Lakshagrah or the House of Lac

Posted by Harsh Nevatia Aug 23, 2008

Yudhishthir had been appointed heir or Yuvaraja of Hastinapura. This angered Duryodhan and Shakuni. As a part of his duties Yudhishthir was to go to Varnavat, a kingdom outpost, to participate in religious festivities. Shakuni had a palace built there so that the Pandavas and their mother Kunti could stay in comfort. But he had the walls lined with lac so that the entire palace would light up with a single spark.

Vidur learnt of this plan but instead of exposing it there and then he put a counter plan in motion. He had an escape route built and told the Pandavas to set fire to the Lakshagrah themselves before leaving it. The Pandavas, presumed dead, were then to remain incognito till Vidur gave the signal.

What was Vidur hoping to gain? He knew that he would not be able to pin this intended criminal act on either Duryodhan or Shakuni. Some scapegoat would pay with his life. This was true but those who mattered would have read between the lines. Vidur thought that Duryodhan’s power-grabbing behavior after the event would betray his ambitions. But this was thought normal because he was now the only and rightful heir. Vidur thought that the Pandavas were not safe in the court till Duryodhan was exposed. But Duryodhan was not exposed and the Pandavas suffered at his hands after their eventual return.

And the Pandavas lost a lot. Yudhishthir was heir and would have become ruler of the entire kingdom after Dhritarashtra. Because of Vidur’s mistake he had to be contend with half the kingdom because the kingdom was therefore bifurcated when the Pandavas returned to court. Thus Yudhishthir lost half the kingdom. And the hardships that the Pandavas had to bear while living incognito were further pains that accrued from Vidur’s mistake.