Character

शकुनिः

Śakuni

verses
624
books
3
chapters
235

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Shakuni, also called Saubala, is a prince of Gandhara who brought his sister to the Kurus. Mahabharata 1.57.94, 1.103.14 Duryodhana, a Kaurava prince, envied Yudhishthira's splendour and resolved with Shakuni on a deceitful game of dice. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.1.146 At the match Shakuni defeated Yudhishthira, who lost his kingdom and his brothers. Mahabharata 1.1.105, 2.58.26 Through Shakuni's stratagem, Yudhishthira was then sent to the forest for twelve years and a thirteenth year incognito. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.61.50 In the war, his nephew Sahadeva killed him, and the Mahabharata calls him the root of the quarrel and the dice game. Mahabharata 11.24.21, 1.1.149

Where to read

Every verse that names शकुनिः, book by book.

  1. Mahabharata

    621 verses · 232 chapters

    All 621 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 737 verses

    • 2.58.1

      शकुनिरुवाच—बहु वित्तं पराजैषीः पाण्डवानां युधिष्ठिर। आचक्ष्व वित्तं कौन्तेय, यदि तेऽस्त्यपराजितम्॥

    • 2.54.1

      युधिष्ठिर उवाच । मत्तः कैतवकेनैव यज्जितोऽस्मि दुरोदरम् । शकुने हन्त दीव्यामो ग्लहमानाः सहस्रशः ॥

    • 2.53.1

      शकुनिरुवाच । उपस्तीर्णा सभा राजन् रन्तुं चैते कृतक्षणाः । अक्षानुप्त्वा देवनस्य समयोऽस्तु युधिष्ठिर ॥

  2. Bhagavatam

    2 verses · 2 chapters

    • 3.1.14

      इत्युक्त्वा तत्र विदुरः सत्स्पृहणीयशीलः क्षत्ता, सुयोधनेन प्रवृद्धकोपेन स्फुरिताधरेण असत्कृतः। स च कर्णानुजसौबलेन सह तत्रासीत्॥

    • 3.3.13

      कर्णदुःशासनसौबलकुमन्त्रपाकेन हतश्रियायुषं सुयोधनं सानुचरं शयानं, भग्नोरुमूर्व्यां बलिनं दृष्ट्वा भगवान् न ननन्द ॥

  3. Skanda Purana

    1 verse · 1 chapter

    • 6.1.72.18

      सौबलेन च कर्णेन तथान्यैरपि पार्थिवैः । परिवारपरित्यक्तैस्तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे चचार सः ॥

Key chapters

The chapters where शकुनिः matters most.

  1. Escalation of Wagers and Shakuni’s Repeated Declarations of Victory

    Mahabharata 2.58 · 32 verses

    Architect of escalation

  2. Yudhiṣṭhira’s Enumeration of Stakes in the Dice Match

    Mahabharata 2.54 · 16 verses

    Dice-master and instrument of predation

  3. Commencement of the Dice Game

    Mahabharata 2.53 · 12 verses

    Catalyst and procedural authority who converts invitation into…

  4. Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault

    Mahabharata 9.22 · 13 verses

    Architect of unrestrained tactics

  5. Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game

    Mahabharata 2.44 · 11 verses

    Strategist and corrupter of process

  6. Duryodhana’s Fast: Śakuni’s Consolation and the Summoning of a Kṛtyā

    Mahabharata 3.239 · 10 verses

    Counselor-uncle attempting de-escalation through pragmatic and…

  7. Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host

    Mahabharata 9.23 · 10 verses

    Kaurava instigator and tactical agitator

  8. Adhyāya 45: Duryodhana’s Distress, Śakuni’s Counsel, and the Summons for Dyūta

    Mahabharata 2.45 · 8 verses

    Architect of manipulation

  9. Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager

    Mahabharata 2.67 · 8 verses

    Architect of the trap who converts the rematch into a single…

  10. Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya

    Mahabharata 12.11 · 7 verses

    Divine corrector and dharma-guardian

Key episodes

  1. The Game of Dice

    Mahabharata 2.53-2.63

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q1992668