Burning of the Lac House: Pandavas' Daring Escape from Duryodhana's Deadly Trap. Mahabharata Story Ep. 8

Stories Of India Retold

The heroic Pandava brothers face a deadly plot at the hands of their treacherous cousins, the Kauravas. Through their wisdom and unity, they outwit their enemies and make a daring escape. It all begins with the construction of a sinister house built of lac (a flammable resin) that was both their prison and their home. With a little help from their wise uncle Vidura and a talented Khanaka/miner (and inspiration from the cunning Jackal!) the Pandavas paved a way for their safety and escape. This is a tale of wisdom and survival from the great epic, the Mahabharata. The Lac house is sometimes also referred to as Wax house or Lakshagriha.

Vidura's Riddle:

"He who knows and understands that there are sharp weapons capable of cutting the body though not made of steel, can never be injured by foes. He lives who protects himself by the knowledge that neither the consumer of straw and wood nor the drier of the dew burns the inmates of a hole in the deep woods. The blind man, who cannot see his way, has no knowledge of direction. Remembering this, be upon your guard. The man who takes a weapon not made of steel given him by his foes, can escape from fire by making his abode like unto that of a jackal, which has many outlets. By wandering a man may acquire the knowledge of ways, and by the stars he can ascertain the direction, and he that keeps his five (senses) under control can never be oppressed by his enemies."

Riddle Source:

The Mahabharata, Volume I., Book 1-3 by Kisari Mohan Ganguli. (n.d.). Www.gutenberg.org. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15474/15474-h/15474-h.htm

Resources:

The Mahabharata 1: Complete and Unabridged; translated by Bibek Debroy. (2015). Penguin Random House India. (Original work published 2010) Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, August 18). Lac (resin).

Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_(resin)

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