Duryodhana is humiliated by illusions in the Pandava sabha
While staying as a guest in the Pandavas' miraculous sabha, Duryodhana is repeatedly fooled by its illusions—mistaking crystal floors for water and water for land, hurting himself on doors. Each error is met with laughter from the Pandavas and their servants, deepening his humiliation and rage.
Duryodhana, the bull of the Bharata lineage, lived in that sabha. With Shakuni, he slowly inspected the entire hall, seeing many divine designs he had never encountered in his own city of Nagasahrya.
One day, Dhritarashtra’s son, the lord of the earth, arrived at a place in the middle of the sabha that was paved with crystal. His mind deluded by the craftsmanship, the king thought it was water. In alarm, he raised up his clothes to keep them dry. Shame-faced and miserable, he wandered around the sabha.
After some time, he encountered the opposite illusion. He mistook a real lake with crystal-clear water, adorned with crystal lotuses, for solid land. He fell into the water with his clothes on.
On seeing him fall, the servants of the sabha laughed out in delight. On the instructions of King Yudhishthira, they gave him fresh clothes. The sight of him, wet and humiliated, provoked more laughter. The immensely strong Bhimasena, Arjuna, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, all burst out laughing.
Since he was incapable of bearing insults, he could not tolerate this. To save his face, he did not even look at them. He again drew up his clothes to ascend what he thought was firm land, and all the people again laughed out aloud.
The illusions continued. He mistook a closed door for an open one and hurt his forehead against it. On another occasion, taking an open doorway to be closed, he stepped away from it. He thus committed various errors there.
Having taken his leave from the Pandavas, King Duryodhana set out for Gajasahrya. His mind was unhappy, inflamed by the extraordinary opulence he had witnessed at the great rajasuya sacrifice and by the prosperity of the Pandavas. The laughter echoed in his memory. As he travelled, evil thoughts were seeded in King Duryodhana’s mind.