The three flames rise from the sacred fire, and above them gather the vision of the honoured sage Vyasa, thin and blue as the Lord, who by the injunctions of Bhishma and of his own mother became the father of three boys—like the three fires—by the two wives of Vichitra-virya. Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, the heirs of Kuru, stand reverent in the golden glade, their faces as yet unrevealed; and the Rishi, his palm-leaf and stylus in hand, fades gently into the forest light, returning to his recluse abode.
Ugrasrava Sauti — the young Purana-reciter, bearing the great history forward.
Vyasa (Krishna-Dwaipayana) — the blue Rishi who raises the house of Kuru and sets the Bharata in motion.
Dhritarashtra, Pandu & Vidura — the three heirs, like the three fires, their faces still veiled in golden light.