The kings assemble in the sabha as the gambling begins
As the arrangements for gambling are finalized, the entire royal court enters the sabha. Dhritarashtra leads, followed by elders like Bhishma and Drona, and the wise Vidura, creating a formal and radiant audience for what is to come.
The arrangements were complete. The dice were ready. Then the witnesses arrived.
All the kings entered the sabha (assembly hall), with the blind king Dhritarashtra at their forefront. Behind him came the pillars of the Kuru court: Bhishma, the grandsire; Drona, the weapons master; Kripa, his brother-in-arms; and the immensely intelligent Vidura, the king's half-brother and minister. Others followed—brave warriors, learned in the Vedas, their forms like the sun, their necks like those of lions. The source notes that many were not at all pleased in their minds.
They took their seats, separately and together, on many colourful cushions and thrones. With the assembled kings, the sabha became radiant, like resplendent heaven when the gods have assembled. The hall was full. The air was still. Then, before this audience of elders, warriors, and the discontented, the gambling between the well-wishers—the cousins—started.