Yudhishthira Discovers the Lac House Trap
After ten days, Purochana leads the Pandavas to a new, "blessed" house. As soon as they enter, Yudhishthira’s senses detect the trap: the air smells of fat, ghee, and lac. He realizes the house is a tinderbox built to burn them alive on Duryodhana’s orders.
After ten nights in their first house, Purochana approached the Pandavas. He told them about another house — one that was blessed, he said, though it was actually unblessed. Dressed in their fine clothes, the tigers among men followed Purochana to this new dwelling and entered at his request, like the guhyakas (celestial attendants) entering Mount Kailasha.
Yudhishthira began to inspect the place. He turned to Bhimasena. “O scorcher of enemies,” he said. “From the smell of fat and ghee mixed with lac, it is clear this house is made of inflammable materials. The evil Purochana has used trusted and well-skilled artisans to build a house with straw, bark, and cane, sprinkled all over with ghee. After winning my confidence, he wishes to burn me to death.”
The danger Vidura had cryptically warned him about in Hastinapura was now physically present, surrounding them. “O Partha,” Yudhishthira continued, “this is the danger that the immensely intelligent Vidura foresaw. Now that he has told us, we know this house to be full of danger, constructed by skilled artisans under Duryodhana’s control.”
Bhimasena’s response was direct. “If you think this house is inflammable, then let us go back to our earlier house.”
Yudhishthira had already thought past that. “I think we should live here as if we are keen and suspect nothing, and thus doomed to be destroyed. But we must find a certain way of escaping.” If Purochana deduced they were suspicious, he might act immediately. The courtier, acting on Duryodhana’s orders, would not shrink from the outrage and sin of burning them alive.
Yudhishthira weighed their grim options. If they were burnt, perhaps their grandfather Bhishma would be angry for the sake of dharma. But if they fled openly, scared of the fire, Duryodhana — avaricious for the kingdom — would simply send assassins after them. “He has position, we have none. He has allies, we have none. He has a large treasury, we have no riches. There is no doubt that he can kill us through diverse means.”
His plan took shape. “Deceiving this evil one and that evil one, Duryodhana, let us live here for some time, hiding where we go. Let us roam the earth the way hunters do, so that we become aware of all the routes that exist for escape.” The critical work would be secret, underground. “We will now secretly dig a hidden tunnel. If we can keep that a secret, the fire will not be able to destroy us. Let us live here in a way that neither Purochana nor the inhabitants of the city know what we are doing.”