Preface
The story of the dice game takes place in three acts. The first act ends with Shakuni’s triumph over Yudhishthira by winning all his wealth, then the Pandavas, and finally Draupadi. The second act begins with the gleefully triumphant Kauravas tormenting the Pandavas and Draupadi. The actions taken in this section humanize the Pandavas - these great heroes are humiliated in front of all the kings as they sit passively and watch Draupadi assaulted - but most of all this sets the moral context of the entire epic. The Kauravas, for all their virtues or heroism, are bad guys because they drag Draupadi by her hair and sexually assault her. Bhishma, the great war hero, dissembles and goes vacant. The Pandavas are the good guys because they never accept this mistreatment without redress. The two major works of Itihasa are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. In the Ramayana the primary female protagonist is Sita. It is on this point that the two epics diverge most significantly. Sita is a cipher. Draupadi, by contrast, fights for her freedom and chastises all the men openly in resistance. By a similar token, unlike Rama’s treatment of Sita, the Pandavas stick by Draupadi - defending attacks on her personhood not just her extension of their fame as Rama does with Sita. In this chapter we see the Pandavas struck dumb with shock at the turn of events befalling them. In the next chapter we will see further unravelling as Bhima turns on Yudhishthira in a violent rage and Arjuna moves to check Bhima. In this the decadence of the age is called out - as several characters recognize the signs of a Yuga.
Intro
Dyuta Parva is the story of the gambling match with dice.
All the chapters in this parva are available -
https://crackpot.substack.com/t/dyuta
Chapter 67 Draupadi’s Prishnam (Question)
1-2.
Vaishampayana said,
Duryodhana spat at Kshatta.
Duryodhana felt intoxicated and proud.
‘Pratikarmin,’ Duryodhana spoke in the Sabha loud.
‘Bring Draupadi to me.’
‘To Kshatta there is no need to heed.’
‘Kshatta is a coward with vicarious greed.’
3.
Pratikamin, Duryodhana’s suta (charioteer, driver) in service, crept like an animal in the night to the Pandavas residence.
Pratikamin wept like the buffalo entering the lion’s den.
4.
Pratikamin said to Draupadi,
‘Yudhisthira lost Yajnaseni at dice.
Duryodhana is yours by right.
Get dressed out of bed.
You’ve been summoned to appear before first light.’
5.
Draupadi said,
‘Pratikamin you tell me what kind of prince stakes his wife in dice?
Ask that fool king intoxicated by gambling whether he really had nothing left to bet?’
6.
Pratikamin said,
‘When he had nothing he staked the Goddess.
Now all five Pandava brothers are slaves in harness.’
7.
Draupadi said,
‘Go back to the Sabha, Suta, and demand to know.
Which of us did he first remand to a throw?’
8.
Then after knowing this answer, Suta you may bring me that miscreant.
Though I will be a queen in misery.’
9-10.
Pratikamin returned to the Sabha and repeated Draupadi.
‘Whose course fell off first in betting, the king or me?’
11.
Yudhishthira sat mute still sapped of happiness and will.
12.
Duryodhana said,
‘Panchali should ask her question in front of the assembly.
Bring Draupadi to me.’
13-14.
A troubled Pratikamin returned to the Pandavas’ residence.
Pratikamin said,
‘Come to the Sabha with me.
The Kurus destruction draws near.
Our flourishing is at an end.
Inferior law goes queer.’
15-16.
Draupadi said,
‘O’ Suta! You seem shattered and maligned.
Young and old pass in time.
It seems our Dharma has declined.
Go back to the Sabha just once and convince them that this is a crime.’
17.
The Suta left Yajnaseni and returned to the Sabha to rinse and repeat.
Draupadi’s denial of bondage to Dhritarasthra’s prince fell on deaf ears.
18.
Yudhishthira sussed out Duryodhana’s intent.
Yudhishthira sent a secret messenger to warn Draupadi of lament.
19.
‘Don’t go to the Sabha no matter who may ask.’
The messenger ran fast to discharge his task.
20.
All in the Sabha felt cold at the Pandavas’ bind.
All in the Sabah would scold Duryodhana’s mind.
21-22.
As a learned man, the Dharma King determined the Vedic injunctions may be trouble.
The great-souled Pandava felt humiliated and miserable.
23.
Yudhishthira’s mouth felt frozen on his face.
All faces in the Sabha turned down in disgrace.
24.
The Suta Pratikamin feared both the Pandavas and the Kurus’ anger equally.
Giving up his face Pratikamin begged off Duryodhana’s task meekly.
25.
