Shakuni

Shakuni is one of the antagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the prince of the kingdom of Gandhara when introduced, later becoming its king after the death of his father, Subala. He was the brother of Gandhari and the maternal uncle of the Kauravas.
Portrayed as intelligent, crafty and devious, Shakuni supported his nephews, particularly the eldest, Duryodhana, in plotting against their cousinsthe Pandavas. It was Shakuni who played the game of dice against Yudhishthira, one of the seminal events in the epic. He was a master of manipulating the game using loaded dice, which caused the exile of the Pandavas and the consolidation of the power of the Kauravas. During the Kurukshetra War, Shakuni was killed by the youngest Pandava, Sahadeva.
Etymology and epithets
The Sanskrit word "Shakuni" means 'a large bird'. In the epic, Shakuni has been referred to by many names. Shakuni shares his name with some other figures, including a divine-serpent, a rishi, a son of King Ikshvaku, and an asura son of Hiranyaksha who was the father of Vrikasura.
"Saubala" is a prominent name of Shakuni, derived from Subala, the name of Shakuni's father. Other patryomics include Subalaputra, Subalraja, and Saubaleya. As Shakuni belonged to the royal family of Gandhara, he was also referred to as Gāndara, Gandharnaresh, Gandhararaja and Gandharapati. Parvatiya ('he who is from the mountains') and Kitava ('gambler') are also epithets of Shakuni.
Early life and family
According to the Mahabharata, Shakuni was an incarnation of Dvapara Yuga, the personified third epoch in Hindu cosmology. He was the son of Subala, the king of Gandhara (in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, its capital Takshashila being in the vicinity of the modern city of Islamabad). Shakuni had a sister named Gandhari, and many brothers among whom Achala and Vrishaka were the most prominent. Uluka was his son and he served as a messenger during the Kurukshetra War. The epic's Ashvamedhika Parva mentions a descendant of Shakuni who ruled Gandhara after the battle of Kurukshetra.
The Adi Parva of the Mahabharata says that Bhishma, then the guardian of the Kuru kingdom, went to Gandhara to arrange the marriage of its princess, Gandhari, to Dhritarashtra, the elder son of Vichitravirya, who was blind by birth. Subala was initially reluctant due to Dhritarashtra's blindness, but later agreed after considering the high reputation of the Kuru royal family. Shakuni accompanied his sister to Hastinapura, the capital of the Kurus. After the marriage, Shakuni returned to Gandhara.
In the Mahabharata, Subala and his sons attended the Rajasuya yajna of Yudhishthira, Shakuni's brothers fought in the great war at Kurukshetra, and they were killed during the conflict.
Influence on Hastinapura
The Mahabharata states that Shakuni lived in Hastinapura and looked after his blindfolded sister and her children, the Kauravas. Similarly, Krishna (the maternal cousin of the Pandavas) helps the Pandava brothers throughout the epic. The family of Draupadi (the common wife of the Pandavas) also plays a major role in raising her children. Based on such examples, many scholars theorise that during the "Mahabharata era", the maternal families might have played major roles in the family policies.
Shakuni had a close alliance with his eldest nephew, Duryodhana and wanted him to become the next Emperor of the Kuru Clan. Throughout the epic, he helps Duryodhana in his plans to take the throne from the Pandavas.
The game of dice
In the epic, Shakuni's most integral episode is during the gambling match between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira (the eldest Pandava brother). The event is one of the turning points in the epic, which leads to the humiliation of Draupadi and the exile of the Pandavas.
The Sabha Parva of the Mahabharata narrates the event. When a succession dispute between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira arises, Dhritarashtra divides the Kuru Kingdom into two regions. The Pandavas found the city of Indraprastha, which serves as the capital of their half of the ancestral domains. To achieve imperial status, Yudhishthira decides to perform the Rajasuya yajna and the royal families of different kingdoms are invited to the sacrifice. Shakuni, along with his father, brothers and nephews, also attends the event. After the yajna is completed, all the guests return to their kingdoms, but Shakuni and Duryodhana stay on and witness the wealth and prosperity of the Pandavas.
Duryodhana becomes jealous of the Pandavas, and he turns weak and pale due to sadness and anxiety. Shakuni consoles him and suggests that Dhritarashtra organise a game of dice, and invite Yudhishthira. He tells him that Yudhishthira is fond of gambling and wouldn't decline the invitation. Shakuni also insists that they could snatch the wealth and prosperity of the Pandavas, since he is extremely talented in rolling the dice and although Yudhishthira loves playing it, he is not skilled in it. Upon the repeated urging of Duryodhana and Shakuni, Dhritarashtra agrees. Yudhishthira agrees, and arrives in Hastinapura accompanied by his brothers and their wife. Duryodhana declares that Shakuni would represent him in the game. As the stakes rise with each round, Shakuni wins Yudhishthira's treasures, then his kingdom, and goads Yudhishthira into gambling away the freedom his brothers, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva and finally Yudhishthira himself. In a final throw, the freedom of Draupadi is also lost. After Draupadi manages to take back their possessions as a boon from Dhritrashtra, the Pandavas return back to their capital. Duryodhana invites Yudhishthira for another game, with the losing side being exiled for 13 years. With Shakuni's skills, Duryodhana wins again and the Pandavas are forced into exile.
Kurukshetra War
Shakuni was the Strategist of the Kaurava army.
On the 18th day before the war, Duryodhana tried to convince Shakuni to be the Commander-in-Chief of his army but he refused and preferred Shalya instead. Shakuni participated in the Kurukshetra War and defeated many warriors.
During the war, Shakuni defeated the Upapandava Shrutasena (Nakula’s son). He also killed king Sahadev who was a close friend of the pandavas and the king of Maghada.
On the 13th day, Shakuni and other Maharathis attacked and killed Abhimanyu. Many of them staged a sneak attack on Abhimanyu. On 14th day, he fought with Nakula and was defeated.
Death
After the Game of Dice episode in the Mahabharata, the youngest of the Pandava brothers Sahadeva had taken an oath to avenge Draupadi's insult and had sworn to kill Shakuni, the mastermind of the episode.
On the 18th day of the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas attacked Shakuni, Uluka and their army. As Duryodhana and his other brothers rushed to protect their uncle, Bhima stepped in, fought the remaining Kauravas and killed many of them (except Duryodhana). Meanwhile, Nakula killed many prominent Gandharan warriors and the bodyguards of Uluka. Sahadeva fought Shakuni and Uluka and not long afterwards, killed Uluka. Shakuni became furious and attacked Sahadeva. He broke his chariot and bow, but Sahadeva ascended another chariot and fought Shakuni ferociously. After many attacks and tackles, both of them descended from their chariots to settle things in a duel. Sahadeva then pierced his axe in chest of Shakuni and killed him, fulfilling his oath.
Footnotes
References
Further reading
The Story of Shakuni, Sribd.
Suchetana Sen Kumar. 'Soubal Shakuni' published from Ekalavya Prakashan on 2021 (previously published on 2020 in Kolkata international book fair)
Characters in the Mahabharata
Hinduism in Afghanistan
Board game players
Gamblers
Gandhara