Mahabharata – Panchali, Dice & Exile
Pandavas and
Kunti went into hiding, moving from one place to another and passing themselves
off as a poor brahmin family. During these wanderings, Bheem killed two demons,
married a demoness, and had a demon child called Ghatotkach. They also went for
a swayamvaram (a ceremony to choose a suitor by the Princess) at
Panchal to see the festivities. The princess Draupadi, born of fire, was famed
for her beauty and every prince from every country for miles around had come to
the swayamvaram, to win the task: a long pole on the ground had a circular
contraption spinning disc with a fish to arrow looking down into this
water-mirror. One by one, the kings and
princes tried to shoot the fish, and failed; neither could lift the bow; nor
could string it. The Kauravas and Karna were also present; Karna picked up the
bow and strung it in a moment, but was prevented from taking aim when Draupadi
declared she would not marry anyone from the Suta clan. After every one of the
royals had failed, Arjuna, the third Pandava, affixed all of the five arrows to
it, shot, and pierced the fish's eye with all of the five arrows in a single
attempt. Arjuna had won Draupadi's hand.
The Pandava
brothers, still as poor brahmins, took Draupadi back to the hut they were
staying; as reached they called for Kunti, "Ma, Ma, come and see what
we've brought back today." Kunti, said, "Whatever it is, share it
among yourselves". That is how Draupadi became Panchali. Meanwhile,
Draupadi's twin Dhrishtadyumna, following them secretly. He is a cousin brother
to Krishna and Balarama of the Yadava clan (They were related to the Pandavas -
their father was Kunti's brother - but they had never met before.) Vyasa also
arrived at the scene at this point.
After the
wedding ceremonies at Panchal, the Hastinapur palace invited the Pandavas and
their bride back; Dhritarashtra partitioned the kingdom, giving them a huge
tract of barren land which soon Pandavas transformed into a paradise.
Yudhishthira was crowned there, and he performed a sacrifice that involved all
of the kings of the land to accept - either voluntarily or by force - his
suzerainty. The new kingdom, Indraprastha, prospered.
The prosperity
of Indraprastha and the power of the Pandavas was irritating Duryodhana. He
invited Yudhisthira to a dice game and got his uncle, Shakuni, to play for him.
Shakuni was an accomplished player; Yudhishthira step by step lost his entire
wealth, his kingdom, his brothers, himself, and Panchali. Panchali was dragged
into the dice hall and was insulted. Seeing this Bheema vowed to kill each and
every Kauravas. Dhritarashtra intervened and unwillingly gave the kingdom and
their freedom back to the Pandavas and Panchali; and set them off to
Indraprastha. Duryodhana again invited Yudhishthira to another dice game; the
condition was that the loser would go on a 12-year exile followed by a year of
life incognito. If they were discovered during this incognito period to repeat
the 12+1 cycle again. In the dice game Yudhishthira lost again.
Pandavas left
mother Kunti behind at Hastinapur, in Vidura's place. They lived in forests and
visited holy spots; Arjuna went to heavens and learned the techniques of
several divine weapons from the Gods, he also learnt how to sing and dance from
the gandharvas. After 12 years, during incognito they lived in the Virat
kingdom; Yudhishthira as king's
counsellor, Bheema in the royal kitchens, Arjuna as teacher to sing and dance,
the twin-brothers to keep horses, and Panchali as maid to the queen. At the end
of the incognito - the Pandavas revealed themselves. The Virat king was
overwhelmed; his daughter Uttara got married to Arjuna's son Abhimanyu.
Next week we
shall see Mahabharata WAR.
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