The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c22.35.1

v1.c22.35.1

The 'cousins' called Pāṇḍus first excited the jealousy of the Kurus when the latter were obliged to come south and offer tokens of submission to the Pāṇḍu king, who had crowned himself as emperor and performed the horse-sacrifice establishing this title. Resorting to trickery, the Kurus invited the Pāṇḍus to make them a visit. The somewhat uncouth Pāṇḍus, who are described as good examples of *nouveaux riches*, flaunting in the eyes of their guests all the evidence of their wealth and making the lowly but aristocratic Kurus objects of ridicule¹, despite their sudden rise to power were not yet adepts in courtly arts, and the chief art for a knightly gentleman of that day was gambling. As the Pāṇḍu king says, no gentleman (warrior) can refuse to fight or gamble when challenged. The Kurus were an old house and had the skill of the court at their command, however poor they might be in worldly goods. The Kuru prince, who had been humiliated, concocted a scheme to overthrow the Pāṇḍus by gambling. The old king, his father, was a noble at heart as well as by blood and made what protest he could against this scheme, which he knew implied cheating at dice. But he was old and blind; and it was not the custom to pay any regard to what a man said after he grew old. When any man's hair grew grey he was expected to abdicate his power in favour of his son and retire from active life. What regard was paid to him thereafter was a matter of courtesy.