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2. Sabha Parva
The Book of the Assembly Hall · 81 adhyayas
Maya builds a wondrous hall at Indraprastha and Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya sacrifice. Duryodhana's humiliation there turns to envy. The dice game follows, rigged by Shakuni, and Yudhishthira gambles away his kingdom, his brothers, himself and finally Draupadi — who is dragged into open court. This is the moment the war becomes inevitable.
Key Episodes
- Maya's assembly hall, and Duryodhana's humiliation in it
- The Rajasuya sacrifice, and the killing of Shishupala
- Shakuni's rigged dice game, and Yudhishthira losing everything
- Draupadi dragged into court, and Krishna's protection of her
- Draupadi's question on dharma, which the whole court fails to answer
- Thirteen years of exile, the last to be spent unrecognised
Shlokas
Sabha Parva
न सा सभा यत्र न सन्ति वृद्धा वृद्धा न ते ये न वदन्ति धर्मम्
na sā sabhā yatra na santi vṛddhā vṛddhā na te ye na vadanti dharmam
That is no assembly where there are no elders; and they are no elders who will not speak for dharma. Vidura's rebuke — silence in the face of injustice makes the whole court complicit.