grandisement. The
king of the Kurus hath commanded me to enquire after thy peace and
prosperity, and to ask thee to repair to Hastinapore with thy brothers
and to say, after beholding king Dhritarashtra's newly erected palace,
whether that one is equal to thy own. Repairing thither, O son of Pritha,
with thy brothers, enjoy ye in that mansion and sit to a friendly match
at dice. We shall be glad if thou goest, as the Kurus have already
arrived there. And thou wilt see there those gamblers and cheats that the
illustrious king Dhritarashtra hath already brought thither. It is for
this, O king, that I have come hither. Let the king's command be approved
by thee.

"Yudhishthira said,--'O Kshatta, if we sit to a match at dice, we may
quarrel. What man is there, who knowing all this, will consent to gamble?
What dost thou think fit for us? We all are obedient to thy counsels.'

"Vidura said,--'I know that gambling is the root of misery, and I strove
to dissuade the king from it. The king, however, hath sent me to thee.
Having known all this, O learned one, do what is beneficial.

"Yudhishthira said,--'Besides the sons of Dhritarashtra what other
dishonest gamblers are there ready for play? Tell us, O Vidura, who they
are and with whom we shall have to play, staking hundreds upon hundreds
of our possessions.'

"Vidura said,--'O monarch, Sakuni, the king of Gandhara, an adept at
dice, having great skill of hand and desperate in stakes, Vivingati, king
Chitrasena, Satyavrata, Purumitra and Jaya, these, O king, are there.'

"Yudhishthira said,--'It would seem then that some of the most desperate
and terrible gamblers always depending upon deceit are there. This whole
universe, however, is at the will of its Maker, under the control of
fate. It is not free. O learned one, I do not desire, at the command of
king Dhritarashtra to engage myself in gambling. The father always
wisheth to benefit his son. Thou art our master, O Vidura. Tell me what
is proper for us. Unwilling as I am to gamble, I will not do so, if the
wicked Sakuni doth not summon me to it in the Sabha? If, however, he
challengeth me, I will never refuse. For that, as settled, is my eternal
vow."

Vaisampayana continued,--"King Yudhishthira the just having said this
unto Vidura, commanded that preparations for his journey might be made
without loss of time. And the next day, the king accompanied by his
relatives and attendants and taking with him also the women o