Episode 36

Duryodhana’s Parābhavaṃ (Humiliation) in Maya Sabha-

Ascendancy of Jealousy over Righteousness [i]

The humiliation of Duryodhana in the palace of illusions (Maya Sabha) is a popular story in Maha Bharata. What was the real reason that provoked Duryodhana to conspire with Sakuni against Pandavas? Is it the humiliation or the jealousy that sprouted upon seeing the wealth of Pandavas? Why did Yudhishtira participate in the game of dice? Was he a victim of his own weakness? Did Draupadi laugh at Duryodhana? For knowing so many interesting questions, let us read the story.

The Story

In the last episode we saw Dharmaraja performing the Rajasuya Yaga with the blessings of Sri Krishna. When everybody left, Dharmaraja approached Ved Vyasa. He had in his mind the fear of the three warning signals given by Narada. He asked Ved Vyasa, ‘Hey Grandfather! Narada had warned about three disasters staring at the state - divyam (like thunders), pārthivam (like earthquake) and utpātaṃ (bad omens indicating future destruction). Please tell whether these disasters have been phased out with the death of Sisupala’. 

Ved Vyasa told, ‘Hi, Yudhishtir! They are not over. The omens indicate that the effect of disasters will brood upon you for another thirteen years. With you as the reason, and aided by the strength of Bhima and Arjuna, and the blunders of Duryodhana, - all the kings upon this earth will get destroyed. Don’t think too much over this issue. No one can conquer the Time (providence/ destiny).

Dharmaraja got frightened. He did not want himself to be the cause for the upheaval. He owed, ‘I will carefully rule the country; I will not talk harsh with brothers; I will abide by the words of all brothers and avoid differing with their opinion and I will see that no disputes arise among us’. All other brothers agreed.

Meanwhile, Duryodhana and Sakuni were wandering in the Maya Sabha. It was a visual delight and Duryodhana had never seen such an attractive edifice. Alas! It was possessed by Yudhishitir! 

Duryodhana was inspecting the Maya Sabha with jealousy. He was bewildered by the bewitching building and got deluded. He assumed water where it was not; and absence of water where water was full; and fell into the pond. Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva laughed at his pitiable plight and gave him dry cloths for replacement. 

He got his head hit against a wall by not seeing the wall; and fell down thinking that there was no wall. He was thoroughly humiliated and returned to Hastinapura.

He saw the wealth of Yudhishtira and his grandeur in the ‘Rajasuya’. Rajasuya planted ‘asūya’ (jealousy) in his mind. Again, and again his thoughts were revolving around the prowess of Pandava brothers and their huge wealth of gold, pearls, emeralds, cows, camels and horses. Life became an unbearable burden to him. 

वह्निमेव प्रवेक्ष्यामि भक्षयिष्यामि वा विषम् |

अपो वापि प्रवेक्ष्यामि न हि शक्ष्यामि जीवितुम्||[ii]

 ‘I will enter the scorching fire, or I shall consume poison, or I will get drowned in water. I cannot live (with humiliation)’.

‘I am existing with body even upon seeing the wealth of the enemy. Am I a lady? Am I not a lady? Am I a man or am I not a man? Can I acquire so much wealth any day? I don’t have any good support. I thought that effort was more powerful than divine dispensation[iii]. But they are rising, and I am falling in life’, Duryodhana’s jealousy reached its peak and he sought advice from Sakuni.

‘Maharaj! You cannot conquer Pandavas with your strength. They are powerful and Krishna supports them. But I can defeat Yudhishtir in the game of dice.

द्यूतप्रियश्च कौन्तेय: न स जानाति देवितुम् |

समाहूतश्च राजेन्द्र: न शक्ष्यति निवर्तितुम् || [iv]

‘Dharmaraja is fond of playing dice; but he does not know the game. If invited, he cannot refuse and go back’.

‘You seek permission from your father and if he consents, I can play the game on your behalf and secure all his wealth and kingdom to you’.

But Duryodhana requested Sakuni only to convince Dhritarashtra. Sakuni was a great communicator. He approached Dhritarashtra and told, ‘Hi, Maharaj! Day by day Duryodhana has been becoming pale and weak. He is in the grip of suffocation. You please try to know his mind and redress his agony’.

Dhritarashtra was puzzled. Duryodhana was de facto king of Hastinapura and was possessing with all comforts and luxuries. He had at his disposal a vast kingdom, huge wealth, umpteen number of lovely women and a huge army of soldiers. He inquired with Duryodhana what went wrong with him.

‘Oh father! I am eating, mating and possessing luxury. Aspiring changes in Time, I have been preserving envy in my heart. [v]

न मां प्रीणाति मद्भुक्तं श्रियं दृष्ट्वा युधिष्ठिरे |

अति ज्वलन्तीं कौन्तेये विवर्णकरणीं मम || [vi]

 I could not cherish my wealth upon seeing the wealth of Yudhishtir. It is making me pale'

‘Yudhishtira has conquered the earth and all the kings are now his slaves. I don’t have peace if I cannot acquire his wealth. Either I fight and win or die in their hands. Living without life is futile and meaningless’.

