Sabha Parva Summary: The Game of Dice

Quick answer: The Sabha Parva, "the book of the assembly hall", is the second of the eighteen books of the Mahabharata. Yudhishthira builds a splendid hall and performs the royal Rajasuya sacrifice; Krishna kills Shishupala; then Duryodhana, with Shakuni, invites Yudhishthira to a game of dice. Yudhishthira loses everything, including his brothers, himself and Draupadi, and the Pandavas are sent into exile for thirteen years.

In the critical edition of the Mahabharata (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune), the Sabha Parva has 72 chapters. References below are book.chapter.verse in that edition.

Maya's assembly hall

Maya, the asura architect whom Arjuna had spared in the Khandava fire, offered to build something for the Pandavas. Krishna asked him to build an assembly hall for Yudhishthira, and Maya built a hall unlike any other, with crystal floors and pools that deceived the eye (2.1 to 2.3).

The Rajasuya

The sage Narada visited the new hall, described the halls of the gods, and told Yudhishthira that his father Pandu wished him to perform the Rajasuya, the sacrifice of a universal king (2.5 to 2.12). Krishna advised that King Jarasandha of Magadha, who held many kings captive, must first be removed. Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna went to his capital Girivraja disguised as brahmins, and Bhima killed Jarasandha in a wrestling match that lasted days (2.13 to 2.22). The four younger brothers then conquered the four directions (2.23 to 2.29).

Shishupala

At the sacrifice, Yudhishthira asked Bhishma who should receive the first honour, and Bhishma named Krishna. Shishupala, king of Chedi, protested and insulted Krishna, Bhishma and the Pandavas at length. When he challenged Krishna to fight, Krishna cut off his head with his discus (2.42.21), and a light rose from Shishupala's body and entered Krishna. See Krishna in the Mahabharata.

Duryodhana in the hall of illusions

Duryodhana stayed on at Indraprastha to see the hall. Taking a crystal floor for water, he lifted his clothes; stepping into a real pool, which he had taken for floor, he fell in. The critical edition says the servants laughed, and that Bhima, Arjuna and the twins laughed too (2.43.3 to 9).

Not in the critical edition: the famous line in which Draupadi mocks Duryodhana as "the blind man's son" is not in this text. It belongs to later versions, and is now so widely told that most people assume it is in the epic. See Draupadi in the Mahabharata.

The invitation to dice

Burning with envy at the Pandavas' wealth, Duryodhana fell sick with resentment. His uncle Shakuni, a master of dice, offered to win it all for him in a game (2.43 to 2.45). Dhritarashtra, against Vidura's warning, had a hall built and sent Vidura himself to invite Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira said he would not refuse a challenge, and came (2.45 to 2.52).

The game

Shakuni played for Duryodhana, who staked the wealth (2.54.1, 2.56.5). Yudhishthira staked and lost his treasure, his chariots, his servants, his kingdom; then his brothers one by one, beginning with Nakula; then himself; and finally Draupadi (2.54 to 2.58). See Shakuni in the Mahabharata.

Draupadi in the assembly

Duryodhana sent for Draupadi as a slave. She sent back a question: had Yudhishthira lost himself first, or her? If he had already lost himself, what right had he to stake her (2.60.7 to 8)? Duhshasana dragged her into the hall by the hair. Bhishma said the point of law was too subtle to settle; Vikarna, one of Duryodhana's brothers, spoke for her; Karna answered that a woman with five husbands could be brought in in any state, and told Duhshasana to strip the Pandavas and Draupadi of their garments.

When Duhshasana pulled at Draupadi's garment, another garment of the same kind kept appearing in its place, again and again (2.61.41). In the critical edition, this happens without Draupadi calling on Krishna; the prayer to Krishna and his sending the cloth belong to later versions of the text.

Bhima swore to tear open Duhshasana's chest and drink his blood (2.61.46), and, when Duryodhana showed Draupadi his thigh, to break that thigh with his mace (2.63.14).

Draupadi's boons

At that moment a jackal howled in Dhritarashtra's fire-sanctuary and other evil omens followed (2.63.22). Alarmed, Dhritarashtra offered Draupadi a boon. She asked that Yudhishthira be freed, so that her son would not be called a slave's son; for a second boon she asked freedom for the other four, with their chariots and weapons. Offered a third, she refused: greed destroys dharma, and a kshatriya woman may ask only two (2.63.27 to 36). Dhritarashtra returned everything the Pandavas had lost.

The second game and the exile

Duryodhana persuaded his father to call Yudhishthira back for one more game, with a single stake: the losers would live twelve years in the forest and a thirteenth year unrecognised among people; if discovered in the thirteenth year, they would go back for twelve more (2.66.18 to 23). Yudhishthira played again and lost (2.67).

The Pandavas and Draupadi left for the forest, with Bhima repeating his vows to kill Duryodhana and drink Duhshasana's blood (2.68.28 to 31). Kunti stayed in Hastinapura with Vidura, and Dhritarashtra was left to brood over the omens.

What comes next

The Vana Parva (Aranyaka Parva) follows the twelve years in the forest.

Frequently asked questions

What happens in the Sabha Parva?

The Rajasuya sacrifice, the killing of Jarasandha and Shishupala, the game of dice, Draupadi's humiliation, and the start of the Pandavas' exile.

How many chapters are in the Sabha Parva?

72 in the critical edition.

Who played dice for Duryodhana?

Shakuni, his maternal uncle, while Duryodhana staked the wealth (2.56.5).

Did Draupadi call Duryodhana "the blind man's son"?

Not in the critical edition. There, the servants and four Pandavas laugh at him (2.43.6 to 9). The taunt comes from later versions.

What was Draupadi's question in the assembly?

Whether Yudhishthira had lost himself before staking her, and if so, by what right he staked her (2.60.7).

What were the terms of the exile?

Twelve years in the forest and a thirteenth year in hiding; if found in the thirteenth year, twelve more in the forest (2.66.18 to 23).

Related reading

• Mahabharata: The Complete Guide
• Adi Parva summary
• Draupadi in the Mahabharata
• Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata
• Duryodhana in the Mahabharata
• Bhima in the Mahabharata

Sources

1. The Mahabharata, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, 1933 to 1966); electronic text BORI 1999, via Indology: indology.info/bombay/mahabharata. References are book.chapter.verse in this edition.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.