23. SAKUNI COMES IN :

AT the close of the Rajasuya, the princes,
priests and elders, who had gathered for
the purpose, took leave and returned to
their places. Vyasa also came to say
farewell. Dharmaputra rose and received
him with due respect and sat by his side.
The sage said: "O son of Kunti, you have
got the title of emperor which you
eminently deserve. May the illustrious
Kuru race gain even greater glory through
you. Give me leave to return to my
hermitage."

Yudhishthira touched the feet of his
progenitor and guru and said: "O master,
you alone can remove my apprehensions.
Wise men have predicted from portents
the happenings of catastrophic events. Has
this prediction been fulfilled by the death
of Sisupala or is more to ensue?"

Bhagavan Vyasa replied: "Dear child,
much sorrow and suffering is in store for
thirteen years to come. The portents
indicate the destruction of the Kshatriya
race and are not exhausted with the death
of Sisupala. It is far from it. Hundreds of
kings will perish, and the old order of
things will pass away. This catastrophe
will spring out of the enmity between you
and your brothers on the one side and
your cousins, the Dhritarashtras, on the
other. It will culminate in a war resulting
in practical annihilation of the Kshatriya
race. No one can go against destiny. Be
firm and steadfast in righteousness. Be
vigilant and rule the kingdom, farewell."
And Vyasa blessed Yudhishthira. Vyasa's
words filled Yudhishthira with grief and
with a great repugnance for worldly
ambition and life itself.

He informed his brothers of the prediction
of unavoidable racial disaster. Life
seemed to him a bitter and weary business
and his destiny particularly cruel and
unbearable.

Arjuna said: "You are a king and it is not
right for you to be agitated. Let us meet
destiny with an undaunted front and do
our duty."

Yudhishthira replied: "Brothers, may God
protect us and give us wisdom. For my
part, I take this vow never to speak
harshly to my brothers or to my kinsmen
for the next thirteen years. I shall avoid all
pretext for conflict. I shall never give way
to anger, which is the root cause of
enmity. It shall be my duty to give no
occasion for anger or pretext for hostility.
Thus shall we profit by Bhagavan Vyasa's
warning." His brothers expressed cordial
assent.

The first event of the series which
culminated in the devastating slaughter on
the blood-sodden field of Kurukshetra and
the event which was the evil root of all,
was the gambling match into which
Yudhishthira was inveigled by Sakuni,
who was Duryodhana's evil genius.
Why did the wise and good Yudhishthira
suffer himself to be persuaded to this step
which he must have known to hold evil
possibilities?

The main cause was his fixed resolve to
be on amicable terms with his cousins by
not opposing their wishes. And a friendly
invitation to dice could not be summarily
turned down, since the etiquette of those
days made it a point of honor to accept a
game of equal hazard.

Out of his very anxiety to foster goodwill,
he laid open the field for the poisonous
seed of hatred and death. Here is an
illustration of the futility of human plans,
however well meant or wise, without
divine aid. Our best wisdom is vain
against fate, and if destiny is kind, our
very follies turn to our advantage.
While Dharmaputra was care-worn with
solicitude to avoid a quarrel at all costs,
Duryodhana was burning with jealousy at
the thought of the prosperity of the
Pandavas that he had witnessed in their
capital during the Rajasuya sacrifice.
Duryodhana saw unprecedented wealth,
attractive and sight eluding crystal doors
and many pieces of exquisite artistry in
the court-hall of Yudhishthira, all
suggestive of great prosperity.

He also saw how glad the kings of many
countries were to become the allies of the
Pandavas. This gave him unbearable grief.
He was so absorbed in sorrow at the
prosperity of the Pandavas that he did not
at first hear Sakuni who was by his side,
speaking to him.

Sakuni asked: "Why are you sighing?
Why are you tormented with sorrow?"
Duryodhana replied: "Yudhishthira,
surrounded by his brothers, is like Indra,
the king of gods. Before the very eyes of
the assembled kings Sisupala was slain
and not one of them had the courage to
come forward to avenge him. Like the
vaisyas who live by trade, they bartered
their honor and jewels and riches for
Yudhishthira's goodwill. How can I avoid
giving way to grief after seeing all this?
What is the good of living?"

Sakuni said: "O Duryodhana, the
Pandavas are your brothers. It is not right
on your part to be jealous of their
prosperity. They are but enjoying their
legitimate inheritance. By their good
fortune they have prospered and
flourished without doing any injury to
others. Why should you be jealous? How
can their strength and happiness diminish
your greatness? Your brothers and
relations stand by you and obey you.
Drona, Ashwatthama and Karna are on
your side. Why do you grieve when
Bhishma, Kripa, Jayadratha, Somadatta
and myself are your supporters? You can
conquer even the whole world. Do not
give way to grief."

At these words, Duryodhana said: "O
Sakuni, it is true that I have so many to
support me. Why should we not wage war
and drive the Pandavas out of
Indraprastha?"

But Sakuni said: "No. That will not be
easy, but I know a way to drive
Yudhishthira out of Indraprastha without a
fight or the shedding of blood."

The eyes of Duryodhana lighted up, but it
seemed too good to be true. He asked
incredulously: "Uncle, is it possible to
overcome the Pandavas without
sacrificing any life? What is your plan?"

Sakuni replied: "Yudhishthira is fond of
the game of dice and being unskillful is
altogether ignorant of its tricks and the
opportunity it offers to cleverer people. If
we invite him to a game, he would accept,
following the tradition of the kshatriyas. I
know the tricks of the game and I shall
play on your behalf. Yudhishthira will be
helpless as a child against me. I shall win
his kingdom and wealth for you without
shedding a drop of blood."