The Game Begins

"Who else will play besides Duryodhana?" asked Yudhishthira.

"Shakuni, Chitrasena, and Jaya," replied Vidura.

"I have a bad feeling about this. They are all seasoned players. I think Shakuni will definitely cheat. Nevertheless, if the king himself has invited me, I have no choice but to accept the challenge."

Vidura brought the Pandavas, Kunti, and Draupadi to Hastinapura. King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari welcomed the sons of Pandu, who were then escorted to the assembly hall, where all the arrangements for the game of dice had been made. Yudhishthira and Shakuni sat faceing each other. Shakuni picked up the dice.

"Shall we begin?" asked Shakuni. "Place your wager."

Yudhishthira was very familiar with Shakuni's ploys. He said, "We are going to play by the rules. There will be no trickery or deceit involved."

"In this game, the dice make the decisions. An expert player plays well whether or not they cheat. Besides, deception is not considered a deception unless it is discovered. Let us not talk about irrelevant matters. Place your wager."