Listen to the Story
This is the story of Shakuni, uncle to the Kauravas, who made taking revenge on Hastinapur his life aim
The Prince of Gandhara: A Sister’s Honor
Once upon a time, in the beautiful kingdom of Gandhara, lived a clever prince named Shakuni. He was blind in one eye and very clever. But he loved his sister, Gandhari, more than anything in the world. Shakuni was happy until a powerful messenger, Bheeshma, arrived from the kingdom of Hastinapur. The messenger demanded that Gandhari marry Dhritarashtra, a prince who was born blind. Shakuni felt this was very unfair and that his sister was being forced into a difficult life. When Gandhari decided to wear a blindfold forever to share her husband’s darkness, Shakuni’s heart filled with anger. He didn't just want to be a prince anymore; he wanted to make the people of Hastinapur pay for what he felt was a great insult to his family.
The Master of Dice: Instigating the Kauravas
Shakuni moved to Hastinapur, but he wasn’t there to be a helpful uncle. He became the advisor to his nephews, the Kauravas, especially the eldest brother, Duryodhana. Shakuni was a master of a game played with dice. Legend says his dice were magical and always landed on the numbers he wanted. Using his clever words and his 'lucky' dice, he whispered bad advice into Duryodhana’s ear: He taught the Kauravas to be jealous of their cousins, the Pandavas. He planned a famous game of dice to trick the Pandavas out of their kingdom. He turned small disagreements into a giant fire of hatred. His sister, Queen Gandhari, saw that Shakuni was leading her sons down a dark path. One day, she became so upset that she cursed him, saying that because he lived for revenge and caused so much trouble, his cleverness would eventually lead to his own end.
The Great War and the Final Lesson
The anger Shakuni helped create eventually led to a massive battle called the Kurukshetra War. For eighteen days, the greatest warriors fought, and Shakuni stayed by Duryodhana’s side, still using his tricks. However, tricks cannot last forever. On the final day of the war, Shakuni met the youngest Pandava brother, Sahadeva. Sahadeva was known for being very wise and had taken a vow to end Shakuni’s mischief. In a brave battle, Sahadeva defeated Shakuni, ending the life of the prince who chose revenge over peace.
What We Learn
Holding onto anger and trying to get even only leads to sadness for everyone involved.
