ocean who is matchless among men sleeps on the ground like ordinary mortals. What could be more painful then this!
31. The twins, who are handsome as the Asvinis among the celestial, are asleep on the ground like ordinary men!
32. He who has no jealous and wicked minded relatives lives like a single tree in a village.
33. Where there is only one tree full of leaves and fruits in a village, it became sacred and is worshipped and venerated by all.
34. They, who have many relatives, who are heroic and virtuous, live happily in this world without any sorrow of any kind.
35. Being powerful, growing in prosperity and making their friends and relatives happy, they live depending on one another like the trees of the forest.
36. We are banished by the wicked minded Dhritarastra and his sons and we escaped for our good fortune from a fiery death.
37. Having escaped from that fire, we are now resting under this tree. Having suffering great afflictions, where are we now to go?
38-40. O fore sightless sons of Dhritarastra, O wicked men, enjoy your success. The gods are certainly favourable to you. Because Yudhisthira does not order me, (to kill you) therefore, O wretched men, live till then. Else angry as I am, I would have even this very day sent you (Duryodhana) with your sons and ministers and with Kama and the son of Subala (Sakuni) to the land of the dead. What can I do, so long the king (Yudhisthira) is not angry.
41. O vicious men, the eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhisthira, is a virtuous minded man.” Having said this, the mighty armed (Bhima), his mind inflamed with wrath.
42. Squeezed his palms and sighed with a sorrowful mind. Like an extinguished fire blazed up, again in sorrowful mind.
43. Vrikodara saw his brothers sleeping like ordinary men in trustfulness on the ground.
44. Then Bhima thought, “I think there are some towns not far off from this forest. We ought to remain awake here. But they are all asleep therefore, I myself will sit awake.
45. When they will rise after having been refreshed by sleep, then they will quince their thirst.” having resolved this, Bhima said awake.
Thus ends the hundred and fifty third chapter, the fetching of water by Bhima, in the Jatugriha of the Adi Parva.