Sabha Parva — Section 2 of 2 in this original, condensed prose retelling of the eighteen-parva Mahabharata.
The elders fail to prevent grave humiliation and conflict. After further dice play, the Pandavas are required to spend twelve years in exile and one year living unrecognized. The brothers leave the city with Draupadi, determined to preserve their dignity while enduring an unjust settlement. The wounds of the assembly will shape everything that follows.
Read this episode in sequence with the other parvas to understand the full storyline, including its moral ambiguity and tragic consequences.