Sabha Parva: The book of the assembly hall

Yudhishthira, with the help of Krishna, becomes emperor and performs the Rajasuya sacrifice. The architect Maya builds a wonderful hall for the Pandavas. Duryodhana, who visits it, mistakes a floor of glass for water and water for a floor and is laughed at. Stung by this, and by jealousy, he and his uncle Shakuni plan to ruin Yudhishthira by a game of dice, at which Shakuni is a master. Yudhishthira loses everything: his wealth, his kingdom, his brothers, himself and Draupadi. Draupadi is dragged into the assembly and insulted; her cry is answered by Krishna, and Dhritarashtra at last restores their freedom and kingdom. But Duryodhana prevails on his father for a second game, and Yudhishthira loses and must go into thirteen years of exile.

This is book 2 of the eighteen parvas of the Mahabharata. See all eighteen and the characters.

Read next

• Vana Parva: The book of the forest
• The Mahabharata in eighteen books

A retelling in our own words of a story told in many ways across India and Asia. Tellers differ on many episodes. It is not a scholarly translation.