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Duryodhana

2023-01-17T21:21:35Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Eldest Kaurava in the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| affiliation = [[Kaurava]]
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Duryodhana
| image = Duryodhana showing his army to Drona.jpg
| alt = Duryodhana
| caption = Duryodhana showing his army to [[Drona]]
| aliases = Suyodhana
| spouse = [[Draft: Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)| Mayuri]]
|
| weapon = [[Gada (mace)]]
| family = [[Dhritarashtra]] (father) [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] (mother) [[Dushasana]],Dussaha, Jalagandha, Durmuka [[Vikarna]],Subahu, Sulochana, Anudhara, Chitrasena and 90 more (brothers) [[Dushala]] (sister) [[Yuyutsu]] (step-brother)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]], [[Lakshmanaa]]
| relatives = [[Pandavas]] (paternal cousins) [[Shakuni]] (maternal uncle)
| color = #FFC569
}}

'''Duryodhana''' ({{lang-sa|दुर्योधन}}, {{IAST3|Duryodhana}}) also known as '''Suyodhana''', is the main antagonist in the Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and was the eldest of the [[Kaurava]]s, the hundred sons of a blind king [[Dhritarashtra]] and queen [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. Being the firstborn son of the blind king, he was the crown prince of [[Kuru Kingdom]] and its capital [[Hastinapura]] along with his cousin [[Yudhishtra]] who was older than him. [[Karna]] was Duryodhana's closest friend. Notably, Duryodhana, with significant assistance from Karna, performs Vaishnava Yagna when the Pandavas are in exile.<ref name="Netlancers Inc, 2014">{{cite book|last1=Ganguli|first1=Kisari Mohan|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva|publisher=Netlancers Inc, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Karna the conqueror of the entire world">{{cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03252.htm | title=Mahabaratha, Digvijaya yatra of Karna | publisher=Sacred Texts | work=The Mahabharata | date=1896 | access-date=11 June 2015 | author=Kisari Mohan Ganguli| author-link=Kisari Mohan Ganguli }}</ref> Duryodhana used his greater skill in wielding the mace to defeat opponents. He was also an extremely courageous warrior and he was said to be a good ruler. Duryodhana's greed and arrogance were the two qualities said to lead to his downfall in the Mahabharata.

== Etymology ==
The Sanskrit word, ''Duryodhana'' means "invincible".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gandhi|first=Maneka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkW6hs1OjyEC|title=The Penguin Book of Hindu Names|date=1993|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780140128413|page=125}}</ref>

==Birth==
[[File:Vyas ki vardhan.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Gandhari receiving boon from Vyasa]]

When [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari's]] pregnancy continued for an unusually long period of time, Her mother-in-law Ambika and Ambalika were very upset with her. Pandu and Kunti earlier bore a son whom they named Yudhishthira. So she beat her womb in frustration. This caused a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh to issue from her womb. She implored [[Vyasa]], the great sage who had blessed her as "Shata Putra Praptirasthu" (Sanskrit for "blessed with a hundred sons"), to redeem his words. Vyasa divided the ball of flesh into one hundred and one equal pieces and put them in pots of [[milk]], which were sealed and buried into the earth for two years. At the end of the second year, the first pot was opened, and Duryodhana emerged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01116.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CXV |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>

==Early years==
[[File:Duryodana-kl.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana in Javanese [[Wayang]]]]

Although loved by his family, Duryodhana and most of his brothers were not seen on the same level as the [[Pandavas]] in their adherence to virtue, duty, and respect for elders. Duryodhana felt that the partiality everyone showed to the Pandavas was only due to the [[Demigod#Hinduism|circumstances of their birth]]. Duryodhana was mentored by his maternal uncle [[Shakuni]], who masterminded most of Duryodhana's plots to humiliate and kill the Pandavas.

Duryodhana's hatred for the Pandavas stemmed from his sincere belief that he [[primogeniture|being the son of the eldest brother]] should be the [[heir]] apparent to the throne of Hastinapura. Because of his father's ([[Dhritarashtra]]) blindness , his father had to renounce the throne in favour of his younger brother, [[Pandu]]. Duryodhana deeply believed that what was rightfully his was being given away to his older cousin [[Yudhishthira]]. He also felt that the Pandavas were the sons of Kunti and [[Gods|devas/deities]], and not of Pandu. He never believed that their divine origin alone proved their superiority. On many occasions he questioned their merits and always called them 'Kaunteya' (sons of Kunti). He would never accept the Pandavas as his brothers but always did his best to restrain them. He also bore a deep hatred of [[Bhima]], who was older than him but much stronger and dominated his brothers in sport and skill with his immense physical power and strength. Out of anger and jealousy, he even tried to poison Bheem, but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rao|first=Shanta Rameshwar|title=The Mahabharata (Illustrated)|year=1985|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=9788125022800|pages=25–26}}</ref>

===Training===

Learning martial skills from his gurus [[Dronacharya]], he proved to be extremely skilled with the [[Gada (mace)|mace]]. He then went to specialize in mace fighting under [[Balarama]], so as to gain sympathy from him and went on to become his favourite pupil. [[Balarama]] described Duryodhana's body to be "lightning made flesh" and declared him to be the greatest mace fighter of his generation.

===Relationship with Karna===
At the martial exhibition where the [[Kaurava]] and [[Pandava]] princes demonstrated their skills before their elders, their guru [[Drona]] and the people of that kingdom, [[Karna]] appeared and challenged an unsuspecting [[Arjuna]], who is considered to be the best of the princes. But Karna was stopped when [[Kripa]] asked him to ascertain his lineage, as it would be inappropriate for unequal to compete. Karna, not being a [[kshatriya]], bowed his head in shame.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrath |first=Kevin |year=2004 |title=The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahābhārata |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=90-04-13729-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC |access-date=25 November 2013 }}</ref>

Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, arguing that it is skill and bravery, and not birth, that defines a warrior. Using the boon granted to him by [[Dhritarashtra]], Duryodhana made Karna king of [[Anga]] so that he was regarded as Arjuna's equal.<ref name=":0" /> Karna pledged his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana. Neither of them knew that Karna was in fact [[Kunti|Kunti's]] oldest son, born to (the sun god) [[Surya]], before her marriage to [[Pandu]].

In the [[Kurukshetra War]], Karna was Duryodhana's greatest champion and served as [[Kurukshetra War#Day 15|commander from the fifteenth day]]. Duryodhana sincerely believed that Karna was superior to [[Arjuna]], and would defeat his four brothers. When [[Karna]] was killed, Duryodhana mourned his death intensely, even more so than the death of his own brothers and was inconsolable. When Karna's identity was revealed to him, Duryodhana's love for Karna only grew and it is said to be he, and not the Pandavas, who performed Karna's last rites.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jain|first=Gopal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wvQDwAAQBAJ&q=karna%27s+final+rights+were+performed+by&pg=PA444|title=SHAKUNI - AN OATH FOR REVENGE|date=2020-02-14|publisher=BlueRose Publishers|language=en}}</ref> Krishna confirmed that he had the highest right over Karna, as they loved and supported each other truly.

===Tendencies and schemes===

During their childhood, Bhima used his brute strength to inflict injuries on the [[Kaurava]] brothers. As Bhima was gluttonous, Duryodhana, guided by Shakuni attempted to kill Bhima by feeding him poison, but Bhima survived the trap and emerged even stronger than before. Duryodhana then participated in a [[Lakshagraha|plot by Shakuni]] to burn the Pandavas in a house of wax at Varnavata; however, they managed to escape the trap having been warned by [[Vidura]].

