The Dice-Game Episode

Abstract

This article, "The Dice-Game Episode in Rajasekhara's Balbharata," by Gary A. Tubb, analyzes Rajasekhara's early tenth-century Sanskrit play, Bålabhårata, focusing on its adaptation of the famous dice game episode from the Mahabharata. Tubb provides a translation of the play's second act, which depicts this pivotal event. The essay notes the Bålabhårata's likely incomplete nature and its distinctive stylistic emphasis on individual verses over complex dialogue or plot, a characteristic of Rajasekhara's writing.

Crucially, the article highlights several significant deviations from the Mahabharata's original dice game narrative, all of which serve to de-emphasize Draupadi's active heroic role. These changes include collapsing the Pandavas' exile into the initial wagering (removing Draupadi's role in their freedom), reversing the order of Pandava wagering (Yudhishthira losing himself first), and largely transferring Draupadi's legal arguments to Vikarna. Furthermore, Rajasekhara significantly reduces Draupadi's speaking lines, contrasting with other retellings that foreground her. Tubb argues these alterations reflect contemporary dramatic conventions and a general reluctance in Sanskrit plays to portray women in straightforwardly heroic capacities. The absence of Krishna's miraculous garment protection for Draupadi in this version is also noted as potential evidence for dating later additions to the Mahabharata.