Chapter 151

“Vaisampayana said, ‘About this time, the learned Vidura had sent intothose woods a man of pure character and much trusted by him. This persongoing to where he had been directed, saw the Pandavas with their motherin the forest employed in a certain place in measuring the depth of ariver.

The design that the wicked Duryodhana had formed had been, throughhis spies, known to Vidura of great intelligence, and, therefore, he hadsent that prudent person unto the Pandavas. Sent by Vidura unto them, heshowed the Pandavas on the sacred banks of the Ganga a boat with enginesand flags, constructed by trusted artificers and capable of withstandingwind and wave and endued with the speed of the tempest or of thought. Hethen addressed the Pandavas in these words to show that he had reallybeen sent by Vidura, ‘O Yudhishthira, he said, “listen to these words thelearned Vidura had said (unto thee) as a proof of the fact that I comefrom him. Neither the consumer of straw and the wood nor the drier of dewever burneth the inmates of a hole in the forest. He escapeth from deathwho protecteth himself knowing this, etc.’ By these credentials know meto be the person who has been truly sent by Vidura and to be also histrusted agent. Vidura, conversant with everything, hath again said, ‘Oson of Kunti, thou shalt surely defeat in battle Karna, and Duryodhanawith his brothers, and Sakuni.’ This boat is ready on the waters, and itwill glide pleasantly thereon, and shall certainly bear you all fromthese regions!’

“Then beholding those foremost of men with their mother pensive and sadhe caused them to go into the boat that was on the Ganga, and accompaniedthem himself. Addressing them again, he said, ‘Vidura having smelt yourheads and embraced you (mentally), hath said again that in commencingyour auspicious journey and going alone you should never be careless.’

“Saying these words unto those heroic princes, the person sent by Viduratook those bulls among men over to the other side of the Ganga in hisboat. And having taken them over the water and seen them all safe on theopposite bank, he uttered the word ‘Jaya’ (victory) to their success andthen left them and returned to the place whence he had come.

“The illustrious Pandavas also sending through that person some messageto Vidura, began, after having crossed the Ganga, to proceed with hasteand in great secrecy.'”