== Marriage and children ==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, Gandhari mentioned the wife of Duryodhana and mother of Laxman. In the [[Shanti Parva]], sage Narada narrated the marriage of Duryodhana with the daughter of King Chitrangada of Kalinga. In the Mahabharata, the wife of Duryodhana is unnamed but by most sources, Duryodhana had only one wife, who was named [[Bhanumati]] in later interpolations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}</ref>

According to the story found in ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted King Chitrangada's daughter, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her. It is described that he loved her immensely. On reaching Hastinapur, Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of Kashi for his stepbrother. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>
[[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]] were the children of Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Life of Krishna: Based on the Earliest Oral Traditions and the Sacred Scriptures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFwoDwAAQBAJ&q=lakshmana+daughter+of+duryodhana&pg=PT171|publisher=Simon and Schuster|author=Vanamali|access-date=22 May 2012|isbn = 9781594776908|year=2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml23.htm |title=Indian Myth and Legend: Chapter XVIII. The Battle of Eighteen Days |publisher=Sacred-texts.com }}</ref> Little is revealed about them in the ''Mahabharata'' other than Laxman's death in the Kurukshetra War and Laxmanaa's marriage to [[Krishna]]'s son [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]].

==Usurping the Kingdom==

After the Pandavas revealed that they had survived the wax house, with [[Draupadi|a new wife]] to boot, [[Bhishma]] suggested that the kingdom be divided in order to ease the obvious tension. [[Yudhishthira]] is given half the kingdom and made king of [[Khandavprastha]], so as to avoid a clash with the Kaurava princes over the whole [[Kuru Kingdom]]. Duryodhana became the crown prince of [[Hastinapura]], and owing to the age and blindness of his father, he accumulated much control and influence, managing the state affairs himself with a group of his advisers that included his uncle [[Shakuni]], brother [[Dushasana]], Bhishma, Vidura, and [[Karna]].
[[File:Duryodfhana fall into water.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana slips into water, while Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadev laugh at him.]]
But Duryodhana remained jealous of Yudhishthira, especially after the Pandavas along with [[Krishna]] transformed Khandavaprastha to [[Indraprastha]]. Moreover, Yudhishthira performed the [[Rajasuya|Rajasuya Yagna]] and gained authority over several other kingdoms; Indraprastha's prosperity and fame appeared to exceed Hastinapura's. Duryodhana was unable to contain his anger, which was intensified when [[Bhima]], [[Arjuna]], the twins and the servants laughed at him when he slipped into a pool of water during a visit to Indraprastha.

In popular culture, television shows and post-modern novels on Mahabharata attribute this blame to [[Draupadi]] with an added statement "the son of the blind man also is blind", but the scene in the canonical text of Vyasa's Sanskrit epic is different. As per original scripture written by Ved Vyasa Draupadi didn't taunt Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02046.htm | title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Sisupala-badha Parva: Section XLVI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-19|title=Did Draupadi Insult Duryodhana during Rajasuya, Karna in Swayamvara?|url=https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2020/05/19/did-draupadi-insult-duryodhana-during-rajasuya-karna-in-swayamvara/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=myIndiamyGlory|language=en-GB}}</ref>
This enraged Duryodhana and increases his hostility towards the Pandavas.

===The dice plot, and Draupadi's humiliation===
[[File:Draupadi s presented to a pachisi game.jpg|thumb|Draupadi is presented to a pacheesi game]]

Duryodhana's jealousy of the prosperity and fame of Indraprastha and being humiliated by the Pandavas made him furious and he wished to throw down the [[Pandavas]]. To support his will, Shakuni devised a scheme to rob [[Yudhishthira]] of his kingdom and wealth by defeating him in a [[Pachisi|Pakida or game of dice]], in which Shakuni couldn't lose as he had dices which he could control.

Unable to decline the invitation, due to diplomacy, Yudhishthira gambled away his entire kingdom, his wealth, his four brothers and even his wife, in a series of gambits to retrieve one by staking another. After Yudhishthira lost Draupadi, Duryodhana encouraged his brother Dushasana to drag her into the court as she was now his property. Dushsana pulled Draupadi's hair and dragged her into the court. Duryodhana ordered Draupadi to sit on his left thigh, showing and patting it to insult her for revenge. Draupadi refused and Duryodhan ordered Dushashan to disrobe her. Following his brother's orders, Dushashan laughed and started pulling Draupadi's saree. Duryodhan, [[Shakuni]], [[Karna]] and the other Kauravas (except [[Vikarna]]) also started laughing. However, by Krishna's grace, Draupadi's amount of clothing remained the same.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMsMAwAAQBAJ|title=The Mahabharata|last=Raya|first=Pratapacandra|date=1884|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9785875963933|language=en}}</ref>

Due to this action, Bhima pledged that he would break Duryodhana's thigh.

As an enraged Draupadi was about to curse the [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru clan]], [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] intervened. Fearing retribution by the Pandavas, their allies, and history, [[Dhritarashtra]] and Gandhari reversed all of Yudhishthira's losses. But then (either through Duryodhana forcing his father to command the Pandavas to play again or through Shakuni's vicious tricks) the game was repeated. For this game of dice Shakuni set the condition that upon losing, Yudhishthira and his brothers must spend thirteen years in exile in the forest and one year of ''Agyatavasa'' (remain unknown to others possibly by a disguise) before they reclaim their kingdom. The thirteenth year must be passed incognito, or else the term of exile would be repeated. The Pandavas lost and began their exile.

==Virata War==
Duryodhana was a good friend of [[Matsya Kingdom]]'s commander-in-chief [[Kichaka]]. When [[Bhima]] killed him for humiliating [[Draupadi]], Duryodhana blamed Matsya's King [[Virata]] for his friend Kichaka's death. Virata got angry and ordered Duryodhana to get out of his Kingdom after insulting him. Duryodhana took his army and attacked Matsya. He ordered his wife's cousin [[Susharma]] to attack Matsya from other side but they failed to conquer it because [[Arjuna]] and [[Bhima]] defended it.

==The Kurukshetra War==
===Peace Talks and Buildup===

At the end of the exile term, Duryodhana refused to return [[Yudhishthira|Yudhishthira's]] kingdom, despite the counsel of [[Bhishma]], [[Dronacharya]], and [[Vidura]]. Although [[Dhritarashtra]] openly criticized his son, he tacitly desired that Duryodhana retain his throne. In a final attempt at securing peace, [[Krishna]] returned with the [[Pandavas|Pandavas']] final proposal: the Pandavas would give up all claims to [[Indraprastha]] and [[Hastinapura]] in exchange for five villages. Scoffing, Duryodhana said he will not even give even a needlepoint of land to the Pandavas. Egged on by Krishna, Duryodhana attempted to arrest him. Krishna revealed his [[Vishvarupa]] form. The entire [[Kaurava]] court, saved for Bhishma, Drona, Vidura, and Dhritarashtra (who was granted a divine vision in order to see that by supporting his son, he was going against [[God]]), was temporarily blinded by the form. This confirmed to those present that Krishna was indeed an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]. Duryodhana, being vastly egoistic (in some versions of the story an outright [[atheism|atheist]]), brushed off the incident, not convinced of Krishna's divinity, and believing that strength of arms, not [[philosophy]], would win him a war.

===Gathering the army===

With war inevitable, Duryodhana gathered support from his powerful vassals. The most powerful warriors – [[Bhishma]], [[Drona]], [[Karna]], [[Kripa]], [[Shalya]], [[Bhurisravas]], [[Ashwatthama]], even those who were critical of him were forced to fight for Duryodhana due to their previous commitments. He ended up amassing a larger army than his rivals.

