Week 9 Story: Initiation of War

Once upon a time, near the Ganges river, King Bharata ruled over Hastinapura. The king continued the legacy with his two sons, Dhritarashtra, who was the oldest and also blind, and Pandu. King Bharata passed the throne to Pandu after his passing. Pandu and Kunti, one of his wives, had three children named Yudhisthira, Bhima, and Arjuna. Pandu and his other wife, Madri, had two children, Nakula and Sahadeva. The sons of Pandu together formed the Pandavas. They were brilliant children and highly admired, especially by Drona, the teacher of the young boys. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had a hundred sons. Duryodhana is the oldest between their hundred children, and together they are called the Kauravas. Drona's admiration towards the Pandavas sparked jealousy and envy between Duryodhana and the Pandava brothers. The tension slowly built between the Kauravas and the Pandavas because of their charming and enchanting ways. Furthermore, Duryodhana's hatred towards the Pandavas escalated when one of the brothers, Yudhishthira, was named heir of King Dhritarashtra. 

Duryodhana needed to come up with a plan to take down the Pandavas. He knew that the absence of the Pandava brothers would leave his father with no other options for favoritism, thus leaving Duryodhana as a future King. Duryodhana's urgency to throw out the Pandava's appeared desperate. He persuaded his uncle, Shakuni, to help him with his devious trickery. They agreed to invite the Pandavas over for a game of dice. Duryodhana and Shakuni sat back with relaxed shoulders because Shakuni was a master at gambling. Being into gambling himself, Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas accept the invitation. 

The game of dice was strictly between Yudhishthira and Shakuni. They began gambling smaller items like swords and bows. Tactically, Shakuni allowed Yudhishthira to win the first few games. With a handful of rupees and weapons, Yudhishthira is feeling confident in his gambling. Shakuni begins to escalate the game and persuades Yudhishthira to gamble the service of his four brothers for the service of Duryodhana's 99 brothers. Yudhishthira is manipulated into thinking the game will be an easy one. A few dice rolls later and Yudhishthira loses the rest of the Pandavas. In utter awe, Yudhishthira requests another match of dice. This time Yudhishthira bets the Pandavas wife, Draupadi, for the return of his brothers. Shakuni and Duryodhana deviously laugh as Yudhishthira was exactly where they wanted him. Just as they planned, Yudhishthira lost everything, including Draupadi. 

Now that Draupadi is under the Kaurava's wing, Duryodhana commands his brother, Dushasana, to summon Draupadi. Dushasana grabbed a firm grasp on Draupadi's hair and dragged her into the assembly hall. All of the Kaurava's were teasing the wife of the Pandavas and commanding Dushasana to strip Draupadi. He removed her clothing, but by divine power, her clothes were magically replaced as they were torn off. Duryodhana began to provoke the Pandava's and Draupadi by showing his naked thigh. Witnessing the act, Bhima took a vow to drink Dushasana's blood and to break Duryodhana's thigh as a sign of revenge. 

King Dhritarashtra was told the news of his son's despicable ways and grants Draupadi two boons. She requests to free herself and the rest of the Pandavas. Duryodhana was outraged by his fathers decision to help the Pandavas. He persuaded his father to allow another match of dice. The agreement of the last match was having the losing side spend twelve years in exile and the thirteenth year in disguise. As Yudhishthira couldn't negate the match, he agrees to compete. He lost the match and the Pandavas were escorted into exile. 

Draupadi being disrobed after Yudhisthira loses the gambling matches. Image from Wikipedia. 

Bibliography: The Indian Heroes: Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City by C. A. Kincaid. 1921

Author's Note: This retold story is from part A of The Princes of Elephant City. The Pandavas and the Kauravas are of the same family and have built tension. Like the original story from C. A. Kincaid, Duryodhana is desperately attempting to get rid of the Pandavas. The main focus behind my story was the background information over the Pandavas and Duryodhana, and the gambling match. Information behind the characters is critical because they are all descendants from the same ancestor, King Bharata. The gambling match is also critical because it caused the Pandavas twelve years in exile and one in disguise. Shakuni, Duryodhana's uncle, was the original person proposing the gambling match idea against the Kauravas. Unlike the original story, I made Duryodhana pitch the plan to emphasize his desperate will to eliminate the Pandavas.  Draupadi's humiliation and Bhima's vow were kept the same to foreshadow the Pandavas revenge.