Then Sakuni intervened and suggested that they can play the game of dice. Duryodhana requested his father to give his consent for playing the game. 

Dhritarashtra wanted to take the advice of his minister and brother Vidura. ‘But, father Vidura will dissuade you since he is the well wisher of Pandavas. I will die if you don’t permit the game. You enjoy life with Vidura and rule the entire kingdom’, Duryodhana was curt in his tone and talk. 

Dhritarashtra yielded to ‘putra prema’ (love towards his son) and ordered the architects to construct a palatial building with thousand pillars with post haste for enabling both Pandavas and Kauravas to sit and play the game. Then he sent a word to Vidura and asked him to invite Pandavas for the game of dice.

Vidura knew the consequences of the game and pleaded against its playing. Dhritarashtra was not willing to listen. He told, ‘If gods are gracious, there cannot be any enmity among the brothers. Bhishma, Drona, you and I – all will be there. I assure there will not be any problem’. Vidura had no other go and he proceeded to Indraprastha as a messenger of Dhritarashtra.

Dhritarashtra again called Duryodhana and advised him secretly not to develop jealousy and vengeance and not to play the game. He asked him to respect the wise words of Vidura since the game was inherently a ploy for enmity. 

Duryodhana started revealing his mind. ‘Oh king! I was humiliated in Maya Sabha. Apart from Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, even Draupadi and Krishna laughed at me when I was deluded in the edifice. When I had fallen, Bhima called me ‘Dhritarashtra putra’ (indicating that Duryodhana was blind just as his father)’. I cannot bear the insults.

‘Father! Pandavas have become powerful by the conquests and their riches are enormous. Yudhishtir asked me to collect gifts and when I was tired of collecting, I could find large queue of vassal kings waiting to present the gifts. They got huge number of elephants, camels, cloths, woolen rugs, precious pearls, ornaments of exceptional quality. Kings were behaving like servants in the court of Yudhishtir and were waiting for his orders. I found the entire race of Khatriyas at the feet of Yudhishtir and how can I bare this agony?’

Dhritarashtra saw the pitiable plight of his son. Still he advised to desist from embarking upon the wrong path. ‘Oh son! They are your brothers and their wealth are your wealth. You also perform yagnas, earn riches, enjoy with girls and be happy’.

‘Oh father! Don’t you have self-interest? You are deluding and dissuading my entrepreneurial spirit. The paths of the world and the paths of king are different (लोकवृत्ताद् राजवृत्तं अन्यदाह बृहस्पतिः)[vii] There are no permanent friend or permanent foe for a king; only permanent interest. An enemy must be extinguished, whatever may be the method. Carrying ethics on head is hefty for the Strong (एष भारः सत्ववतां नयः शिरसि विष्ठितः) [viii]

‘Why should I live witnessing the wealth of an enemy?’, Duryodhana concluded.

Dhritarashtra yielded to the pressures of his son. On the orders of Dhritarashtra, the architects across the country built a magnanimous palace called ‘Thorana Spatikam’ with golden seats decked with pearls. There was a huge gallery for dignitaries to sit and witness the game.

Meanwhile Vidura reached Indraprastha and conveyed the decision of Dhritarashtra to Pandavas. Yudhishtira was taken aback. ‘Hey Vidur! The game is disastrous and create dissensions among the brothers. No wise man will accept it. Do you think that it is right to play the game of dice? We shall abide by your word’.

Vidura told, ‘I know that the playing of the game will be the ploy for bringing out dissensions and I know that it is dangerous. I tried to prevent but this is the order of Dhritarashtra that you should play with Kauravas. You decide the future course of action based on your intellect’. 

Dharmaraja told, ‘Had Dhritarashtra not invited me to the game, I would not have come to play the game since I am disinterested in the game. Once invited, I will participate’ [ix]

On the following day all Pandavas started pacing towards Hastinapura.

Analysis of the Story

This story is very important in Maha Bharata in the sense that we find the seeds for the Maha Bharata war sprouting in the mind of Duryodhana. He forced his father to take a decision in his favour. Dhritarashtra’s weakness towards his son edged over righteousness. 

But he was aware of the strength of Pandavas and did not want to ruffle with strong persons.

In Maha Bharata we find Duryodhana consulting his father in all occasions and taking the orders in his favour. Dhritarashtra knew what dharma was and what adharma was but he was blind in his behavior when any issue pertaining to his son crops up.

In this story, we find Duryodhana deluded by envy and jealousy. He could not cherish his brother’s Rajasuya and the wealth of Pandavas. The persons who laughed at him in Maya Sabha were Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. But while narrating his humiliation to his father he added the names of Draupadi and Sri Krishna. He told about Bhima’s calling him as the son of a blind man, just to incite his father Dhritarashtra. 