Shakuni also advised Duryodhana to seek Krishna's help. Duryodhana rushed to [[Dvārakā|Dwarika]] only to find Krishna sleeping; he waited at the head of Krishna's bed when suddenly, [[Arjuna]] arrived with the same goal in mind. Arjuna waited at the foot of Krishna's bed. When Krishna woke up, both Duryodhana and Arjuna appealed for his alliance. Krishna offered a choice of himself, completely unarmed or the entire [[Vrishni]] army. Duryodhana proclaimed that because he arrived first, he should get first pick. However, Krishna said that because he saw Arjuna first and because Arjuna was younger, that Arjuna gets the first choice. Duryodhana became worried but was overjoyed when Arjuna elected to reject Krishna's army in favour of Krishna alone. Joyously, Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura with the [[Vrishni]] army in hand, only to be rebuked by Shakuni, who comments that Krishna is worth many armies by himself.

Duryodhana also managed to win the army of [[Shalya]], the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva. Duryodhana intercepted Shalya's army as it came to [[Kurukshetra]] and offered hospitality; Shalya accepted thinking [[Yudhishthira]] had made the offer. After Shalya had enjoyed Duryodhana's comforts, Duryodhana revealed the duplicity and indicated that Shalya is now indebted to him. He used this indebtedness to extract Shalya's army and support. Duryodhana wanted Shalya mainly so that [[Karna]] would have an equivalent [[Ratha|charioteer]] to Arjuna's Krishna.

===4th day===
[[Bhima]] attacked Duryodhana, pierced him and cut off his bow. In return, Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]], his Charioteer and cut off his bow. Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]] with shafts on his breast. [[Bhima]] feeling great pain fled away from the battlefield.<ref name="sacred-texts.com">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section LXIV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06064.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 8th day ===
On the 8th day, Rakashasaas of Ghatotkacha's army attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana slew many rakshasas like Vegavat, Maharudra, Vidyujihva and Pramathin.<ref name="sacred-texts.com"/> Later, he killed Visharada, son of [[Kunti-Bhoja]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XCV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06095.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 14th day ===
Uttamauja and Yudhamanyu (sons of [[Drupad]])<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Jayadratha-Vadha Parva: Section CXXIX|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07126.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> attacked Duryodhana and Duryodhana defeated them in mace fighting.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> After the death of [[Jayadratha]], Duryodhana became very angry and he started killing the Pandava army. However, he is later defeated by [[Yudhishthira]], who in turn starts massacring the Kaurava army.

=== 15th day ===
[[Nakula]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana fought with him and defeated Nakula, forcing him to flee. On the sixteenth day, he tried to face Yudishthira and bravely withstood his onslaught. But soon, Yudishthira defeated him and destroyed his chariot. Luckily, he was rescued by Karna.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Defeat of Nakula by Duryodhana|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07184.htm?fbclid=IwAR1wKvwUUcltb_jFK2W275ssjKJqRg7Pcz7SN1GsOqnMWYcoHdNSsysw3gc}}</ref>

=== 17th day ===
[[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana pierced them and nearly killed them. Later, [[Dhrishtadyumna]] saved them. Then many Pandava warriors, including Yudhishthira, Bhima, Dristadyumna, Satyaki, etc. all together attacked Duryodhana. However Duryodhana alone managed to resist all the Pandavas and he repelled the Pandavas' group attack single-handedly.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 3|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09003.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

=== 18th day ===
On the 18th day, the Pandavas together had attacked Duryodhana but they were unsuccessful as Duryodhana alone resisted and defeated all of them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 17|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09017.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 22|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09022.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref> Duryodhana had also killed a Yadava warrior named Chekitana on that day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 12|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09012.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

==Gada-Yuddha==

[[File:Duel between Duryodhana and Bhima.jpg|thumb|left|The final battle between [[Bhima]] and Duryodhana]]
[[File:Bhima fighting Duryodhana.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Bhima fighting with Duryodhana, [[Kalighat painting]]]]
[[File:Duryodhana_found_in_the_lake.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana Found in The Lake]]
[[File:Canvas1.png|thumb|Duryodana was defeated by Bhima – A scene from Razmanama]]
On the eighteenth day of the war, with his army reduced to himself, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripa]] and [[Kritvarma]], Duryodhana went to meditate in a lake. When the [[Pandavas]] and [[Krishna]] eventually found him, Duryodhana told them that he wanted to gift the kingdom to them, and retire to the forest. [[Yudhishthira]] rejected the offer, telling him that [[Hastinapur]] is not Duryodhana's to gift. Instead, he offered that Duryodhana may pick any of the Pandava brothers to fight against one-to-one with a weapon of his choice, with the winner of the conflict the victor of the war.

Despite his proposed advantage over Yudhishthira, [[Arjuna]], [[Nakula]], or [[Sahadeva]] with the [[gada (mace)|gada]], Duryodhana picked his nemesis [[Bhima]]. Despite Bhima's physical advantage, Duryodhana had the better technique due to his devotion to his craft. After a long and brutal battle between the two disciples of Balarama, Duryodhana began to exhaust Bhima and nearly made Bhima faint.

At this point, Krishna, observing the fight, called out to Bhima and signalled him by repeatedly clapping his own thigh with his hand. As intended, Bhima was reminded of an [[oath]] he had taken after the [[pachisi|game of dice]] to crush Duryodhana's thighs. Bhima victoriously attacked Duryodhana with his mace and struck his thigh, mortally wounding Duryodhana. After having his face insultingly kicked by Bhima, Duryodhana bemoaned that he was slain by unfair means, given that it was illegal to attack below the waist in a mace fight.

Infuriated at the violation, [[Balarama]], the brother of Lord Krishna, raised his weapon to attack. Lord Krishna consoled Balarama, by reminding him of Duryodhana's evil deeds, and reprimanded him for trying to influence a war he refused to participate in.<ref>K M Ganguly(1883-1896) [http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09060.htm Balarama curses Bhima and came to aid of Duryodhana] October 2003, Retrieved 2015-03-08</ref>

Lying defeated, Duryodhana boasted to the Pandavas about how he would die a glorious death, about how he got to enjoy Hastinapur while the Pandavas were in exile, and about how he would now spend the afterlife in the company of his friends and relatives. He again eviscerated the Pandavas for all their chicanery during the war and decried their legacy. Venerating his own character, Duryodhana proclaimed he will die happily.

==Death==

When the coast was clear, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripacharya]], and [[Kritvarma]], having witnessed the fight and not wanting to interrupt so as to rob Duryodhana of his [[honor]], came to Duryodhana's broken body. Ashwatthama promised Duryodhana that he would dispatch the Pandavas and their allies to the abode of Yama and requests his permission to continue the war.

Ashwatthama proceeds to the encampment and into Drishtadyumna's tent at night while everybody of Pandava camp were sleeping. Drishtadyumna awakens from his sleep, and begs Ashwatthama not to kill him cowardly at night and unarmed, and let him die a warrior's death with an appropriate duel. Ashwatthama ignores his plea and beats him to death. The Upapandavas and Shikhandhi alerted by Drishtadyumn’s cries, came out of their tents to battle, only to be slain. Ashwatthama proceeds to massacre everyone in the encampment while any escapees were slain by Kripacharya and Kritvarma at the gates of the encampment.

After killing the Upapandavas and the last remnants of the Panchalas, Ashwatthama returns to Duryodhana. He showed Duryodhana the blood on his sword which belonged to the Upapandavas, hearing Duryodhana peacefully left his body satisfied with revenge. Concomitant with Duryodhana's death, [[Sanjaya]] loses his divine sight, which he had been using to update Duryodhana's father Dhritarashtra. This symbolizes the conclusion to the war.

