Section 8: The Dice Game and Draupadī's Humiliation
After the grand success of the Rājasūya sacrifice, Yudhiṣṭhira's glory spread far and wide. The Pāṇḍavas stood at the height of their power, admired by allies and feared by rivals. But with prosperity came envy. Duryodhana, still burning from the insult at Indraprastha and humiliated by Draupadī's laughter, sought a way to ruin his cousins once and for all. His scheming uncle Śakuni, a master of dice and deceit, devised a plan that would exploit Yudhiṣṭhira's one weakness—his fondness for gambling.
Under the pretense of brotherhood, Dhṛtarāṣṭra invited the Pāṇḍavas to Hastināpura for a friendly game of dice. Though Vidura warned them of treachery, Yudhiṣṭhira felt bound by royal duty to accept the invitation. Thus began the fateful game that would alter the destiny of the dynasty.
The match was between Yudhiṣṭhira and Śakuni, who rolled the dice on behalf of Duryodhana. But the dice were enchanted; they always obeyed Śakuni's will. One by one, Yudhiṣṭhira wagered his wealth, his jewels, his lands, and his kingdom—only to lose them all. Blinded by the compulsion of the game, he gambled away Indraprastha itself. Still, the dice rolled on.
Desperate, Yudhiṣṭhira next staked his brothers, and one by one, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva were declared slaves to the Kauravas. At last, he gambled Draupadī, the very queen of the Pāṇḍavas, and lost. In a moment of horror, Draupadī—unaware of what had transpired—was dragged into the assembly hall by Duḥśāsana, Duryodhana's brother.
What followed was one of the most shameful scenes in the epic. In front of the elders of the Kuru court, Draupadī was mocked and insulted. Duryodhana, consumed by arrogance, even invited her to sit on his thigh. Duḥśāsana attempted to strip her of her garments, but Draupadī, in utter helplessness, prayed to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Miraculously, her sari became endless—no matter how much Duḥśāsana pulled, it never ended. Exhausted and humiliated, he collapsed, but Draupadī's dignity was preserved by divine intervention.
The court sat in shameful silence. Only Vidura and Bhīṣma raised voices of protest, but bound by politics, they could do little. Draupadī challenged the assembly with a piercing question: how could Yudhiṣṭhira stake her after losing himself? None could answer.
Finally, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, fearing divine wrath and desiring peace, granted Draupadī a boon. She chose the freedom of her husbands, but refused personal wealth or revenge. The Pāṇḍavas were restored. Yet Duryodhana's fury remained unquenched, and another game of dice was arranged. Again Yudhiṣṭhira lost, and this time the penalty was harsher: the Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī were condemned to thirteen years of exile, the last year to be spent in disguise.
Thus, through deceit and dishonor, the princes were cast out once more, and the fire of vengeance burned brighter than ever in Draupadī's heart.