Book 2 of 18 · The Mahabharata

Sabha Parva

सभा पर्व

Sabhā Parva

The Book of the Assembly Hall

What is the Sabha Parva?

The Sabha Parva (सभा पर्व) is the second of the eighteen books of the Mahabharata. Its name means “Book of the Assembly Hall”, and this site tells 15 stories drawn from it.

Sabha Parva Summary

Mayasura builds the Pandavas a hall of illusions at Indraprastha, and Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya sacrifice that makes him emperor of the known world. Jarasandha is killed, Shishupala is beheaded for insulting Krishna, and the brothers reach the height of their fortune. Then Duryodhana, humiliated by the magical floors of the hall, persuades his father to invite Yudhishthira to a game of dice against Shakuni. In a single night the Pandavas gamble away wealth, kingdom, brothers, themselves and Draupadi, who is dragged into the assembly and saved only by Krishna, and the second throw sends them into thirteen years of exile.

What This Book Is About

  • empire
  • pride
  • gambling
  • humiliation
  • injustice

Stories from the Sabha Parva

15 stories on this site are told inside this book, in canonical reading order.

  1. The Imperial SacrificeIndraprastha, Jarasandha, and the Rajasuya Yagna 26 min
  2. The Palace of IllusionsMayasura's Masterpiece and the Laughter That Started a War 21 min
  3. The Imperial CeremonyThe Rajasuya story contains a profound teaching about divine patience and justice. 18 min
  4. The Theft of RukminiHow Krishna Won His Queen at the Edge of a Wedding 28 min
  5. The Slaying of NarakaKrishna, Satyabhama, and the Festival of Lights 10 min
  6. The Thousand-Armed KingUsha, Aniruddha, and the War of Banasura 11 min
  7. The God of Love RebornPradyumna, Shambara, and the Return to Dwaraka 9 min
  8. The King Who Slept in the CaveMucukunda, Krishna, and Kalayavana 9 min
  9. The Jewel of the SunKrishna, the Syamantaka, and Jambavan 11 min
  10. The Friend Who Brought RiceSudama and the Grace of Krishna 11 min
  11. The King Who Never LiedHarishchandra's Trial of Truth 11 min
  12. The Dice GameThe Game That Changed Everything 18 min
  13. The Fateful GameAddiction blinds even the wisest of men. 17 min
  14. The Infinite SariIn our darkest hour, when all worldly help fails, surrender to the Divine is our last and most powerful refuge. 16 min
  15. The Fall of DharmaThe Fall of Dharma teaches the most terrifying lesson of the Mahabharata: that evil does not triumph through its own strength alone. 24 min

Where This Book Sits

The Sabha Parva is book 2 of the eighteen parvas. It follows the Adi Parva, the book of the beginning. The Vana Parva, the book of the forest, comes next.

See all eighteen parvas of the MahabharataFollow the epic as a timeline