Shakuni

It had been predicted that Gandhari’s first husband would die. So in accordance with the customs of the time, she was married to a goat. Later, when the time came she was married to Dhritarashtra. When Dhritarashtra came to know of this, he was very angry. He threw King Subala, Gandhari’s father, and his sons into prison. Subala prepared for revenge. Every day Gandhari’s father and his older sons gave most of their food to Shakuni, the youngest son. He told Shakuni that he must be strong enough when he left prison to avenge the humiliation to his family. He convinced Dhritarashtra that Shakuni would be a loving and wise advisor to his sons. Before dying, Subala asked Shakuni to make dice from his backbone. These dice were full of powerful magic. They would come up with the number Shakuni wanted when thrown. The dice was used by Shakuni to cause the downfall of Dhritarashtra and his sons.