Lakshman Rao U
Dharmaja, in answer to the doubts of Sage Sounaka, spoke with quiet dignity. The sage had wondered whether the king was entangled in the creation of wealth and in the gathering of riches, but Dharmaja replied: “I do not seek riches or comforts for my selfish pleasure. A different concern burdens my conscience—how may I…
When Saunaka and the sages of Naimisharanya enquired of Souti regarding the exile of the sons of Pandu, the narrator spoke in sober cadence. He told how, having lost all in the cruel game of dice, the Pandavas turned their steps southward into the forest, accompanied by Indrasena and other faithful attendants. Subhadra, the young…
In the palace of Hastinapura, the heavy heart of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra found a fleeting relief, for the women of the royal household rejoiced when the harm intended against the Pāṇḍavas was momentarily undone. In that moment of crisis, the wise queen Gāndhārī rose with firmness of mind and persuaded the king to act with prudence,…
Vidura, still cherishing a faint hope that heaven itself might intervene to shield Draupadi and the sons of Pandu from a humiliation beyond all precedent, continued his grave discourse on justice. He recalled an ancient tale: in a former age, Virochana, son of the pious Prahlada, and Sudhanva, son of the Brahmin Angirasa, sought the…
The tumult of strange misfortune might well have driven a lesser woman to madness; yet Draupadī, noble in birth and steadfast in virtue, stood unshaken, seeking the truth amidst outrage. The foul deed of staking a wife in a game of dice weighed upon her like a dark enigma, and in the midst of that…
Though well aware that gambling is a heinous act fraught with dreadful consequences, Dharmaja, as if compelled by an unseen power, agreed to play. The game unfolded in a realm bereft of rules or restraint. The hall of dice was adorned with mango groves, perfumed with sandalwood, and the dice themselves were consecrated with flowers,…
The hour of ruin stood close at hand, for the momentary frailty of a mind usually steadfast and luminous was to unbar the gates of devastation. Dharmaja, scion of righteousness, a ruler gentle and just, whose humility matched his virtues, found himself upon the very path where fate’s unerring device makes a man’s own judgement…
Dhritarashtra, seeking to mask his own misgivings, spoke with gentle persuasion to the wise Vidura. “O friend, venerable to all,” said he, “when you, I, and the grandsire Bhishma stand together, what cause is there for enmity among brothers? By the grace of the gods no harm shall befall my sons. Therefore, O treasure of…
Duryodhana, determined to inflame the mind of his blind father, began to pour his words like poison into an open wound. The spoke of the Rajasuya sacrifice, whose concluding rite—the sacred Avabhrutha ablution—had drawn the foremost of seers: the venerable Dhaumya, the mighty Vyasa, the divine Narada, Brahmarshis and Rajarshis, all chanting hymns that filled…
In those days, Duryodhana withdrew from all company, shunning both counsel and converse. This silence troubled the wily Śakuni, who seated himself close beside the prince and addressed him in tones of studied affection: “O King of Hastināpura, why these many days of wordless gloom? Why does your brow burn like the parched earth before…
