Vidura Arrives at Kamyaka and is Welcomed

Vidura decided to meet the Pandavas. He was the half-brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu — born of a servant woman, wise beyond any man in the Kuru court, and loyal to the truth even when it cost him. He had watched the dice game from the sidelines, had spoken against it, had been ignored. Now the Pandavas were in exile, and Vidura could not stay silent any longer. He climbed into a single chariot and drove toward the Kamyaka forest. The horses were swift. The road was long. Vidura held the reins and thought about what he would say — and what he had already said, in the court of Hastinapura, to a king who would not listen. He reached the forest and saw them: Yudhishthira seated in a secluded spot, Draupadi beside him, his brothers gathered around, brahmanas nearby. The scene was simple, almost austere — no palace, no throne, no servants beyond those who had chosen to follow. From a distance, Yudhishthira saw the chariot. He recognized Vidura's form, the speed of his approach. And instead of relief, he felt a knot tighten in his chest. He turned to Bhimasena. "What will Kshatta say when he meets us? Is it possible that he comes again at Soubala's words, to challenge me once more to a gamble with dice? Does the mean Shakuni wish to win our weapons by playing once again with dice? O Bhimasena! If challenged by anyone, I am unable to refuse. Yet if the Gandiva is uncertain, our winning back the kingdom is uncertain." The Gandiva — Arjuna's great bow, gifted by the god Agni, the bow that could fire a thousand arrows in a single breath. If Shakuni had sent Vidura to lure Yudhishthira into another game, and if the stakes included the Gandiva, then everything they had left could vanish in an afternoon. But Vidura was not Shakuni's messenger. The Pandavas stood up as one and welcomed him. They offered him water, a seat, the full honors due to an elder of the Kuru house. After the due homage had been shown, Ajamidha — Vidura, named for his lineage — sat down among the sons of Pandu and made the usual enquiries: how they were faring, whether they had enough to eat, whether the forest treated them well. The formalities were observed. But everyone in that clearing knew that Vidura had not come only to ask after their health.