Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B


Indian game of Parchisi. Source: Wikimedia

The Gambling Match, from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie.

Duryodhana is very envious of the Pandavas and all of their success and glory.  He was particularly jealous of Indraprastha's amazing palace and the splendor and glory achieved by Yudhishthira.  A prince named Shakuni, who happens to be a really good gambler with the help of some loaded dice, makes a proposition to Duryodhana to take down Yudhishthira.  Shakuni tells Duryodhana that Yudhishthira is a big gambler, but he doesn't know really how to play it.  He says he will beat Yudhishthira in a match and win his kingdom and bring him shame.  They plot to hold a gambling tournament and invite Yudhishthira and his family.  Yudhishthira is weary of the warning, but decides he cannot refuse and agrees to go to the festival.  When Yudhishthira arrived, he was challenged by Duryodhana, staking jewels and gold, but saying Shakuni would play for him. Yudhishthira thinks it is a bit weird, but accepts the challenge anyway.  Yudhishthira then began to lose everything he owned to Duryodhana.  All of his wealth, his slaves, his lands, and even himself was not his anymore.  He played one last time and bid Draupadi.  He lost and Duryodhana tells one of his servents to go retrieve her to become a slave. 

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