Archive for ‘3_Pandavas on the run’
31 items.
Bhima’s superior strength and Arjuna’s other accomplishments, and the general debonairness of the Pandava princes were thorns that stuck in Duryodhana’s mind causing him insomnia.
When the townfolk began talking as if Yudhistira could be the next king, Duryodhana decided to take the matter to his dad.
The blind man had just finished the daily evening oblation [...]
Comment
“It is I who control the treasury, and people will stand where we throw the money”, Duryodhana argues.
“Dont worry about Drona and Kripa“, Duryodhana consoles the king.
“Drona’s dotting son Ashwatthama is a freind of mine and the guru will stand where his son is. And Kripa would stand where Drona would stand. As for [...]
On the instructions of Dhritarashtra, some clever court singers depicted the charms of the city of Varanavata to the Pandavas, where a festival of the god Siva was to be conducted.
When Yudhishtira observed that, this was Dhritarashtra’s wish and that, he acted alone, he decided to go to Varanavata with his brothers and mother.
But after a while, Yudhishtira realized that they were being exiled. And he expected support from other elders.
But none of the elders as predicted by Duryodhana, objected to the Pandavas going to Varanavata. Bhishma, Drona and Kripa said “Ok, have a nice time, there”.
The Kauravas suppressed a smile and bade farewell to the Pandavas with affected grief .
Duryodhana, now puts another wrench into the scheme. He dispatched Purochana, one of his ministers to Varanavata as the chief steward of the Pandavas in Varanavata. Duryodhana secretly ordered Purochana to build a house at Varanavata for the Pandavas, with flammable [...]
Vidura saw through Duryodhana’s evil schemes. As the Pandavas were mounting the chariots on their trip to Varanavata, Vidura whispered cryptically in Yudhistira’s ears. “Deadly weapons can be made out of things other than iron”.
Pandavas, and their mother Kunti, started spending their vacation (or exile) in Varanavata.
Soon after, they were invited to live in the house built by Purochana.
Purochana had built this house out of hemp, lacquer and butter.
It was Nakula who observed that their kitchen, in the new house smelled of butter, even when, there was no butter in the kitchen.
He told Yudhishtira about this, and on further observation, he found that the house was made up of flammable materials. Yudhistira remembered the parting words that Vidura whispered in his ears.
Realization dwelled [...]
One night, they preemptively set fire to the house, and escaped through the secret escape tunnel.
A day, earlier a tribal woman and her five children had come to the house. They had been staying in the house as guests. They succumbed to the fire and their charred bodies were mistaken for the Pandavas.
Purochana, who was living with the Pandavas, as their steward, also died in the fire.