After visiting and participating
in the Rajasooya yaga of Yudhishtra , Duryodhana was crest fallen with jealousy
as he had seen the huge accumulation of wealth, assets, ornaments, jewelries etc of the Pandavas and the respect they have
from other kings and the number of friends they had. So he was sad and worried
and sat brooding over it.
His uncle Sakuni came to console
him to whom Duryodhana expressed his fears of the Pandavas becoming extremely
powerful and rule the world. Sakuni consoled him saying that he need not worry
as he had the support and help of Drona, Aswathama, Bheeshma, Kirupar and other
relatives including himself and hence he was not to worry. He also told him that
if not by force, the Pandavas could be defeated by deceit and could be driven out of Indraprastha and
it could be taken over by Duryodhana without any war.
Listening to this Duryodhana was
impressed and with ecstasy asked Sakuni how this could be achieved?
Sakuni replied that Yudhistra did
not know to play ‘Sadhuranga’ (CHESS PLAY) and Sakuni
was an expert in it. So they could call Yudhishtra for playing Sadhuranga, ask him to bet all his wealth and state
and even his brothers and wife. Sakuni offered to play the game for Duryodhana.
So both uncle and nephew went to
Dhirdhrashtra and apprised him about the plan of calling the Pandavas for a
gamble play. Initially Dhirthrashtra was not willing to agree for such low and
unjustified plan but he finally agreed after Sakuni and Duryodhana persuaded
him after their assurance of fair play in the game. Finally Dhirthurashtra
agreed to their plan and invite. Pandava Yudhishtra for playing the
Sadhuranga game.
Vidhura objected to this and
protested against this to Dhirdhrashtra but as usual his protest was ignored. Vidhura was asked to go to Yudhishtra to
invite him to play Sadhuranga game , representing Dhirdhrashtra.
Vidhura was received with all respects he was due and given a high
seat and after he has taken rest Yudhishtra asked him whether all the relatives
and others in Hastinapuram were keeping
good health. Vidhura said they were all fine and that he had come to invite
Yudhishtra for a game of Sadhuranga. Even though Yudhishtra was concerned about
playing such a game, it was not proper to refuse a call from one King to
another one and as such he accepted to play the game.
So he and his brothers with all their ministerial paraphernalia went to
Hastinapuram. They were received by Sakuni and Duryodhana and given all
facilities to rest and enjoy their stay. Later Yudhishtra was called by Sakuni
to play the game as everything was kept ready for playing.
All sat down to play and then
Duryodhana said that he would not play and on his behalf Sakuni would play . Initially Yudhishtra was taken aback by this announcement but finally
agreed to play.
They started playing and
Yudhishtra was loosing his jewels, diamonds, horses, palaces etc and finally
lost all his belongings. Then he pledged Bheem, Arjun, and Nakul and Sahadev one by one.
He lost them also. He lost himself. Finally he had nothing to pledge but Duryodhana
told him to pledge Panchali or Draupathi and as told by them Yudhishtra lost her also.
Duryodhana asked
Vidhura to go and bring Draupadi to the hall. But Vidhura was so angry he
scolded Duryodhana that he was doing a
great sin and that Yudhishtra had no right to pledge Draupadi as he had lost the game and became
a slave of Duryodhana and he had lost his right to pledge her. Then Duryodhana asked his charioteer Prathikami to go and bring Draupadi to the
court of the King Dhirdhrashtra. Prathikami went to Draupadi and asked her to
come to the court explaining her the reason for that.
Then Draupadi asked him to go ask her Husband Yudhistra ‘whether he pledged himself or his wife Draupadi first?
Prathikami went back to the court
and asked Yudhishtra the question Draupadi asked him to ask Yudhishtra.
Yudhishtra did not reply.
Then Duryodhana asked him to go back to Draupadi and
asked her to come to the court. Prathikami again went to Draupadi and asked her to come to court hall.
When Prathikami said that Yudhishtra had not replied Draupadi asked him to go back to the court and ask
the members of the court the same question. So he went back to the court and
asked that question.
Duryodhana got angry and scolded him and told his brother
Dushchadhana to go and bring Draupadi to the court. Dushchadhana went to her
and caught her by her hair and dragged her to the court in spite of Draupadi telling
him that she could not enter the court as she was on her monthly 'periods'. He did not listen to her and dragged her to the court hall.
Draupadi looked at all the great
ministers, teachers and others and demanded to know how she could be pledged by
Yudhishtra when he himself was pledged and defeated in the game. Vikarnan, a
brother of Duryodhana was the only one to get up and support her but was
silenced by Karna. Duryodhana shouted at her to come and sit on his lap.
Listening to this Bheem swore in a loud voice that he would kill Duryodhana by
hitting at his thighs and drink his blood.Duryodhana asked Dushchdhana to disrobe Draupadi. Dushchdhana started pulling her sari with which she was
draped.
Draupadi prayed to Lord Krishna to save her from this insult and shame
and wonder of wonder the sari Dushchadhana was pulling out of her was coming
endlessly still covering Draupadi. Dushchadhana became tired pulling her sari as it was coming out endlessly and became weak and left it and sat down.
Bheem
got up and swore again that he would kill Dushchadhana and that he would tear his heart away after
killing him and drink his blood.
Hearing all this Dhirdhrashtra
was terrified and knew that his family and sons were going to be killed and
destroyed by the Pandavas. He stopped all this and returned all that Sakuni won back to Yudhishtra.
But
the Pandavas did not accept it and again wanted to play in spite of all the
people present there telling them to avoid gambling again except the Kauravas and played the game again on the
condition that ‘the defeated should leave the state and had to live in the
jungles for twelve years and one year incognito." Yudhishtra again played and
lost and had to leave everything except his brothers and wife and had to be
away for thirteen years.
They left for the Jungles with
people going after them crying and cursing the Kauravas.
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