Gambling Match of Mahabharat
'Like a stone on a sling we are hurled, seemingly helplessly, round and round in a circle by destiny. What choice a situation offers only one in a million recognizes, for as brilliant light blinds
the eye, destiny clouds our vision.'
When Yudhishtar received his cousin Duryodhan's invitation to a gambling game he answered in an affirmative. YES, he said. He knew Duryodhan was burning with envy and wanted to humble him and his brothers. He also knew that Shakuni will play for the Kauravas, and he is a cunning trickster.
Sports gambling mohegan sun tickets. The mahabharata is an account of a fight over the rights to a kingdom between that two groups? Do the pandavas or kauravas lose everything in a gambling match. Another benefit of playing free casino slots games at Gambling Match Mahabharata Slotomania are our special perks: from free spins to bonus rounds, making your Gambling Match Mahabharata game even more enthralling. This product is intended for use by those 21 or older for amusement Gambling Match Mahabharata purposes only. Shlokas 65-100: Summary of Mahabharata up to the gambling match Shlokas 100-160: Second summary of events in the Mahabharata by Dhritarashtra up to the killing by Ashvatthama of Parikshit in the womb. Shlokas 160-190: Sanjaya admonishes the mourning Dhritarashtra. Shlokas 190-210: Glorification of the Mahabharata and the reward of reading the.
Further, Yudhishtar was clearly warned by his uncle Vidur and others that the game he was being invited to was no mere game. It had a sinister motive. His brothers told him he was walking into a snare. Yet Yudhishtar accepted the invitation saying that a kshatriya never turns down a challenge. Was it destiny? At seems destiny did have a hand in it.
Hundreds of dignitaries were invited and accommodated in comfortable specially crafted sofas around the arena. King Dhritrashtra, patriarch Bhishma, guru Vishwamitra, as well as other important leaders and members of the clan were present and seated in places appropriate to their ranks. The public too was invited to this shameful chess of destiny with pawns from the royal family.
Yudhishtar lost the first two throws, when he also lost the third; he complained that Shakuni was cheating. But he was cleverer in talking even than in cheating. Like today's lawyers he fooled and subdued everyone. The game continued. Duryodhan's men were suggesting stakes to the rapidly losing Pandava. He lost villages, cities, gold, his brothers, himself, and finally Draupadi.
Bhim and Arjun were furious; they muttered oaths. The elders saw what was going on. Vidur talked into the king's ear. Bhishma was stunned. The air was ominous. Foundations of a ruinous conflict were being laid. Even the ordinary people could guess trouble.
Duryodhan was warned, 'Please stop. You know the dice are loaded. If you go on cheating beyond limits antagonism will reach flash point and total destruction will follow.' Duryodhan knew this well but he was too jubilant to listen. He said, 'This is a game we have played since ancient times. One side always loses. Today, thank God, we are winning. Do you want me to be sorry for that? No, I cannot be sorry, for I am glad. We are lucky the Pandava are not. What can I do?'
As we know the game ended badly. Duryodhan's brother Dushasan and his friend Karan misbehaved to the extent of insulting Draupadi in public. Arjun and Bhim vowed in the full assembly to avenge the insults. The ground for the great Kurukshetra war was laid.
The Gambling Match Mahabharata Summary 2
Bhishma was angry. Dhritrashtra was asked to declare the game null and void and invalidate all gains and losses. Pandava were set free. But destiny was not deterred. The Kauravas did not learn any lessons. They continued to feed the flames of discord, and in the end the big war had to be fought.Have we learned? Thousands of years later, today, nations (and social divisions within them) are playing the same game. Powerful industrialized nations are winning and the rest are losing all the time. Obviously the dice are loaded as they were then. Otherwise, in a game of chance how can one side win all the time?
Conflicts are increasing and violence spreading like wild fire. Wise men and women caution us that due to lack of socio-economic justice the entire human race is in danger, but are we listening? Can we do something? Or is it again destiny?
