ततो व्यपोहमानास् ते पाण्डवार्थे हुताशनम् ॥
निषादीं ददृशुर् दग्धां पञ्चपुत्राम् अनागसम् ॥
खनकेन तु तेनैव वेश्म शोधयता बिलम् ॥
पांसुभिः प्रत्यपिहितं पुरुषैस् तैर् अलक्षितम् ॥
ततस् ते प्रेषयाम् आसुर् धृतराष्ट्रस्य नागराः ॥
पाण्डवान् अग्निना दग्धान् अमात्यं च पुरोचनम् ॥
tato vyapohamānās te pāṇḍavārthe hutāśanam ||
niṣādīṃ dadṛśur dagdhāṃ pañcaputrām anāgasam ||
khanakena tu tenaiva veśma śodhayatā bilam ||
pāṃsubhiḥ pratyapihitaṃ puruṣais tair alakṣitam ||
tatas te preṣayām āsur dhṛtarāṣṭrasya nāgarāḥ ||
pāṇḍavān agninā dagdhān amātyaṃ ca purocanam ||
'Then, clearing away the ashes in search of the bodies of the Pandavas, they saw the burned innocent Nishada woman with her five sons; but the underground passage had been covered over with dust by that same digger and went unnoticed by those people. Then the townspeople sent word to Dhritarashtra that the Pandavas had been burned by fire, along with the minister Purochana.'
2233cf4ae68f · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:03:09 PM UTC
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Here the deception is complete: the bodies of strangers are taken for the Pandavas. Telling is the foresight of the digger who covered the passage: a small detail completes the rescue by hiding its trace. Here we see that in the work of deliverance, providence acts also through the diligence of a faithful servant. Telling too is the sorrowful mention of the innocent Nishada woman: scripture does not let her be forgotten, and the reader remembers the price unwittingly paid for the rescue. Thus the news of the Pandavas' supposed death reaches Dhritarashtra — the wicked will believe their design has succeeded, while the righteous, meanwhile, are already safe.