Online Casino Players.com

Home / History / Gambling among the ancient hindoos. A hindoo legend and its modern parallel
Volume I Volume II

The Gaming Table by Andrew Steinmetz

I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV

GAMBLING AMONG THE ANCIENT HINDOOS.--A HINDOO LEGEND AND ITS MODERN PARALLEL

CHAPTER II. page 8

`Then she cast her eye upon the Pandavas, and her glance was like
the stabbing of a thousand daggers, but they moved not hand or
foot to help her; for when Bhima would have stepped forward to
deliver her from the hands of Duhsasana, Yudhishthira commanded
him to forbear, and both he and the younger Pandavas were obliged
to obey the command of their elder brother.

`And when Duhsasana saw that Draupadi looked towards the
Pandavas, he took her by the hand, and drew her another way,
saying:--"Why, O slave, are you turning your eyes about you?"
And when Karna and Sakuni heard Duhsasana calling her a slave,
they cried out:--"Well said! well said!"

`Then Draupadi wept very bitterly, and appealed to all the
assembly, saying:--"All of you have wives and children of your
own, and will you permit me to be treated thus? I ask you one
question, and I pray you to answer it.' Duhsasana then broke in
and spoke foul language to her, and used her rudely, so that her
veil came off in his hands. And Bhima could restrain his wrath
no longer, and spoke vehemently to Yudhishthira; and Arjuna
reproved him for his anger against his elder brother, but Bhima
answered:--"I will thrust my hands into the fire before these
wretches shall treat my wife in this manner before my eyes."

`Then Duryodhana said to Draupadi:--"Come now, I pray you, and
sit upon my thigh!" And Bhima gnashed his teeth, and cried out
with a loud voice:--"Hear my vow this day! If for this deed I
do not break the thigh of Duryodhana, and drink the blood of
Duhsasana, I am not the son of Kunti!"

`Meanwhile the Chieftain Vidura had left the assembly, and
told the blind Maharaja Dhritarashtra all that had taken place
that day; and the Maharaja ordered his servants to lead him into
the pavilion where all the Chieftains were gathered together.
And all present were silent when they saw the Maharaja, and the
Maharaja said to Draupadi:--"O daughter, my sons have done evil
to you this day: But go now, you and your husbands, to your own
Raj, and remember not what has occurred, and let the memory of
this day be blotted out for ever." So the Pandavas made haste
with their wife Draupadi, and departed out of the city of
Hastinapur.

Page 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19