January 15, 2005
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(Nalopakhyana Parva)
Janamejaya said, 'When the high-souled Partha went to Indra's region for obtaining weapons, what did Yudhishthira and the other sons of Pandu do?'
Vaisampayana said, 'When the high-souled Partha went to Indra's region for obtaining weapons, those bulls of the Bharata race continued
to dwell with Krishna in (the woods of) Kamyaka. One day, those foremost of the Bharatas, afflicted with grief, were seated with Krishna on a clean and solitary sward. Grieving for Dhananjaya, overwhelmed with sorrow, their voices were choked with weeping. Tortured by Dhananjaya's absence, grief afflicted them equally. And filled with sorrow at their separation from Arjuna and at the loss of their kingdom, the mighty-armed Bhima among them addressed Yudhishthira, saying, 'That Bull of the Bharata race, Arjuna, O great king, on whom depend the lives of Pandu's sons, and on whose death the Panchalas as also ourselves with our sons and Satyaki and Vasudeva are sure to die, hath gone away at thy behest. What can be sadder than this that the virtuous Vibhatsu hath gone away at thy command, thinking of his many griefs? Depending upon the might of that illustrious hero's arms, regard our foes as already vanquished in battle, and the whole earth itself as already acquired by us. It was for the sake of that mighty warrior that I refrained from sending to the other world all the Dhartarashtras along with the Suvalas, in the midst of the assembly. Gifted with might of arms, and supported by Vasudeva, we have to suppress the wrath that hath been roused in us, because thou art the root of that wrath. Indeed, with Krishna's help, slaying our foes headed by Karna, we are able to rule the entire earth (thus) conquered by our own arms. Endued with manliness, we are yet overwhelmed with calamities, in consequence of thy gambling vice, while the foolish null of Dhritarashtra are growing stronger with the tributes (gathered from dependent kings). O mighty monarch, it behoveth thee to keep in view the duties of the Kshatriya. O great king, it is not the duty of a Khsatriya to live in the woods. The wise are of the opinion that to rule is the foremost duty of a Kshatriya. O king, thou art conversant with Kshatriya morality. Do not, therefore, deviate from the path of duty. Turning away from the woods, let us, summoning Partha and Janardana, slay, O king, the sons of Dhritarashtra, even before the twelve years are complete. O illustrious monarch O king of kings, even if these Dhartarashtras be surrounded by soldiers in array of battle, I shall send them to the other world by dint of might alone. I shall slay all the sons of Dhritarashtra along with the Sauvalas, indeed, Duryodhana, Karna, and any one else that will fight with me. And after I shall have slain all our foes, thou mayst come back unto the woods. By acting thus, O king, no fault will be thine. (Or if any sin be thine), O represser of foes, O mighty monarch, washing it off, O sire, by various sacrifices, we may ascend to a superior heaven. Such a consummation may come to pass, if our king proveth not unwise or procrastinating. Thou art, however, virtuous. Verily the deceitful should be destroyed by deceit. To slay the deceitful by deceit, is not regarded as sinful. O Bharata, it is, also said by those versed in morality that one day and night is, O great prince, equal unto a full year. The Veda text also,
exalted one, is often heard, signifying that a year is equivalent to a day when passed in the observance of certain difficult vows. O thou of unfading glory, if the Vedas are an authority with thee, regard thou the period of a day and something more as the equivalent of thirteen years. O represser of foes, this is the time to slay Duryodhana with his adherents. Else, O king, he will beforehand bring the whole earth obedient to his will. O foremost of monarchs, all this is the result of thy addiction to gambling. We are on the verge of destruction already, in consequence of thy promise of living one year undiscovered. I do not find the country where, if we live, the wicked-minded Suyodhana may not be able to trace us by his spies. And finding us out, that wretch will again deceitfully send us into such exile in the woods. Or if that sinful one beholdeth us emerge, after the expiry of the pledged period of non-discovery, he will again invite thee, O great king, to dice, and the play will once more begin. Summoned once more, thou wilt again efface thyself at dice. Thou art not skilled at dice, and when summoned at play, thou wilt be deprived of thy senses. Therefore, O mighty monarch thou wilt have to lead a life in the woods again. If, O mighty king, it behoveth thee not to make us wretched for life, observe thou fully the ordinance of the Vedas, (which inculcateth that) verily the deceitful ought to be slain by deceit. If I but have thy command I would go (to Hastinapura) and, even as fire falling upon a heap of grass consumeth it, would slay Duryodhana, putting forth my utmost might. It behoveth thee, therefore, to grant me the permission.'
Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Bhima, king Yudhishthira the just, smelt the crown of that son of Pandu, and pacifying him said, 'O mighty-armed one, without doubt, thou wilt, assisted by the wielder of the Gandiva, slay Suyodhana at the expiry of the thirteenth year. But, O son of Pritha, as for thy assertion, 'O Lord, the time is complete', I cannot dare tell an untruth, for untruth is not in me. O son of Kunti, without the help of fraud, wilt thou kill the wicked and irrepressible Duryodhana, with his allies.'
'While Yudhishthira the just, was speaking unto Bhima thus, there came the great and illustrious Rishi Vrihadaswa before them. And beholding that virtuous ascetic before him, the righteous king worshipped him according to the ordinance, with the offering of Madhuparka. And when the ascetic was seated and refreshed, the mighty-armed Yudhishthira sat by him, and looking up at the former, addressed him thus in exceedingly piteous accents:
'O holy one, summoned by cunning gamblers skilled at dice, I have been deprived of wealth and kingdom through gambling. I am not an adept at dice, and am unacquainted with deceit. Sinful men, by unfair means, vanquished me at play. They even brought into the public assembly my wife dearer unto me than life itself. And defeating me a
second time, they have sent me to distressful exile in this great forest, clad in deer skins. At present I am leading a distressful life in the woods in grief of heart. Those harsh and cruel speeches they addressed me on the occasion of that gambling match, and the words of my afflicted friends relating to the match at dice and other subjects, are all stored up in my remembrance. Recollecting them I pass the whole night in (sleepless) anxiety. Deprived also (of the company) of the illustrious wielder of the Gandiva, on whom depend the lives of us all, I am almost deprived of life. Oh, when shall I see the sweet-speeched and large-hearted Vibhatsu so full of kindness and activity, return to us, having obtained all weapons? Is there a king on this earth who is more unfortunate than myself? Hast thou ever seen or heard of any such before? To my thinking, there is no man more wretched than I am.'
The Gambling Match Mahabharata Summary Pdf
'Vrihadaswa said, 'O great king, O son of Pandu, thou sayest, 'There is no person more miserable than I am' O sinless monarch, if thou wilt listen, I will relate unto thee the history of a king more wretched than thyself?
Vaisampayana continued, 'And thereupon the king said unto the ascetic, 'O illustrious one, tell me, I desire to hear the history of the king who had fallen into such a condition.'
'Vrihadaswa said, 'O king, O thou that never fallest off, listen attentively with thy brothers, I will narrate the history of a prince more miserable than thyself. There was a celebrated king among the Nishadhas, named Virasena. He had a son named Nala, versed in (the knowledge of) virtue and wealth. It hath been heard by us that, that king was deceitfully defeated by Pushkara, and afflicted with calamity, he dwelt in the woods with his spouse. And, O king, while he was living in the forest, he had neither slaves nor cars, neither brother nor friends with him. But thou art surrounded by thy heroic brothers like unto the celestials, and also by foremost regenerate ones like unto Brahma himself. Therefore, it behoveth thee not to grieve.' Trada casino no deposit bonus.
The Gambling Match Mahabharata Summary 3
'Yudhishthira said, 'I am anxious to hear in detail, O thou foremost of eloquent men, the history of the illustrious Nala. It behoveth thee therefore to relate it unto me.'
The Gambling Match Mahabharata Summary 1
Next: Section LIII