Gambling Game: Difference between revisions

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== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==

* ''[[The Mahabharata]]''

** While touring the historical spots of the Ramayana, Arjuna asks why Vishnu's incarnation of Rama worked with the monkeys to build a stone bridge to Sri Lanka. He asserts with Rama's marksmanship and divine status that he could have made a bridge of arrows. A monkey nearby laughs; he says that mere arrows wouldn't hold up an army. They make a bet; Arjuna will make a bed of arrows and if it can hold the monkey, the monkey will serve Arjuna for a short period of time. If the monkey breaks the bridge, Arjuna will immolate himself. The monkey breaks the first two attempts, but a Brahman intervenes before Arjuna tosses his body in a fire. He points out they didn't have a witness, so how is the bet legitimate? Round three goes better for Arjuna; the monkey can't break the bridge. Worried he'll lose, the monkey reveals that he is the immortal Hanuman, assumes his mountain form, and stamps on the bridge several times. It still holds. {{~~spoller~~|The Brahman was Vishnu in disguise, which Arjuna and Hanuman realize because Arjuna is a good archer but not ''that'' good. He said they both needed a lesson in humility as his friends, but didn't want either of them to throw their lives away. The god advises Hanuman to let Arjuna use his image on a flagstaff, to fulfill the losing conditions}}.

** While touring the historical spots of the Ramayana, Arjuna asks why Vishnu's incarnation of Rama worked with the monkeys to build a stone bridge to Sri Lanka. He asserts with Rama's marksmanship and divine status that he could have made a bridge of arrows. A monkey nearby laughs; he says that mere arrows wouldn't hold up an army. They make a bet; Arjuna will make a bed of arrows and if it can hold the monkey, the monkey will serve Arjuna for a short period of time. If the monkey breaks the bridge, Arjuna will immolate himself. The monkey breaks the first two attempts, but a Brahman intervenes before Arjuna tosses his body in a fire. He points out they didn't have a witness, so how is the bet legitimate? Round three goes better for Arjuna; the monkey can't break the bridge. Worried he'll lose, the monkey reveals that he is the immortal Hanuman, assumes his mountain form, and stamps on the bridge several times. It still holds. {{spoiler|The Brahman was Vishnu in disguise, which Arjuna and Hanuman realize because Arjuna is a good archer but not ''that'' good. He said they both needed a lesson in humility as his friends, but didn't want either of them to throw their lives away. The god advises Hanuman to let Arjuna use his image on a flagstaff, to fulfill the losing conditions}}.

** This is how Yudisthira loses his kingdom. He's honor-bound to not refuse a challenge, and Duryodhana challenges him to a high-stakes game of dice. This leads to him and his brothers being exiled for several years, as well as the eventual war when Duryodhana refuses to return the kingdom as promised.

** During the Pandavas' exile, they hear the story of King Nala. Nala was not good at gambling, so his cousin easily swindled him out of his kingdom over a bout of dice, exiling him and his wife Damayanti. The two ended up separated in the woods, though Damayanti fortunately finds her way back to her father's kingdom. Nala goes in disguise to work with horses for another king, and learns tricks of dice from him. He challenges his cousin to another round, and wins easily.