How did Yudhishthira lose everything from the kingdom to Draupadi?

In the meeting of Hastinapur, Shakuni, through his cunning, instigated Yudhishthir to play gambling again and again. Dharamraj knew that gambling was not appropriate, yet he accepted the game due to royal religion and the decorum of the assembly. From here began the most tragic chapter of Mahabharata, which changed the future of the entire Kuru dynasty.

Yudhishthir lost his gold, gems, elephants, horses, chariots, army and entire kingdom one by one before Shakuni’s deceitful dice. Every time he hoped that he would win the next game, but truth and simplicity kept on losing in front of deceit. The meeting remained silent and lawlessness increased.

When all the money was exhausted, Yudhishthir also put Nakul, Sahadeva, Arjun and Bhima at stake. Due to Shakuni’s cunning, all the Pandavas were defeated. This was not just a defeat, but the biggest blow to the dignity of relationships, trust and family.

After the brothers, Yudhishthir also put himself at stake and lost. Now he was declared a slave and not an independent king. Even after this Shakuni did not stop. He provoked Yudhishthir to play another gamble, which led to the most shameful incident in history.

Under the influence of Shakuni, Yudhishthir also put Draupadi at stake. This decision was against religion, justice and women’s respect. Draupadi was called to the court, where she raised the question that if one who has lost himself, does he have the right to put someone else at stake?

In the meeting, Vidur repeatedly warned Dhritarashtra that supporting unrighteousness would lead to the destruction of the entire Kuru dynasty. He clearly said that stopping injustice is the true state religion. But Dhritarashtra ignored the truth out of love for his son and this decision later became the cause of the Mahabharata war.

Greed, ego and wrong company can lead even the most intelligent person to downfall. Even a small compromise with religion causes great destruction. One should never leave the side of truth, justice and prudence, because ultimately victory is won by the one who remains firm on the path of religion.