Duryodhana said,
‘Duhshasana, the Suta fears Vrikodara like a brahman fears the chariot wheel.
Our enemies are under control. Bring her to heel.
26.
After hearing his brother’s words Duhshasana left with red eyes.
Trembling in rage Duhshasana dropped by to give Draupadi a surprise.
27.
‘Panchali leave modesty at the door.
Won by us now you’re a Kuru whore.’
28.
Draupadi’s heart felt sick. The color drained from her face.
The Queen covered her mouth with her hands to keep from puking in disgrace.
29.
Duhshasana roared like thunder.
Duhshasana grabbed Draupadi by her blue hair.
30.
Draupadi washed her hair with holy water and mantra.
Duhshasana’s oily hand ripped out her tiara.
31.
Duhshasana dragged Draupadi by her hair into the Sabha.
There Duhshasana presented the disheveled Panchali to the assembly of mens.
32-33.
Krishnaa’s body was bowed by force.
Draupadi protested that she was on her menses.
Yajnaseni prayed to Krishna and Jishnu and Hari and Nara for the men to come to their senses.
34.
Duhshasana said,
‘Menses or no, Yajnaseni, you are available to our desire.
Now you will wear one garment.
Having been conquered in gambling you are a servant and will live as a servant.’
35.
Draupadi’s inglorious torn hair and fallen garment suffered at Duhshasana’s disrespect.
Krishnaa spoke in a low tone to burning effect.
36-39.
Draupadi said,
‘These Indras of Kings know ceremony and scripture are all Kurus heroes.
You are wicked sick to remove my garment in front of this audience.
These are my in-laws, elders and gurus.
My beloved protectors yet they sit in silence to witness violence like zeroes.
40.
My opinion is that the spirit of the Bharata Kshatriyas must have died.
The Dynasty’s time has passed by.
41.
Drona and Bhishma are not there.
Kshatta’s great-soul went south.
To watch a Queen get dragged by her hair by an uncouth brute.
The kuru is an old man with a closed mouth.’
42.
After Draupadi spoke, waves of sorrow and anger broke.
Draupadi’s glance at her five Pandava husbands stoked their blazing rage.
43.
Deprived of Kingdom and broke as a joke.
It was Krishna’s glance that put the Pandavas in the grave.
44.
After seeing Draupadi glance at her miser hubbies, Duhshasana dragged Draupadi viciously.
Duhshasana’s laughed and called Draupadi a slave.
45.
Karna laughed and cried out in victory.
Saubala’s son Shakuni whistled through his teeth.
46.
Everyone else in the Sabha felt sick as death.
They were miserable at Krishnaa’s grief.
47-50.
Bhishma said,
‘Dharma is subtle.
I don’t want trouble.’
Yudhishthira said ‘I am won’.
Shakuni is a master at dice and Yudhishthira a novice.
I cannot speak for Kunti’s son.
To me liberation remains an open question.’
51.
Draupadi said,
‘The Sabha followed an evil-souled direction by dice.
Your evil-natured inferior intelligences engaged in vice.
52.
Kauravas in the Sabha
Please answer your daughter-in-law.’
53.
Draupaid cried for protection and tried to bargain.
Duhshasana spoke rough and sweet nothings to her chagrin.
54.
Krishnaa stood distressed in her loosened blood-red stained dress.
Vrikodara glanced with fury at Yudhishthira, his anger sparking madness.
Notes
[1] Vaishampayana ibid.
Sabha is a sacred meeting place for Kings - like a government parliament building.
[2] Kshatta is Vidura. Duryodhana is Dhritarashtra's son and the king of the Kauravas.
Pratikamin is Duryodhana's charioteer.
[12] Panchali is Draupadi.
[16] Dharma is moral duty.
[17] Yajnaseni is Draupadi.
[27] So I have 'bhajasvaa' to be ‘engaged in loving services’ as a servant.
[33] These are names of Gods and Vishnu. Hari also means yellow.
[35] Krishnaa is Draupadi. Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna is an epithet meaning dark - the held ‘aa’ denotes a feminine form.
[47] Bhishma, or Gangeya, is an interesting character to speak at this juncture. The story of Bhishma, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika is told in another Parva. Two of the women became mothers of Pandu and Dhritarashtra. The third had her life destroyed by Bhishma and eventually drowned in a river after a failed bid at revenge. Bhishma took a vow of celibacy to prevent conflict over the next heir to the throne to keep his father Shantanu’s promise to Satyavati for her offspring to rule true. Bhishma was born to Shantanu’s first wife, the Ganges.
[54] Vrikodara is Bhima