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352
MAHABHARATA

of dew ever burneth the inmates of a hole in the forest. He esca peth 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, con versant with everything, bath again said-'O son of Kunti, thou shalt surely defeat in battle Karna, and Durygodhana with his brothers, and Sakuni !This boat is ready on the waters, and it will glide pleasantly thereon, and shall certainly beat 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 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 Ganga in his boat, And having taken them over the water and seen them all safe on the opposice bank, he uttered the word Jaya' (victory) to their success and then left them and returned to the place when he bad come...

"The illustrious Pandavas also sending through that person some message to Vidura, began, after having crossed the Ganges, to proceed with baste and in great secrecy."

Thus ends the hundred and fifty-first section in the Jatugriha Parva of the Adi Parva,

{{c|SECTION CLII

(Satugriha 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 (Duryyodhana's) counsellors Purochana had been burnt to death. And the people began to bewail aloud saying.-"Indeed, this had been contrived by the sinful Duryyodhana for the destruction of the Pandavas. There is little doubt that Duryyodhana 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