After the Pandavas retired, only Yudhishthira reached heaven alive. There, he saw Duryodhana, which shocked him. When asked by Yudhishthira, Narada replied that Duryodhana fulfilled his religious duties.<ref>https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m18/m18001.htm</ref>

==Evaluation==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2021}}
Duryodhana is a popular choice of analysis. His merits, flaws, symbolism, and relevance are widely discussed.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

[[Urubhanga]]m is a [[Sanskrit]] play written by [[Bhasa]] in the 2nd or 3rd century AD with Duryodhana as its primary protagonist. Written as a tragedy, the drama focuses on his point of view of the events of Mahabharata. His portrayal as a tragic hero is especially unique within the body of works in [[Sanskrit drama]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Many [[Hindu]]s believe that Duryodhana was the personification of [[Kali (demon)|Kali]] with demoniac qualities such as greed, ego and lust. Many critics argue that he is not without positives; many consider Duryodhana as a fair king and there are temples dedicated to him and the [[Kauravas]]. Scholars believe that like most other characters of the [[Mahabharata]], the true picture is not [[black and white]]. His name is often mistaken to mean bad ruler, however, his name is actually coined from the Sanskrit words "du"/"duh" which means "difficult" and "yodhana" which means "fight"/"war".{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=August 2015}} So Duryodhana actually means ''someone who is extremely difficult to fight/defeat or wage war against''.

Duryodhana is viewed, by some, as the product of Dhritarashtra's ambition and also in a metaphorical sense, his "blindness". He is also praised for his adherence to his duties as a [[Kshatriya]], and even in his last combat, fights bravely. He chooses to face [[Bhima]] in combat over all the other [[Pandavas]], with whom he has an advantage in mace fighting. His skills in the mace are also praised; many stories call him the greatest mace-fighter of the age after [[Balarama]], Krishna and Bheema.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Friendship with Karna===

The friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana is considered to be a great one, and is used as an example of friendship and loyalty.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=Vignesh|first1=Inba|title=The Greatest friends ever lived - Karna and Duriyoudan|url=http://www.hearty-india.com/2011/10/karan-and-dhuriyoudan-greatest-friends.html|website=India - The Land of Hearts|publisher=India - The Land of Hearts|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Friendship|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/religion/friendship/article2296494.ece|access-date=15 June 2017|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu}}</ref>
A lesser-known story is told about Karna, Duryodhana, and his wife Bhanumati, as an example of honest friendship.
With the help of Karna, Duryodhana married Bhanumati. According to the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted Bhanumati, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her.

As per a Tamil folktale, when Duryodhana had recently wedded Bhanumati, one day, he requested Karna to take care of her and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana had returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

He immediately reached for her pearl-trimmed shawl, and accidentally pulled so hard that the trimming broke, and the pearls were scattered all over the floor. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react. She had heard of his ego and had personally been present the last time he was insulted, which had resulted in her own abduction.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the [[Vyasa|Vyasa Mahabharata]], but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf</ref>
[[File:Coronation of Karna.jpg|thumb|Coronation of Karna]]

===Modern Worship===
* At [[Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple]] in [[Kerala]]'s [[Kollam|Kollam district]], Duryodhana is worshipped as the main deity. It is the only temple in [[South India]] where a [[Kaurava]] is considered a [[God]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malanada.com/ |title=Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada | The one and only one Duryodhana Temple in South India |publisher=Malanada.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>
* In the [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] region of [[Uttarakhand]], several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as the deity. The mountain tribes of [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] fought along with Duryodhana in the Mahabharata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.
* There is a temple in Osla, [[Garhwal division]] of Uttarakhand. This was built by the inhabitants of Saur. People believe he stayed here with the blessings of [[Mahasu Devta Temple|Lord Mahasu]] to care for the people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shrine for Duryodhana!|url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/a-temple-for-duryodhana-in-the-himalayas/article18425964.ece?homepage=true|access-date=12 May 2017|work=The Hindu|date=11 May 2017}}</ref>

== In media ==
* ''[[Krishnavatara]]'' (Hindi: कृष्णअवतार), a series of seven novels written by Dr. [[K.M. Munshi]] ([[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]])
* ''Duryodhana'' by [[Viswanathan Raghunathan]] (2014, Harper Collins).

=== Television & films ===
*[[Mammootty]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 1991 [[Kollywood]] film [[Thalapathi]]. The theme of the film is based on the friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite web|last1=R|first1=Narendran|title=Vintage Movie Review: A Review on Thalapathi|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-fans-Column/vintage-movie-review-a-review-on-thalapathi-thalpathi-visitor-review.html|access-date=18 February 2016|website=Behindwoods.com|publisher=Behindwoods.com}}</ref>
*[[Manoj Bajpayee]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 2010 [[Bollywood]] film [[Raajneeti]].{{cn|date=January 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Project !! Played by!! Country !! Language
|-
| 1964 ||''[[Karnan (1964 film)|Karnan]]''||[[S. A. Ashokan]]|| rowspan="3" | India || Tamil
|-
| 1977 ||''[[Daana Veera Shura Karna]]''||[[N. T. Rama Rao]]|| Telugu
|-
| 1988 ||''[[Mahabharat (1988 TV series)]]''||[[Puneet Issar]]|| Hindi
|-
| 1989 ||''[[The Mahabharata (1989 film)|The Mahabharata]]''||[[Georges Corraface]]|| Belgium Australia U.S. Sweden Portugal Norway Netherlands Japan Ireland Iceland Finland Denmark UK France || English
|-
| 1993 ||''[[Krishna (TV series)]]''|| Kumar Hegde|| rowspan="9" | India || Hindi
|-
| 2002 ||''[[Maharathi Karna (TV series)|Maharathi Karna]]''||[[Nimai Bali]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2008 ||''[[Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki]]''||[[Aryan Vaid]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharatham (TV series)]]''|| Vetri Vel|| Tamil
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 TV series)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Arpit Ranka]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 film)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Jackie Shroff]] (voice)|| Hindi
|-
| 2015 ||''[[Suryaputra Karn]]''||[[Shaleen Bhanot]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2018 ||''[[Karn Sangini]]''||[[Paras Chhabra]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2019 ||''[[Kurukshetra (2019 film)|Kurukshetra]]''||[[Darshan (actor)|Darshan]]||[[Kannada]], [[Malayalam]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], and [[Hindi]]
|-
|2018 -
|[[RadhaKrishn]]
|Krrip Kapur Suri
|India
|Hindi
|}

==See also==
*[[Kauravas]]
*[[Kali (demon)]]
*''[[Mahabharata]]''

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist|30em}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
*''The Mahabharata'' (1999) by [[Krishna Dharma]]

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Duryodhana}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100205123023/http://ancientindians.wordpress.com/duryodhana/ Duryodhana Temples and Lineage]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170304200505/http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/greatpersonalities/karna/page8.htm karna great personalities]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140317194726/http://newzfeaturez.com/2014/03/17/the-relevance-of-karna-and-duryodhanas-friendship-in-the-modern-indian-society/ THE RELEVANCE OF “KARNA AND DURYODHANA’S” FRIENDSHIP IN THE MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171108140058/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/from-duryodhanas-perspective/article7530151.ece From Duryodhana’s perspective]

{{Mahābhārata}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Forms of Kali (demon)]]

Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:18:39Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D: /* Sources */

Chandramukhi or Cāndramukhi ([[Sanskrit]]:चंद्रमुखी)(lit. the person having moon looks) is the princess of [[Trigarta Kingdom]] and the wife of [[Dushasana]]. She is also considered as the mother of Drumasena and Bharat. She is the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra. In the [[Stri Parva]], she loses her husband and son both. In that parva, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] is mentioned as [[Dushasana]]'s wife. [[Shanti Parva]] mentions how [[Dushasana]] did the act of [[Duryodhana]], his elder brother kidnapped princess Bhanumati. After the death of her husband, her son [[Drumasena]] takes revenge of his father's death.

