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STORIES · THE MAHĀBHĀRATA · Sabhā
Shakuni's dice from his father's bones
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The dice are the dead father's bones - but not in Vyasa.
Folk legend: after King Suvala of Gandhara and his sons died in Kuru prison, he told Shakuni to turn his finger bones into dice that would always obey him, powered by the father's hatred. In the Sabha Parva Shakuni says his bow and arrows serve as his dice. Wikipedia says the bone-dice versions contradict the epic.
Who: Shakuni, Subala, Yudhishthira
Bound to
Sarala Mahabharata: Gandharasena, Ganga's dice, bones of the palms same-story-other-version
Gandhari married to a goat first (Jain Harivamsapurana) causes
Nala, Kali's possession and Karkotaka's disguise mirror
Śakuni's plan: Dhṛtarāṣṭra agrees to the dice match mirror
The game of dice: Yudhiṣṭhira stakes and loses everything mirror
The Last Day: Śalya and Śakuni Fall mirror
Places: Gandhara
Where this comes from
- folk-oral · hindu-blog.com, Story of the dice of Shakuni (cites Sabha Parva)
- commentary · Wikipedia: Shakuni
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← Ekalavya's later life: Nishada king, killed by Krishna · Sarala Mahabharata: Gandharasena, Ganga's dice, bones of the palms →