The Gambling Match
Yudhishthira took from his neck a rope of lovely pearls. “what do you stake,” he asked, “against these gems of the southern Ocean?” He spoke proudly, and Duryodhna answered with anger. “we too have jewels of value.” He threw on the table a jeweled girdle of great beauty. Then Yudhisthira took the dice and threw: they fell a five and a four. Shakuni threw, a four and a six.
The pearls are yours said yudhisthira angrily. But your wealth is no match for mine. I stake the thousand jars of goldin my treasury against their weight in gold, shakuni threw first a three and two, surely I can beat that exclaimed yudhisthira eagerly. He shook the box and threw, but the dice were loaded, and they fell a three and a one.
This is trickery I am sure, said yudhisthira and he picked up the dice and looked at them closely. He could find nothing wrong, for they were very skifully made.
