"You have lost your kingdom, Yuddhistir. Now what will you stake?" Thus shouted Shakuni after winning Indraprastha in the game of dice. Little did he or Duryodhana or Karna know that Indraprastha was not the last one that would be staked.
Duryodhana had returned to Hastinapur, full of envy with Pandava's success and angry with Draupadi's insult. Shakuni devised another plan to get back at the Pandavas. As per the plan, Duryodhana convinced his father King Dhritharashtra to send Vidura to invite Yuddhistira for a game of dice. Shakuni knew that there was only one weakness in Yuddhistira and he wanted to take full advantage of it. Vidura tried to convince the king that this should not be allowed but the king was adamant due to his paternal love. Vidura visitied Indraprastha and invited Yuddhistira. He also warned Yuddhistira that this might be a treacherous plan. But Yuddhistira cited the Kshatriya code which would not allow him to refuse any challenge in a game or war.
Yuddhistira visited Hastinapur along with his brothers and Draupadi. Draupadi was menstruating and so she retreated to her chambers without meeting any of the adults.
In the recreational hall, just before the start of the game, Duryodhana disclosed that he will call the number and Shakuni will roll the dice. While discussing on this, Arjuna insults Karna as a chariooteer's son. Yuddhistira agrees to this rule and the game begins.
Gambling, as they say, blinds an intelligent man. It is, perhaps, the only game in which both the loser as well as the winner does not feel like quitting. It is this nature of a man, which might have driven the future events. Yuddhistira looses every game and stake. Arjuna and Bhima tries to stop Yuddhistira but he refuses (in the heat of the game). He stakes and looses his own kingdom. Should he as a king have done that? Is the king the owner of the kingdom or vice versa?
When instigated further by Shakuni, Yuddhistira stakes and looses all the divine weapons of his brothers. Then he stakes and looses all his brother. Then he even stakes and looses himself. Did the passion of the game make Yuddhistira insane? The very embodiment of righteousness was swaying with the flow of general human tendencies. It in a way shows that Yuddhistira's journey towards truth is still not complete. He is still to understand his own frailties and nature. He is still has to understand the path of righteousness better.
Vyasa has left this chapter as well as the next with many unanswered questions. Is it for us choose the perspective?
Duryodhana had returned to Hastinapur, full of envy with Pandava's success and angry with Draupadi's insult. Shakuni devised another plan to get back at the Pandavas. As per the plan, Duryodhana convinced his father King Dhritharashtra to send Vidura to invite Yuddhistira for a game of dice. Shakuni knew that there was only one weakness in Yuddhistira and he wanted to take full advantage of it. Vidura tried to convince the king that this should not be allowed but the king was adamant due to his paternal love. Vidura visitied Indraprastha and invited Yuddhistira. He also warned Yuddhistira that this might be a treacherous plan. But Yuddhistira cited the Kshatriya code which would not allow him to refuse any challenge in a game or war.
Yuddhistira visited Hastinapur along with his brothers and Draupadi. Draupadi was menstruating and so she retreated to her chambers without meeting any of the adults.
In the recreational hall, just before the start of the game, Duryodhana disclosed that he will call the number and Shakuni will roll the dice. While discussing on this, Arjuna insults Karna as a chariooteer's son. Yuddhistira agrees to this rule and the game begins.
Gambling, as they say, blinds an intelligent man. It is, perhaps, the only game in which both the loser as well as the winner does not feel like quitting. It is this nature of a man, which might have driven the future events. Yuddhistira looses every game and stake. Arjuna and Bhima tries to stop Yuddhistira but he refuses (in the heat of the game). He stakes and looses his own kingdom. Should he as a king have done that? Is the king the owner of the kingdom or vice versa?
When instigated further by Shakuni, Yuddhistira stakes and looses all the divine weapons of his brothers. Then he stakes and looses all his brother. Then he even stakes and looses himself. Did the passion of the game make Yuddhistira insane? The very embodiment of righteousness was swaying with the flow of general human tendencies. It in a way shows that Yuddhistira's journey towards truth is still not complete. He is still to understand his own frailties and nature. He is still has to understand the path of righteousness better.
Vyasa has left this chapter as well as the next with many unanswered questions. Is it for us choose the perspective?
I always interpreted this as Yudhitishara's strong belief in hope. Not just blind belief of winning a losing gambling match...
ReplyDeleteHi belief in hope of not having a war in future, which was inevitable... (instinctively and intuitively), led him to play on. What if the next roll of dice spares lives of hundreds of subjects and people and soldiers... ? So he played on...
In a way, he was showing his ownership over his brothers and his shared wife... He thought and knew that he can put them at stake. They will not disobey him.