{{Infobox character
| family = {{Unbulleted list|[[Draft:Ashwinraja (King)|Ashwinraja]] (father), Suchitra (mother), [[Dhritarashtra]] (father in law), [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother in law)}}
| spouse = [[Dushasana]]
| children = [[Drumasena]] and Bharat
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr = Information
| color = #FFC569
| home = [[Trigarta Kingdom]] (by birth), [[Hastinapura]] (by marriage)
}}

==Abduction and marriage==
Incident like [[Duryodhana]], all the Kauravas have kidnapped princess to make his wife, like [[Duryodhana]] kidnapped princess Bhanumati, Charuchitra kidnapped one princess, Dussaha kidnapped one princess etc.

==Description in Mahabharata or mentions==
She is described by her mother-in-law Gandhari to [[Krishna]], about being a beautiful princess how she believed [[Dushasana]], her husband, he promised Chandramukhi that he'll take good care of her. Maids were kept to look after Dushasana's wife.

Therefore, the marriage of [[Dushasana]] and Chandramukhi echoes the marriage of [[Duryodhana]],[[Draft:Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)|Mayuri]] and [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]. Gandhari says to Krishna,

{{Blockquote|Behold, the wife of Dushasana,the mother of Drumasena and Bharata, the woman who sorrows for her husband and her two sons, the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra Devi,the cousin of Bhanumati, her sorrows were only a divine love for Dushasana, her husband|Gandhari|Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}

==Sources==
She had two children - Drumasena and Bharata. Drumasena and Bharata were the apple of the eye of [[Dushasana]].

Chandramukhi is mostly commonly mentioned as Charumati and Chandramukhi wanted to marry [[Arjuna]] but as per her father's wish, she married [[Dushasana]].

==Portrayed by==
Anita Pawar Portrayed Chandramukhi in [[Mahabharat Katha]].

Portrayed By Nishtha Sharma in [[Mahabharata 2013 (TV Series)]]

==See also==
* [[Dhritarashtra]]

Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:18:00Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D: /* Abduction and marriage */

Chandramukhi or Cāndramukhi ([[Sanskrit]]:चंद्रमुखी)(lit. the person having moon looks) is the princess of [[Trigarta Kingdom]] and the wife of [[Dushasana]]. She is also considered as the mother of Drumasena and Bharat. She is the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra. In the [[Stri Parva]], she loses her husband and son both. In that parva, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] is mentioned as [[Dushasana]]'s wife. [[Shanti Parva]] mentions how [[Dushasana]] did the act of [[Duryodhana]], his elder brother kidnapped princess Bhanumati. After the death of her husband, her son [[Drumasena]] takes revenge of his father's death.

{{Infobox character
| family = {{Unbulleted list|[[Draft:Ashwinraja (King)|Ashwinraja]] (father), Suchitra (mother), [[Dhritarashtra]] (father in law), [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother in law)}}
| spouse = [[Dushasana]]
| children = [[Drumasena]] and Bharat
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr = Information
| color = #FFC569
| home = [[Trigarta Kingdom]] (by birth), [[Hastinapura]] (by marriage)
}}

==Abduction and marriage==
Incident like [[Duryodhana]], all the Kauravas have kidnapped princess to make his wife, like [[Duryodhana]] kidnapped princess Bhanumati, Charuchitra kidnapped one princess, Dussaha kidnapped one princess etc.

==Description in Mahabharata or mentions==
She is described by her mother-in-law Gandhari to [[Krishna]], about being a beautiful princess how she believed [[Dushasana]], her husband, he promised Chandramukhi that he'll take good care of her. Maids were kept to look after Dushasana's wife.

Therefore, the marriage of [[Dushasana]] and Chandramukhi echoes the marriage of [[Duryodhana]],[[Draft:Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)|Mayuri]] and [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]. Gandhari says to Krishna,

{{Blockquote|Behold, the wife of Dushasana,the mother of Drumasena and Bharata, the woman who sorrows for her husband and her two sons, the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra Devi,the cousin of Bhanumati, her sorrows were only a divine love for Dushasana, her husband|Gandhari|Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}

==Sources==
She had two children - Drumasena and Bharata. Drumasena and Bharata were the apple of the eye of [[Dushasana]].

Chandramukhi is mostly commonly mentioned as Charumati. [[Dushasana]] married five wives and one was a warrior princess named Nirjara. Nirjara is one of the warrior princesses and she was just like [[Chitrāngadā]]. But here, Chitrangada married [[Arjuna]], and Chandramukhi wanted to marry [[Arjuna]] but as per her father's wish, she married [[Dushasana]].

==Portrayed by==
Anita Pawar Portrayed Chandramukhi in [[Mahabharat Katha]].

Portrayed By Nishtha Sharma in [[Mahabharata 2013 (TV Series)]]

==See also==
* [[Dhritarashtra]]

Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:17:37Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D: /* Abduction and marriage */

Chandramukhi or Cāndramukhi ([[Sanskrit]]:चंद्रमुखी)(lit. the person having moon looks) is the princess of [[Trigarta Kingdom]] and the wife of [[Dushasana]]. She is also considered as the mother of Drumasena and Bharat. She is the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra. In the [[Stri Parva]], she loses her husband and son both. In that parva, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] is mentioned as [[Dushasana]]'s wife. [[Shanti Parva]] mentions how [[Dushasana]] did the act of [[Duryodhana]], his elder brother kidnapped princess Bhanumati. After the death of her husband, her son [[Drumasena]] takes revenge of his father's death.

{{Infobox character
| family = {{Unbulleted list|[[Draft:Ashwinraja (King)|Ashwinraja]] (father), Suchitra (mother), [[Dhritarashtra]] (father in law), [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother in law)}}
| spouse = [[Dushasana]]
| children = [[Drumasena]] and Bharat
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr = Information
| color = #FFC569
| home = [[Trigarta Kingdom]] (by birth), [[Hastinapura]] (by marriage)
}}

==Abduction and marriage==
Incident like [[Duryodhana]], all the Kauravas have kidnapped princess to make their wife, like [[Duryodhana]] kidnapped princess Bhanumati, Charuchitra kidnapped one princess, Dussaha kidnapped one princess etc.

==Description in Mahabharata or mentions==
She is described by her mother-in-law Gandhari to [[Krishna]], about being a beautiful princess how she believed [[Dushasana]], her husband, he promised Chandramukhi that he'll take good care of her. Maids were kept to look after Dushasana's wife.

Therefore, the marriage of [[Dushasana]] and Chandramukhi echoes the marriage of [[Duryodhana]],[[Draft:Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)|Mayuri]] and [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]. Gandhari says to Krishna,

{{Blockquote|Behold, the wife of Dushasana,the mother of Drumasena and Bharata, the woman who sorrows for her husband and her two sons, the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra Devi,the cousin of Bhanumati, her sorrows were only a divine love for Dushasana, her husband|Gandhari|Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}

==Sources==
She had two children - Drumasena and Bharata. Drumasena and Bharata were the apple of the eye of [[Dushasana]].

Chandramukhi is mostly commonly mentioned as Charumati. [[Dushasana]] married five wives and one was a warrior princess named Nirjara. Nirjara is one of the warrior princesses and she was just like [[Chitrāngadā]]. But here, Chitrangada married [[Arjuna]], and Chandramukhi wanted to marry [[Arjuna]] but as per her father's wish, she married [[Dushasana]].

==Portrayed by==
Anita Pawar Portrayed Chandramukhi in [[Mahabharat Katha]].

Portrayed By Nishtha Sharma in [[Mahabharata 2013 (TV Series)]]

==See also==
* [[Dhritarashtra]]

Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:16:59Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

Chandramukhi or Cāndramukhi ([[Sanskrit]]:चंद्रमुखी)(lit. the person having moon looks) is the princess of [[Trigarta Kingdom]] and the wife of [[Dushasana]]. She is also considered as the mother of Drumasena and Bharat. She is the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra. In the [[Stri Parva]], she loses her husband and son both. In that parva, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] is mentioned as [[Dushasana]]'s wife. [[Shanti Parva]] mentions how [[Dushasana]] did the act of [[Duryodhana]], his elder brother kidnapped princess Bhanumati. After the death of her husband, her son [[Drumasena]] takes revenge of his father's death.

