20/4/2014

Mahabharata - The Curse of Shakuni | Eat : Read : Act : Experience

Mahabharata- The Curse of Shakuni

August 7, 2013
13 Comments Post a Comment

Shakuni has become a synonym to a person who is cunning. While reading Jaya by Devdutt Pattnaik, I came to know the flip side of the story. The curse of Shakuni in Mahabharata is a heavy one seeing your whole family die in front of your eyes so that you could take their revenge leaves you with no option but to do so. Many of you must know this story of Shakuni, but just wanted to share it. One day as kids, Kauravs and Pandavs were fighting. Pandavs said to Kauravs as an insult you sons of a widow. Not knowing the reason behind the insult as their father Dhritrashtra was still alive, Kauravs went crying to Bhishma Pitama and complained about the Pandavs. Bhishma Pitama was left aghast, and therefore decided to look into the matter. He them came to know that Gandhari was cursed, and her first husband was ought to die and her second husband would lead a long life. Scared from what was foreseen, Gandharis father made her marry a goat and then the goat was killed and then she was married to Dhritrashtra. According to the Vedas, a womans kids are always the sons of her first husband even when born from an oath, a curse, a boon or any other mortal. Therefore, the Kauravs were the sons of a dead goat and therefore sons of a widow. This revelation made Bhishma Pitama furious and for treachery he imprisoned each member of Gandharis family. Bhishma Pitama wanted to kill all of them but Vedas say not to kill the person who cant defend themselves and therefore Bhishma Pitama served very little food them so that they would starve to death. Understanding this trick of Bhishma Pitama, Saubala (father of Gandhari) made a plan to save one person so that he could take revenge from the Kuru Clan for their inhumanity. Saubala chose the most intelligent from all the members imprisoned, who was the youngest brother of Gandhari named Shakuni and then they all gave their food to him so that he survives. Shakuni saw his family starve to death in front of his eyes. Saubala with a few minutes of life in him, gave his bones to Shakuni and said whenever you will play with dice made of these bones, you will never lose. Shakuni was saved being the last of Saubalas kin and also because of Gandharis love for him. Shakuni therefore became the reason for Kauravs down fall, as he has spurned the whole game to send Pandavs to exile by winning the game of dice. He played the game with dice made of his
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Mahabharata - The Curse of Shakuni | Eat : Read : Act : Experience

fathers bones therefore never lost. Wining this game and being one of the main reasons behind the war of Mahabharata, Shakuni fulfilled his destiny and took his revenge form the Kuru Clan. No one knew Shakunis side of the story. No one becomes a villain without any reason. It was Shakunis curse in Mahabharata that he was destined to be remembered as a cheat for eternity.

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TAGS

bhishma pitama , dhritrashtra , gandhari, kauravs , kuru clan, mahabharata , pandavs , saubala ,

shakuni, shakuni curse , shakuni in mahabharata , shakuni story

13 thoughts on Mahabharata- The Curse of Shakuni

Himani
August 2 3 , 2 01 3 at 7 :4 8 am

Wow ! Thanks for sharing, else w ould have never know n this side of the story And how trueno one becomes a villain w ithout reasonbut I feel had bhishma pitama also behaved maturely and ignored the goat bit of information, not taking it to his egow ont have the issued subsided then and there Though then thee w ould have not been a story and no epic to study But thanksyour post here indicates that Jaya is a another goodread and every other person has their side of the story

Sahiba

Post au th or

August 2 3 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :3 7 am

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Mahabharata - The Curse of Shakuni | Eat : Read : Act : Experience

Oh yes! Jaya is surely a collectors edition kinda book. The political agendas and family ties are so elaborate and tiring to understand; but at the end it gives you a w hole new perspectiveespecially on Krishna, Y udhistir, Kunti, Gandhari and Bhishma Pitama. It gives you elaborate descriptions of in and outs of the life of every character, w hich w e never knew !

ria
Nov em ber 6 , 2 01 3 at 1 :09 pm

No w ays bhishma never did that,It w as Dhritarashtra w ho prisoned the entire gandhar family.And w hen subala w as about to die he asked dhritarashtra that shakuni w ill be the guardian for the 1 00 kauravas

Sahiba

Post au th or

Nov em ber 7 , 2 01 3 at 4 :3 6 am

Out of the thousands of stories and their sub-parts in Mahabharata only 60 reached us earthlings via various regional re-telling. But only a few make belief of the righteousness of Bhishma, but w as he???? Same is w ith Shakuni w as he really the culprit??? In the name of Dharma people did some really shitty things to get their w ay can be Shakuni can be Bhishma. open your horizon I am not saying you are w rong. I am saying there are several sides of the story no offence

Adi
Nov em ber 1 7 , 2 01 3 at 9 :4 1 am

There is nothing to take offence. She has just got the information by w ord but I also agreed w ith her that Bheeshma has not killed the Shakuni family it w as Dhritrastra (I read it somew here). But I am not sure if this story is true or not because I have never found any authentic text and I have never seen it mentioned in the series or so.

Sahiba

Post au th or

Nov em ber 1 8, 2 01 3 at 6 :08 am

Agreed. from various re-telling I have read and the TV show s I have seen Dhritrashta has alw ays been the man w ho killed the torch bearers of the Gandhar family. But w ho says its true? Therefore new texts inspire new stores and new
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Mahabharata - The Curse of Shakuni | Eat : Read : Act : Experience

insights and therefore I shared!!

Adi
Nov em ber 1 7 , 2 01 3 at 9 :3 5 am

The story you are telling about Shakuni is ture or not I dont know but lets assume that it is true for a w hile then answ er these questions Q1 . Why did Dhritrastra spare the life of Shakuni ? Q2. Why did dhritratra let him live in Hastinapur? Q3. Legend says the Shakuni has taken revenge because his sister got married w ith a blind King w ithout her consent but honestly saying I cant digest this explanation. Maybe w e dont w ant simple explanation so w e are searching for some interesting story. So question is that w hen there is no Gandhar empire (because all w ere killed in the prison by Dhritrastra/ Bheesma ) then w ho has supported kauravas in Mahabharata ?

Vivek
Decem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 0:04 pm

For Ur Questions. 1 and 2. Before dying saulaba(father of shakuni) requested at least spare his youngest son and he w ould be the guardian for his(dhritarastra) 1 00 sons 3. In gandhar empire shakuni is left alive (along w ith his 2 sons) and they supported in the w ar.

Sanjay Kumar Mittal

Nov em ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 4 :2 2 am

No answ er to above questions. But I still have a question in my mind. Whether to take revenge, is it right to act in such a w ay that all sons of his sister w ere dead in w ar. Further w hat w as end of shakuni.
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Mahabharata - The Curse of Shakuni | Eat : Read : Act : Experience

Vivek
Decem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 0:06 pm

Well that w as his intention to destroy the kauravas kingdom and at the end sahadev kept his promise to draupadi by killing shakuni w ith his sw ord.

Vaibhav
January 1 9 , 2 01 4 at 3 :3 8 pm

I am interested in know ing how did Pandavas especially as kids got to know the information about Gandharis first marriage w hen someone like Bhishma didnt.Who gave them that information ? We dont know w ho is at fault here.But history is alw ays w riiten by the w inners.It is alw ays made out the w ay they w ant it to be by hiding many aspects.

Abhi
February 1 0, 2 01 4 at 7 :3 2 am

How did the Pandavas come to know that Kauravas w ere the sons of a w idow ? (the goat marriage and all ? )

Sourav Ghosh
February 1 5, 2 01 4 at 5:08 pm

Eye for an eye can make the w orld blind.it is appropriate for the great Epic.

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