Mahabharat (part 4) | The Forgotten Stories in 5 mins | Read now

Mahabharat: The Great Grand Preface (Part 4)-

Preface Moment

I begin a new series where we dive beyond the face of our topmost epics — the Ramayana and Mahabharata. This isn’t just about retelling stories. It’s about exploring the unknown aspects of well-known characters, questioning their choices, uncovering the cerebral layers behind their conduct, and discovering the applicability of these ancient narratives in today’s world. Why did they do what they did? Why are certain stories forgotten or ignored? What can these moments educate us about mortal nature, morality, leadership, failure, or indeed redemption? Each post will crack one story or character's particularity, and end with a life assignment ( with Good Habits ) we can carry into our trip.

Let’s launch with one of the most misunderstood characters of the Mahabharata — Shakuni.

A brilliant architect who challenged the entire Kuruvansh( the Kuru dynasty) and indeed Lord Krishna himself. But why was Shakuni so plaintively opposed to the conglomerate? Where did he come from? What drove him to architect the topmost war in history? What motivated him to see his plans through, indeed, to the point of giving up his life on the battlefield? And eventually, what does our Holy Writ say happened to him after his death? We’ll explore all of this in the moment’s post. Shakuni, the Mastermind, the Misunderstood. When we think of the Mahabharata, several names come to mind. But in the murk of every grand idol lies a wronged soul, frequently incorrect for a devil, who takes control of his fortune and rewrites history — Shakuni. Frequently labelled as the arch-villain, the manipulator, or the schemer behind the great war of Kurukshetra, our character of the day is far more than just the uncle who colluded in the downfall of the Pandavas. He was a strategist who dared to challenge the potent Kuru dynasty and indeed Lord Krishna himself, but why?

Where Did Shakuni Come From?

Shakuni was the Napoleon of Gandhara — an area positioned in the northwestern part of ancient India(ultramodern-day Kandahar, Afghanistan). He was the son of King Subala and the brother of Gandhari( the woman of Dhritarashtra), along with 99 other brothers. Shakuni came to be part of the Kuru court after the marriage of his sister, Gandhari, to Dhritarashtra. But his entry wasn't one of peace — it was embedded in treason and injustice.

The Forgotten Backstory: Why He Abominated the Kuru Dynasty

According to textbooks like the Bhandarkar Mahabharata and several myth traditions, Gandhari was married to Dhritarashtra, who was blind — a fact hidden from her until after the engagement. Worse still, when the Gandhara royal family protested, King Subala and all his sons were locked up. They were given just one small portion of rice per day, enough for only one person. Sluggishly, the brothers and their father began to starve to death in the dungeons of Hastinapur. In the moment of heartache and despair, King Subala was forced to make a decision no father should ever face. He wanted at least one of his sons to survive.

He placed a hollow bone and a single grain of rice in front of them and posed a challenge: Could anyone pass the grain through the bone without touching either? Everyone tried and failed — except Shakuni.

Using his wit, he tied a beachfront of hair to the grain and attached the other end to an ant roaming the dungeon. The ant painlessly carried the grain through the concave bone. Moved by his intelligence, King Subala blessed Shakuni to live on — and with his dying breath, gave him a nipping boon to use his bones to produce whatever he asked, and that those bones would always obey Shakuni’s will.

It’s said that only Shakuni survived — spared, maybe, as a political pawn. His body, weakened by starvation, carried the weight of an entire family’s suffering. From that moment on, vengeance became his life’s purpose. In some performances of the tale, Shakuni’s dice from the famous game of chausar were made from his father’s bones, invested with magic to always fall in his favour. Whether taken as myth or conceit, the communication is clear: Shakuni wasn’t simply playing a game — he was executing a long, calculated strategy born from treason, grief, and demotion.

To read more such amazing stories read Mahabharata: The forgotten stories.

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