safety's sake, to
Hastinapura, and settle near it in the city of Indraprastha, now
Delhi. The reign of Yudhishthira and his brothers is very prosperous
there; "every subject was pious; there were no liars, thieves, or
cheats; no droughts, floods, or locusts; no conflagrations nor
invaders, nor parrots to eat up the grain."

The Pandava king, having subdued all enemies, now performs the
_Rajasuya_, or ceremony of supremacy,--and here again occur
wonderfully interesting pictures. Duryodhana comes thither, and his
jealousy is inflamed by the magnificence of the rite. Among other
curious incidents is one which seems to show that glass was already
known. A pavilion is paved with "black crystal," which the Kaurava
prince mistakes for water, and "draws up his garments lest he should
be wetted." But now approaches a turning-point in the epic. Furious at
the wealth and fortune of his cousins, Duryodhana invites them to
Hastinapura to join in a great gambling festival. The passion for play
was as strong apparently with these antique Hindus as that for
fighting or for love: "No true Kshatriya must ever decline a challenge
to combat or to dice." The brothers go to the entertainment, which is
to ruin their prosperity; for Sakuni, the most skilful and lucky
gambler, has loaded the "coupun," so as to win every throw. Mr.
Wheeler's excellent summary again says:--

"Then Yudhishthira and Sakuni sat down to play, and whatever
Yudhishthira laid as stakes Duryodhana laid something of
equal value; but Yudhishthira lost every game. He first lost
a very beautiful pearl; next a thousand bags each containing
a thousand pieces of gold; next a great piece of gold so
pure that it was as soft as wax; next a chariot set with
jewels and hung all round with golden bells; next a thousand
war-elephants with golden howdahs set with diamonds; next a
lakh of slaves all dressed in rich garments; next a lakh of
beautiful slave-girls, adorned from head to foot with golden
ornaments; next all the remainder of his goods; next all his
cattle; and then the whole of his Raj, excepting only the
lands which had been granted to the Brahmans."

After this tremendous run of ill-luck, he madly stakes Draupadi the
Beautiful, and loses her. The princess is dragged away by the hair,
and Duryodhana mockingly bids her come and sit upon his knee, for
which Bhima the Pandava swears that he will some day break