{{Infobox character
| family = {{Unbulleted list|[[Draft:Ashwinraja (King)|Ashwinraja]] (father), Suchitra (mother), [[Dhritarashtra]] (father in law), [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother in law)}}
| spouse = [[Dushasana]]
| children = [[Drumasena]] and Bharat
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr = Information
| color = #FFC569
| home = [[Trigarta Kingdom]] (by birth), [[Hastinapura]] (by marriage)
}}

==Abduction and marriage==
Incident like [[Duryodhana]], all the Kauravas have kidnapped princess to make their wife, like [[Duryodhana]] kidnapped four princesses, Charuchitra kidnapped one princess, Dussaha kidnapped two princesses etc.

==Description in Mahabharata or mentions==
She is described by her mother-in-law Gandhari to [[Krishna]], about being a beautiful princess how she believed [[Dushasana]], her husband, he promised Chandramukhi that he'll take good care of her. Maids were kept to look after Dushasana's wife.

Therefore, the marriage of [[Dushasana]] and Chandramukhi echoes the marriage of [[Duryodhana]],[[Draft:Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)|Mayuri]] and [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]. Gandhari says to Krishna,

{{Blockquote|Behold, the wife of Dushasana,the mother of Drumasena and Bharata, the woman who sorrows for her husband and her two sons, the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra Devi,the cousin of Bhanumati, her sorrows were only a divine love for Dushasana, her husband|Gandhari|Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}

==Sources==
She had two children - Drumasena and Bharata. Drumasena and Bharata were the apple of the eye of [[Dushasana]].

Chandramukhi is mostly commonly mentioned as Charumati. [[Dushasana]] married five wives and one was a warrior princess named Nirjara. Nirjara is one of the warrior princesses and she was just like [[Chitrāngadā]]. But here, Chitrangada married [[Arjuna]], and Chandramukhi wanted to marry [[Arjuna]] but as per her father's wish, she married [[Dushasana]].

==Portrayed by==
Anita Pawar Portrayed Chandramukhi in [[Mahabharat Katha]].

Portrayed By Nishtha Sharma in [[Mahabharata 2013 (TV Series)]]

==See also==
* [[Dhritarashtra]]

Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:16:43Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

Chandramukhi or Cāndramukhi ([[Sanskrit]]:चंद्रमुखी)(lit. the person having moon looks) is the princess of [[Trigarta Kingdom]] and the wife of [[Dushasana]]. She is also considered as the mother of Drumasena. She is the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra. In the [[Stri Parva]], she loses her husband and son both. In that parva, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] is mentioned as [[Dushasana]]'s wife. [[Shanti Parva]] mentions how [[Dushasana]] did the act of [[Duryodhana]], his elder brother kidnapped princess Bhanumati. After the death of her husband, her son [[Drumasena]] takes revenge of his father's death.

{{Infobox character
| family = {{Unbulleted list|[[Draft:Ashwinraja (King)|Ashwinraja]] (father), Suchitra (mother), [[Dhritarashtra]] (father in law), [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother in law)}}
| spouse = [[Dushasana]]
| children = [[Drumasena]] and Bharat
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr = Information
| color = #FFC569
| home = [[Trigarta Kingdom]] (by birth), [[Hastinapura]] (by marriage)
}}

==Abduction and marriage==
Incident like [[Duryodhana]], all the Kauravas have kidnapped princess to make their wife, like [[Duryodhana]] kidnapped four princesses, Charuchitra kidnapped one princess, Dussaha kidnapped two princesses etc.

==Description in Mahabharata or mentions==
She is described by her mother-in-law Gandhari to [[Krishna]], about being a beautiful princess how she believed [[Dushasana]], her husband, he promised Chandramukhi that he'll take good care of her. Maids were kept to look after Dushasana's wife.

Therefore, the marriage of [[Dushasana]] and Chandramukhi echoes the marriage of [[Duryodhana]],[[Draft:Mayuri (wife of Duryodhana)|Mayuri]] and [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]. Gandhari says to Krishna,

{{Blockquote|Behold, the wife of Dushasana,the mother of Drumasena and Bharata, the woman who sorrows for her husband and her two sons, the daughter of King Ashwinraja and Queen Suchitra Devi,the cousin of Bhanumati, her sorrows were only a divine love for Dushasana, her husband|Gandhari|Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli}}

==Sources==
She had two children - Drumasena and Bharata. Drumasena and Bharata were the apple of the eye of [[Dushasana]].

Chandramukhi is mostly commonly mentioned as Charumati. [[Dushasana]] married five wives and one was a warrior princess named Nirjara. Nirjara is one of the warrior princesses and she was just like [[Chitrāngadā]]. But here, Chitrangada married [[Arjuna]], and Chandramukhi wanted to marry [[Arjuna]] but as per her father's wish, she married [[Dushasana]].

==Portrayed by==
Anita Pawar Portrayed Chandramukhi in [[Mahabharat Katha]].

Portrayed By Nishtha Sharma in [[Mahabharata 2013 (TV Series)]]

==See also==
* [[Dhritarashtra]]

Dushasana

2023-01-17T21:15:00Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2014}}
{{short description|One of the Kauravas in the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Infobox character
| info-hdr = Information
| alt = Dushasana
| image = Draupadi dragged from her chamber.jpg
| caption = Dushasana dragging Draupadi from her chamber, an early 20th illustration by [[Evelyn Paul]]
| children = [[Drumasena]]
| family = {{ubl|[[Dhritarashtra]] (father)|[[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother)|[[Duryodhana]], [[Vikarna]] and 97 others brothers|[[Duhsala]] (sister)|[[Yuyutsu]] (half-brother)}}
| color = #FFC569
| spouse = {{bulleted list|[[Draft:Chandramukhi (Mahabharata)|Chandramukhi]]
}}
'''Dushasana''' ({{lang-sa|दुःशासन}}, {{IAST|Duḥśāsana}}, {{lit|hard to rule}}), also spelled as '''Dussasana''' and '''Duhsasana''', is an antagonist of the [[Hindu epic]], ''[[Mahabharata]]''. He was one of the [[Kaurava]] princes and the younger brother of [[Duryodhana]].

==Etymology==

The name is often derived from two elements, the Sanskrit: duh "hard" and sasana, meaning "rule". So the word ''Duhshasana'' means "Hard to rule" or "unbounded".<ref>https://books.google.co.in/books?id=7wJBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA98&dq=drupada+sons&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj20szk3truAhVbYysKHaIJDxcQ6AEwBHoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=drupada%20sons&f=false</ref>

==Birth and Early Life==

When Dhritarashtra's queen Gandhari's pregnancy continued for an unusually long time, she beat her womb in frustration and in envy of [[Kunti]], the queen of [[Pandu]], who had given birth to three of the five [[Pandava]] brothers. Due to her actions, a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh emerged from her womb. Gandhari was devastated, and called upon [[Vyasa]], the great sage who had blessed her with one hundred sons, to redeem his words.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CXV|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01116.htm|access-date=2020-09-01|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

Dushasana was devoted to his older brother [[Duryodhana]]. He was also closely involved in the various schemes and plots to kill the [[Pandavas]] along with [[Duryodhana]] and [[Shakuni]].

