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Volume I Volume II

The Gaming Table by Andrew Steinmetz

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

CHAPTER II. page 9

`Then Duryodhana was exceedingly wroth, and he said to his
father, "O Maharaja, is it not a saying that when your enemy
hath fallen down, he should be annihilated without a war? And
now that we had thrown the Pandavas to the earth, and had taken
possession of all their wealth, you have restored them all their
strength, and permitted them to depart with anger in their
hearts; and now they will prepare to make war that they may
revenge themselves upon us for all that has been done, and they
will return within a short while and slay us all: Give us
leave then, I pray you, to play another game with these Pandavas,
and let the side which loses go into exile for twelve years; for
thus and thus only can a war be prevented between ourselves and
the Pandavas." And the Maharaja granted the request of his son,
and messengers were sent to bring back the brethren; and the
Pandavas obeyed the commands of their uncle, and returned to his
presence; and it was agreed upon that Yudhishthira should play
one game more with Sakuni, and that if Yudhishthira won the
Kauravas were to go into exile, and that if Sakuni won, the
Pandavas were to go into exile; and the exile was to be for
twelve years, and one year more; and during that thirteenth year
those who were in exile were to dwell in any city they pleased,
but to keep themselves so concealed that the others should never
discover them; and if the others did discover them before the
thirteenth year was over, then those who were in exile were to
continue so for another thirteen years. So they sat down again
to play, and Sakuni had a set of cheating dice as before, and
with them he won the game.

`When Duhsasana saw that Sakuni had won the game, he danced
about for joy; and he cried out:--"Now is established the Raj of
Duryodhana." But Bhima said, "Be not elated with joy, but
remember my words: The day will come when I will drink your
blood, or I am not the son of Kunti." And the Pandavas, seeing
that they had lost, threw off their garments and put on deer-
skins, and prepared to depart into the forest with their wife and
mother, and their priest Dhaumya; but Vidura said to
Yudhishthira:--"Your mother is old and unfitted to travel, so
leave her under my care;" and the Pandavas did so. And the
brethren went out from the assembly hanging down their heads with
shame, and covering their faces with their garments; but Bhima
threw out his long arms and looked at the Kauravas furiously, and
Draupadi spread her long black hair over her face and wept
bitterly. And Draupadi vowed a vow, saying:--

` "My hair shall remain dishevelled from this day, until Bhima
shall have slain Duhsasana and drank his blood; and then he shall
tie up my hair again whilst his hands are dripping with the blood
of Duhsasana." '

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