In this episode of Mahabharata the infamous dice game is played.
At first, Duryodhan states that Shakuni will roll the dice for him. Arjun objects, claiming that a true Kshatriya must roll his own dice in these games. Duryodhan makes a scene and threatens to forfeit the game and walk out. Yudhistir stupidly grants Duryodhan his wish, probably having let his earlier victory over Shakuni go to his head. And then, just as Shakuni predicted, Vidhur insists that Shakuni play with Duryodhan’s dice. Arjun once again inadvertently tries to save the day by suggesting that Shakuni play with his “own” (ordinary) dice, but Yudhistir once again stupidly permits Shakuni to play with Duryodhan’s dice - which are actually Shakuni’s special dice.
And the game begins. Yudhistir stakes a necklace and allows Shakuni to roll first, since Duryodhan is younger. Shakuni’s special dice ensures that he always gets his desired number, and can continue playing without Yudhistir getting even a single turn. Yudhistir loses his necklace, then stakes a hundred thousand gold coins, then a thousand maids, a thousand elephants, his personal chariot, and then his kingdom’s entire wealth. He loses them all. Yudhistir then stakes his kingdom - and loses it too.
Then, Yudhistir does the unthinkable - he stakes his brothers. First, he loses Nakul, then Sahadev, then Arjun, then Bhim, to Duryodhan’s delight. Yudhistir then stakes himself - and loses. The Pandavas are now all Duryodhan’s slaves. Duryodhan on the advice of Karna forces the now destitute Yudhistir to stake the only thing he has left - his wife Draupadi. And, predictably, he loses her too. Draupadi is now Duryodhan’s maid servant.
Vidhur can’t take this anymore and loudly berates Duryodhan, while imploring Dhritharashtra to banish his evil son from the kingdom for good. Duryodhan threatens to behead Vidhur instead, if he doesn’t go and fetch the newest maid servant Draupadi. When Vidhur refuses, a palace guard is sent instead.
The palace guard tearfully informs Draupadi of the events of the game and informs her that as Duryodhan’s maid servant she is to break her seclusion and appear before Duryodhan as is. Draupadi sends him back stating that she wants to know if she was staked before or after Yudhistir staked himself and lost.
Tropes found here are
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: What starts out as a simple bet over a necklace or a few gold ornaments descends into this kind of game, where a hundred thousand gold coins, then a thousand maids, a thousand elephants, his personal chariot, and then his kingdom’s entire wealth is staked. Yudhistir loses them all. Yudhistir then stakes his kingdom - and loses it too.
- And what is this “dice game” that they are playing? It is a modified version of the Indian board game “Pacheesi” known to the West as “Sorry” or “Trouble”. Instead of each player taking turns and moving the pieces according to the number thrown, they guess the number that they will throw and if they guess correctly, they just keep playing, denying the other side their turn.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Duryodhan wins everything - Indraprasth, its wealth, it’s subjects, and even the Pandavas themselves. The Pandavas are now enslaved, as is Draupadi.
- Berserk Button: Vidhur launches into an angry tirade when Duryodhan and Karna force Yudhistir to stake Draupadi.
- The Ditz: Yudhistir had many opportunities to walk away with everything intact. He stupidly chose not to take them.
- Duryodhan insists on letting Shakuni play for him. Yes, the same Shakuni who had conspired to kill them earlier. Did Yudhistir really think the crafty old man wouldn’t be up to treachery again? When Arjun, Vidhur and Bhishma object to Shakuni playing for Duryodhan, Duryodhan threatens to walk away and forfeit. That could have been it! Yudhistir just had to shut his mouth, let Duryodhan walk away, and he would have emerged from this game victorious, with his honor intact. Shakuni’s plot would have been foiled again. But No! Yudhistir had to “accommodate” his younger insolent cousin.
- Yudhistir had the opportunity to accept defeat after the first game, with just one necklace lost, and walk away. But he thinks that playing on and trying to win it back is the “honorable” thing to do. No, Yudhistir, you’re not being honorable, you are behaving like an addict.
- After losing Indraprasth, Yudhistir could have declared defeat and walked away. Sure, he is no longer a king, but he could have still lived with his brothers and Draupadi as princes in Hastinapur’s palace. But Yudhistir is now deep in the throes of addiction so he cannot quit.
- Evil Gloating / Evil Laugh : Duryodhan does this every time he wins something.
- Fixing the Game: Shakuni uses special dice which always land on the number he desires. He uses this to win the dice game over and over.
- The Gambler: Shakuni is a crafty one.
- The Gambling Addict / Descent into Addiction: Yudhistir loses the first dice game, and thereby just a necklace. Vidhur states that the initial game Yudhistir was invited to play was played and lost, so everyone should move on. But Shakuni and Duryodhan goad Yudhistir into playing game after game, raising the stakes, but with the enticement of possibly winning everything back. This leads to Yudhistir’s utter ruination.
- Loophole Abuse: Draupadi asks if she was staked before or after Yudhistir staked himself and lost. She is looking to claim that if Yudhistir lost his own freedom, he had no right to stake his wife.
- Lost Him in a Card Game: Yudhistir stakes and loses his brothers, one by one, then himself and finally Draupadi in this dice game.
- Oh, Crap!: Yudhistir starts to noticeably sweat as he loses again and again.
- Wager Slave: All five Pandavas and Draupadi are now Duryodhan’s slaves.
