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The story of The Dicing comes at a time of upheaval in the Mahabharata. After emerging from the forest where they were born, the sons of Panda, numbering five, evade a series of attempts on their life, each plotted by their jealous cousin, Duryodhana, son of the King, Dhrtarastra. In an attempt to offer stability to his nephews, Dhrtarastra offers the five boys settlement in Khandava. It is from this place and by their natural gifts and moral virtues that the Pandavas begin to amass power in the form of riches and alliances. Thus, the chapter known as The Dicing opens with the description of a smarting Duryodhana, now guest in the Pandavan halls at Khandava, as he is gripped by a bout of jealous rage at the sheer wealth before his eyes that far exceeds his own. On his return from the kingdom of the Pandavas, Sakuni, Duryodhana’s uncle notices his dismay and asks to know why the young man is upset. Duryodhana admits to “burning” with resentment at the sight of his cousin’s fortune II.110. He continues on to say, “I shall enter the fire, or drink poison, or drown myself, for I shall not be able to live” II.110. The fraying of his own understanding of himself is made plain as he then concludes he, “would be neither a woman nor not a woman, neither a man nor not a man” if he were to accept his lesser position II.110. This reply is above all strange because it suggests that if he were to accept the material superiority of the Pandavas, he would cease to be a unity in himself. It is not at all uncommon for men in states of perceived weakness to liken themselves to women. However, Duryodhana takes care to instead say he would be neither a woman nor a woman. To neither be a woman nor a woman implies he is womanlike, but not female. In having lesser wealth than the Pandavas, his status is not only lower, but should he need anything that he could not acquire for himself, he would need to rely on their favor. This suggests Duryodhana is like a woman, but because he is, of course, not female, he is unable to wholly act as a woman. Similarly, to be neither a man nor not a man, acknowledges that he is male, but cannot act as a man in the fullest sense as is traditional for this time—i.e. to be a provider and not a receiver. Thus, Duryodhana understands himself to be made womanlike as a man, a transformation he says he would rather avoid through death rather than accept. There is, however, an extremeness to Duryodhana’s rationale. Though he recognizes that he is, “alone. not capable of acquiring such a regal fortune,” it is still possible and very much already the case that he is extremely wealthy. The wealth of the Pandavas has no immediate affect on his own personal wealth or, stated differently, fortunes accrued by the Pandavas do not immediately rob Duryodhana of his own material means. Yet, for Duryodhana, any kind of wealth in itself does not seem to be sufficient. Later in this same chapter, when speaking to his father, Duryodhana asserts, “Contentment and pride kill good fortune” II.112. Contentment implies a sense of satisfaction with the present state, to the extent that one no longer seeks to change it because they derive happiness from the state of things as they are presently. Further, it is by presence of happiness that one is able to determine whether or not they are content. Therefore, if Duryodhana were to be content with his wealth, this would imply a sort of happiness with his wealth as it currently exists, and that this state of happiness is of greater value, as the subordinate goal of achieving wealth terminates in it. A modern example might help us further understand the manner in which activities are evaluated. For example, let us consider a person were to say they are content with the number of books they own, because they have as many as are needed to educate oneself well, as far as books are concerned. The activity of accumulating books is evaluated by something beyond the activity itself, namely the goal of educating oneself. Duryodhana, however, seems to resist any evaluation that would lead to cessation of his activity, and so it emerges that Duryodhana seeks to engage in the activity of accumulating wealth for the sake of wealth. It is in this construction alone that an action resists subordination to any other goal, and as a result will never terminate according to its own logic. Returning to the earlier idea that, for Duryodhana, any kind of wealth in itself is not sufficient for his contentment, it now appears Duryodhana evaluates himself not according to his possession of wealth, but by his ability to acquire wealth. As such, anyone who demonstrates a superior ability to acquire wealth, exists to highlight his lack of ability and failure to fulfill the one activity he seeks to engage in to the exclusion of all else. When fantasizing about the possibility of besting the Pandavas in battle, which would no doubt impoverish them, he muses, “When they are defeated, the earth will be mine, and all the kings, and,” he ends, “that rich assembly hall” II.111. For the time, at least, no Duryodhana acknowledges no greater goal than the acquisition of wealth. The science he is most preoccupied with is one of profit, and profit alone. Dhrtarastra, his father, appears to orient himself by an altogether distinct science. When trying to