00:00You bet your freedom on the color of a horse's tail?
00:03The Mahabharata records a bet between Kadru, mother of snakes, and Vinata, mother of birds.
00:08They looked at a divine white horse.
00:11Kadru claimed its tail was black.
00:13Vinata saw only white.
00:15They bet their very liberty.
00:17But Kadru whispered a command to her thousand snake children.
00:21Trusting your sight when your enemy controls the view.
00:23A dangerous gamble.
00:25At dawn, the snakes coiled around the tail, dyeing it black.
00:30Vinata gasped.
00:31You cheated, she cried, staring at the dark hair.
00:34Kadru smiled.
00:35The eyes do not lie, she replied.
00:38Vinata lost.
00:39She became a slave for a thousand years.
00:42A rigged game costs more than the stake.
00:44Guard your trust.
00:46Follow for more stories from Hindu mythology.