==Draupadi's humiliation==
[[File: The ordeal of Queen Draupadi.jpg|alt=|thumb|Dushasana drags Draupadi to the court]]
After [[Yudhishthira]] lost his kingdom, his brothers and his wife [[Draupadi]], in a game of dice with [[Shakuni]], Duhshasana dragged [[Draupadi]] by the hair into the assembly, at the behest of his brother [[Duryodhana]], and tried to disrobe her. Draupadi prayed to [[Krishna]] and he made her [[sari]] to be of an infinite length so that Duhshasana could not take it off. Dushasana was very exhausted and he nearly fainted. The assembled men were amazed at this miracle. They condemned Duhshasana and praised Draupadi. However, Draupadi was humiliated by being dragged into court by her hair. After this humiliation, Draupadi swore that she will not tie her hair until it is bathed with the blood of Duhshasana. [[Bhima]], who could no longer watch Draupadi's insult in silence, rose up. He vowed to tear open Dussasana's chest in battle and drink his blood. Bhima also exclaimed that if he could not fulfill his oath, then he would not meet his ancestors in heaven.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-08-02|title=The Clothes of Draupadi|url=https://devdutt.com/articles/the-clothes-of-draupadi/|access-date=2020-09-01|website=Devdutt|language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File: Draupadi s presented to a pachisi game.jpg|thumb|right|Draupadi is presented to a Parcheesi game]]

==Kurukshetra war and death==
He along with Duryodhana lead one of the Akshauhanis (battle divisions) of the Kaurava army. <ref>{{cite web |author1=Aayush |title=18 Days of The Mahabharata War – Summary of the War |url=https://vedicfeed.com/18-days-of-the-mahabharata-war-summary-of-the-war/ |website=vedicfeed.com |publisher=VEDICFEED |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Jha Preeti |title=जानिए महाभारत युद्ध के 18 दिनों में किस दिन क्या हुआ था |url=https://www.jagran.com/spiritual/sant-saadhak-mahabharat-yudh-ka-18-dino-ka-ghatnakram-15405663.html |website=jagran.com |publisher=jagran |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=hi}}</ref>

Dushasana was the warrior who shot the first arrow in the Mahabharata war. On the first day of the war, Dushasana had fought with Nakula. On the tenth day, Dushasana was appointed on the frontlines to defend [[Bhishma]] from the Pandava army. Dushasana exhibited his valour on that day by resisting all the Pandavas single-handedly. But later, [[Arjuna]] managed to defeat him.

On the thirteenth day, Dushasana was present in the Chakravyuha. After a fierce duel, [[Abhimanyu]] badly defeated Dushasana and his charioteer had to take him away from the battlefield. The son of Dushasana who helped his father many times in the Kurukshetra war was also present inside the Chakra Vyuh on the thirteenth day of the war. He was deprived of his chariot by Abhimanyu and saved by Aswathamma by cutting Abhimanyu's arrow in mid-air. After that, Dushasana's son killed Abhimanyu in a mace duel. On 14th day, Dushasana's son was brutally killed by Draupadi's sons, the [[Upapandavas]], in revenge for Abhimanyu.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-06|title=Mythology 3 – Abhimanyu|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/littlethoughts/mythology-3-abhimanyu/|access-date=2020-08-16|website=Times of India Blog|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Death ===
[[File: Bhima drinks blood.jpg|thumb|Bhima fulfilling his promise regarding Dussasana in the Mahabharata field]]
On the seventeenth day, Dushasana encountered Bhima in a duel. First, they fought by means of archery. Both broke each other's chariots and then they engaged in a mace duel. Bhima broke Dushasana's mace and started using wrestling manoeuvres to beat up Dushasan. After beating him up badly, Bhima seized Dushasana's right arm and uprooted it from his body while roaring loudly. Then (remembering his vow taken on dice game day), Bhima tore open Dushasana's chest with his bare hands and drank his hot blood. Many soldiers who saw Bhima drinking Dushasana's blood had fallen unconscious and some soldiers said that Bhima was a monster for drinking a human's blood. After that, Bhima danced around Dushasana's corpse. Dushasana's death had greatly agitated the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana who become numb. Bhima had given Dushasana one of the most brutal deaths in Mahabharata.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

*'' Mahabharata'' (1999) by [[Krishna Dharma]]

==External links==
* {{Commonscatinline|Dushasana}}

{{Mahābhārata}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category: Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Bhanumati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:13:34Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Wife of Duryodhana, an antagonist of the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| color = #FFC569
| series =
| image = The spouse of Duryodhan, described to the fairest of all.jpg
| caption = An illustration of Mayuri
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Bhanumati
| affiliation = [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru queen]]
| home = [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]] (by birth) [[Hastinapur]] (by marriage)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]] (son) [[Lakshmanaa]] (daughter)<ref name=gandhari>[[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11017.htm The Mahabharta]: Book 11: [[Stri Parva]]'', [[Kisari Mohan Ganguli|K. M. Ganguli]], tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>
| family = Chitrangada (father) Parvatnandini or Chandramudra (mother) <ref name="narada" /><ref name=riseofkali22/>
| spouse = [[Duryodhana]]
| relatives = ''' Cousins''' {{Bulleted list|Pratiyogini (wife of [[Kaurava]] Durmukha), [[Draft:Dharmavati|Dharmavati]] (wife of [[Dhrishtadyumna]]) and many others}}
}}
'''Bhanumati''' is the wife of Duryodhana, the main antagonist of the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''<ref name=keith>{{cite book|author=Arthur Berriedale Keith|author-link=Arthur Berriedale Keith|title=The Sanskrit Drama in Its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfqRhylNBpwC&pg=PA213|year=1992|publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]]|isbn=978-81-208-0977-2|page=213}}</ref><ref>[[Vaisampayana]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01068.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 1: [[Adi Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017</ref> Originally unnamed in the epic, the name of Duryodhana's wife is found in later versions.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}} Bhanumati's children are [[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]]. It is described that Duryodhana loved her immensely.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Valmiki|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qj9bDwAAQBAJ&q=mother+of+Lakshmana&pg=PT5921|title=Delphi Collected Sanskrit Epics (Illustrated)|last2=Vyasa|date=2018-05-19|publisher=Delphi Classics|isbn=978-1-78656-128-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>

In the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana's wife is mentioned thrice. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'' book, Duryodhana abducted king Chitrangada's daughter from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of [[Karna]].<ref name="narada">[[Narada]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a004.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 12: [[Shanti Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref> Later, she is described by her mother-in-law, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], in the ''[[Stri Parva]]'' book.

==Textual sources and development==
Bhanumati is never directly mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''. In the ''[[Shalya Parva]]'', Duryodhana expresses his sorrow over the fate of the mother of his son, [[Laxman Kumara]]. In the ''[[Stri Parva]]'', [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother of Duryodhana) mentions her daughter-in-law. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'', the sage [[Narada]] narrates a story about the friendship of Duryodhana and [[Karna]]. Here, Karna helps his friend in abducting the daughter of Kalinga king Chitrāngada from her Swayamvar. As Duryodhana's wife is unnamed in the epic, her name is provided by the folktales.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}}

==Description in the Mahabharata==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], mother of Duryodhana, describes her daughter in law to Krishna in the following manner.
{{blockquote|text=Behold, again, this sight that is more painful than the death of my son, the sight of these fair ladies weeping by the side of the slain heroes! Behold, O Krishna, the mother of Lakshmana, that lady of large hips, with her tresses dishevelled, that dear spouse of Duryodhana, resembling a sacrificial altar of gold. Without doubt, this damsel of great intelligence, while her mighty-armed lord was formerly alive, used to sport within the embrace of her lord’s handsome arms! Why, indeed, does not this heart of mine break into a hundred fragments at the sight of my son and grandson slain in battle?|title=''Gandhari''|source=Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>}}