In fact, in Maha Bharata Duryodhana discussed his humiliation part with his father in eight slokas (Sabha Parva 29 to 36) and in one hundred and ten slokas he discussed the wealth of Pandavas and the grandeur of Rajasuya.

Ethical values dictate that ends and means should be in synchronization all the times. But we find Duryodhana advocating Raj niti and Lok niti to protect self-interest. He was prepared to sacrifice dharma for the sake of self-interest. For him there were no permanent friends or permanent foes but only permanent interests. His permanent interest was acquiring the wealth of Pandavas.

Why did Dharmaraja accept the invitation for the game of dice even after knowing that it was going to be disastrous? He was not a slave to the game; and in fact, he was dis interested. He accepted the invitation for two reasons:

a.   He had taken a owe that he should not be the cause for the Maha Bharata war, and he also owed that he would not be harsh with his brothers. When he got the invitation from Dhritarahtra, he could not refuse it.

b.   He did not want to violate the orders of Dhritarashtra. A popular commentator of Maha Bharata, Nilakanta writes that if he disobey the orders of Dhritarashtra and refuses invitation his interests may be damaged in ‘para loka’ (non-earthly worlds which one attain after death); and if he accepts the invitation as per the orders, his interests may be damaged in ‘ihaloka’ (in this world). Dharmaraja was interested in happiness in ‘para loka’ and he accepted the invitation for the game of dice.

Conclusion

To conclude, it was the jealousy of Duryodhana that drove the brothers to play in the hands of destiny. The humiliation in the palace of illusions (Maya Sabha) is secondary and the primary cause for the game of dice is for the acquisition of Pandava’s wealth by dubious means. When ‘means’ do not justify the ‘ends’, the results will be disastrous; and that is what we witness in Maha Bharata.

Gita says:

dhyāyato viṣayānpuṁsaḥ saṅgasteṣūpajāyate,

saṅgātsaṁjāyate kāmaḥ kāmātkrodho'bhijāyate. (2:63)

krodhādbhavati saṁmohaḥ saṁmohātsmṛtivibhramaḥ,

smṛtibhraṁśād buddhināśo buddhināśātpraṇaśyati. (2:64)

Continuous thinking about an object (in the story, it is wealth of Pandavas) creates attachment to the object. Attachment creates the desire to possess that thing (Duryodhana wants to possess it by any means), and desire is unfulfilled, it creates anger.

Anger deludes the person and makes him incapable of rational thinking. Deluded and irrational, the person loses control of his mind and thoughts. One who has lost control of his mind and thoughts, soon loses his wisdom and intelligence; and one who has lost his wisdom/intelligence loses everything.

Popular Misconceptions / Things to unlearn

One of the great misconceptions in the story narrative, especially in the film versions, is that Dharmaraja was a slave to his weakness towards the game (Vyasana), and that has led to his downfall. But in Maha Bharata of Ved Vyasa, the passages are so clear that he was disinterested in the game and he would not have accepted the invitation had it not been the orders of Dhritarashtra. 

The second most important misconception is that Draupadi laughed at Duryodhana in the Maya Sabha. In films, when the hero plays the role of Duryodhana, that Duryodhana cannot afford to unreasonably get angry with Pandavas. Hence the film Draupadi laughs and to avenge the humiliation by Draupadi, the film Duryodhana orders for disrobing Draupadi in the court. But in Maha Bharata Veda Vyasa narrates that only four Pandavas laughed at the pitiable plight of Duryodhana in the palace of illusions. While narrating the humiliation, Duryodhana added the names of Krishna and Draupadi.

Points to Ponder 

1.    How can we overcome jealousy? How does it evolve and grow?

2.   What is Vyasana? How can one can overcome it?

3.   What are the popular misconceptions of the story?

4. 'Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes truth'- is the dictum popularly assigned to Nazi Joseph Goebbels. What are the two popular lies of Maha Bharata narrative are made truths over a period of time?

Footnotes

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[i] This story is taken from Sabha Parva of Maha Bharata written by sage Ved Vyasa.

[ii] vahnimeva pravekṣyāmi bhakṣayiṣyāmi vā viṣam |

apo vāpi pravekṣyāmi na hi śakṣyāmi jīvitum|| - Sabha Parva 47.31

[iii] Sabha Parva 47.38

[iv] dyūtapriyaśca: kaunteya na sa jānāti devitum |

samāhūtaśca rājendra: na śakṣyati nivartitum || Sabha Parva 48.19

[v] Sabha Parva 49.12

[vi] na māṃ prīṇāti madbhuktaṃ śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā yudhiṣṭhire |

ati jvalantīṃ kaunteye vivarṇakaraṇīṃ mama || -Sabha Parva 49.15

[vii] lokavṛttād rājavṛttaṃ anyadāha bṛhaspatiḥ -Sabha Parva 55.6

[viii] eṣa bhāraḥ satvavatāṃ nayaḥ śirasi viṣṭhitaḥ -Sabha Parva 55.18).

[ix] Sabha Parva 58. 16

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