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Śakuni
Sign in to saveShakuni (, , ) 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.
Key facts
- Character.image
- Shakuni Yudhishthira.jpg
- Character.caption
- Shakuni (left) and Yudhishthira playing dice-game, relief at Lepakshi
- Character.info hdr
- Information
- Character.spouse
- Unnamed queen
- Character.children
- Uluka (elder son)Unnamed younger son
- Character.gender
- Male
- Character.family
- Parents Siblings
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology and epithets
- Biography
- Early life and family
- Influence on Kuru
- The game of dice
- Shakuni after the Dice Game
- Kurukshetra War
- Death
- Aftermath
- In derivative literature
- Footnotes
- References
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 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. Using his skills of manipulation and foul play, he won the game twice, causing the exile of the Pandavas and the consolidation of the power of the Kauravas. During the Kurukshetra War between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Shakuni was killed by the youngest Pandava, Sahadeva.