Gandhari continues:
{{blockquote|text=Alas, that faultless lady now smells (the head of) her son covered with blood. Now, again, that lady of fair thighs is gently rubbing Duryodhana’s body with her fair hand. At one time she is sorrowing for her lord and at another for her son. At one time she looketh on her lord, at another on her son. Behold, O Madhava, striking her head with her hands, she falls upon the breast of her heroic spouse, the king of the Kurus. Possessed of complexion like that of the filaments of the lotus, she still looketh beautiful like a lotus. The unfortunate princess now rubbeth the face of her son and now that of her lord.}}

== Marriage with Duryodhana ==
Duryodhana's marriage is found in the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. The tale of the Swayamvar of Chitrangada's daughter is narrated by Narada, the god sage. The text never mentions the name of the princess but states that she is fair and beautiful.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}

Duryodhana was invited to the [[Svayamvara]] of the daughter of King Chitrangada of [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]]. Duryodhana went to the city of Rajapura, taking along his dear friend [[Karna]]. Many legendary rulers like [[Shishupala]], [[Jarasandha]], Bhishmaka, Vakra, Kapotaroman, Nila, [[Rukmi]], Sringa, Asoka, Satadhanwan etc. attended the ceremony. After the commencing of the ceremony, the lovely princess entered the arena with a garland in her hand, surrounded by her nursemaid and bodyguards. As she was being informed about the names of the participants & their lineage, she walked away from Duryodhana. Duryodhana refuses to accept her rejection and already smitten by the princess, took her away on his chariot challenging other suitors to beat him & Karna. Karna successfully battled with the rest of the suitors to protect his friend. Karna easily defeated the pursuing Kings and the other royal suitors abandoned their pursuit after seeing Karna's fighting prowess. On reaching [[Hastinapur]], Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kashi]] for his stepbrother, [[Vichitravirya]]. Finally, the fair lady consented and married Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>

Bhanumati's story end with Gandhari's mentions after Duryodhana's death. In the Mahabharata, it is never mentioned if she married another man.

==Regional stories and folktales ==
Though Bhanumati is a minor character in the original Mahabharata, she appears in many regional stories and folktales.

===The dice match with Karna===

The popular tale is a Tamil folktale and is not mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''.{{Sfn|Menon|2006|p=}} One day, Duryodhana requested Karna to take care of Bhanumati and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.

Karna, before realizing his friend's arrival, grabbed Bhanumati's shawl and pulled her towards him. His action leads her pearl ornaments to scatter, making it more inappropriate. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react.

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the Vyasa Mahabharata but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship or Duryodhana's trust towards his wife and his friend.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Menon|2006}}

===Supriya's marriage===
In later stories, it is described that Bhanumati had a maid named [[Supriya (Karna's wife)|Supriya]], who was very close to her. As per the story, when Duryodhana and Karna abducted Bhanumati, Supriya also followed them. Later, when Bhanumati accepted Duryodhana as her spouse, Supriya chose Karna as her husband.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krishnan|first=S. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsKlDwAAQBAJ&q=vrushali+and+supriya&pg=PA50|title=Karna, the son of Kunti: Stories from the Mahabharatha|date=2017-07-01|publisher=SA}}</ref>

===Shalya's daughter in Indonesia===
According to a folktale of Indonesia, Bhanumati is the daughter of [[Shalya]], uncle of [[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]], making her their cousins. As per the story, Bhanumati wanted to marry Arjuna but she married Duryodhana as per her father's wish. As Duryodhan was his son-in-law, Shalya supported the Kaurava side in the Kurukshetra War.{{sfn|Pattanaik|2010}}

===Bhanumati's Origin===
Bhanumati has been given 3 origins, Daughter of Shalya and Daughter of Chitrangadha, The above-mentioned is the folklore of Indonesia and it makes her plot a bit different but we also find that she is mentioned to be the daughter of Chitrangadha of Kalinga, but in some versions we find him to be the King of Kashi or Kamboj.

==In popular culture==
* In 1857 [[Kaliprasanna Singha]], then 16 years old, played Bhanumati in a Bengal performance.
* Portrayed by [[Shubhi Ahuja]] in [[Suryaputra Karn]] television series
* Portrayed by Ravneet Kaur in [[Karn Sangini]], 2018 television series
* Portrayed By [[Aarti Singh]] in the [[Mahabharata Katha|Mahabharata Katha (TV Series)]]
* Portrayed By [[Draft:Asha Shetty|Asha Shetty]] in Mahabharat 2013 TV Series.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}
* {{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}
* {{Cite book|last=Chakravarti|first=Bishnupada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivQ6CwAAQBAJ&q=Bhanumati&pg=PT105|title=Penguin Companion to the Mahabharata|date=2007-11-13|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-93-5214-170-8|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzN2_fu0mIYC&q=Bhanumati&pg=PA221|title=Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-310425-4|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Menon|first=Ramesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GgCZqN_hAgC&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA540|title=The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering|date=2006-07-20|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-84565-1|language=en}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Bhanumati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T21:03:33Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Wife of Duryodhana, an antagonist of the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| color = #FFC569
| series =
| image = The spouse of Duryodhan, described to the fairest of all.jpg
| caption = An illustration of Mayuri
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Mayuri
| affiliation = [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru queen]]
| home = [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]] (by birth) [[Hastinapur]] (by marriage)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]] (son) [[Lakshmanaa]] (daughter)<ref name=gandhari>[[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11017.htm The Mahabharta]: Book 11: [[Stri Parva]]'', [[Kisari Mohan Ganguli|K. M. Ganguli]], tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>
| family = Chitrangada (father) Parvatnandini or Chandramudra (mother) <ref name="narada" /><ref name=riseofkali22/>
| spouse = [[Duryodhana]]
| relatives = ''' Cousins''' {{Bulleted list|Pratiyogini (wife of [[Kaurava]] Durmukha), [[Draft:Dharmavati|Dharmavati]] (wife of [[Dhrishtadyumna]]) and many others}}
}}
'''Mayuri''' is the wife of Duryodhana, the main antagonist of the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''<ref name=keith>{{cite book|author=Arthur Berriedale Keith|author-link=Arthur Berriedale Keith|title=The Sanskrit Drama in Its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfqRhylNBpwC&pg=PA213|year=1992|publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]]|isbn=978-81-208-0977-2|page=213}}</ref><ref>[[Vaisampayana]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01068.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 1: [[Adi Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017</ref> Originally unnamed in the epic, the name of Duryodhana's wife is found in later versions.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}} Bhanumati's children are [[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]]. It is described that Duryodhana loved her immensely.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Valmiki|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qj9bDwAAQBAJ&q=mother+of+Lakshmana&pg=PT5921|title=Delphi Collected Sanskrit Epics (Illustrated)|last2=Vyasa|date=2018-05-19|publisher=Delphi Classics|isbn=978-1-78656-128-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>

In the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana's wife is mentioned thrice. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'' book, Duryodhana abducted king Chitrangada's daughter from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of [[Karna]].<ref name="narada">[[Narada]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a004.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 12: [[Shanti Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref> Later, she is described by her mother-in-law, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], in the ''[[Stri Parva]]'' book.

==Textual sources and development==
Bhanumati is never directly mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''. In the ''[[Shalya Parva]]'', Duryodhana expresses his sorrow over the fate of the mother of his son, [[Laxman Kumara]]. In the ''[[Stri Parva]]'', [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother of Duryodhana) mentions her daughter-in-law. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'', the sage [[Narada]] narrates a story about the friendship of Duryodhana and [[Karna]]. Here, Karna helps his friend in abducting the daughter of Kalinga king Chitrāngada from her Swayamvar. As Duryodhana's wife is unnamed in the epic, her name is provided by the folktales.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}}

==Description in the Mahabharata==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], mother of Duryodhana, describes her daughter in law to Krishna in the following manner.
{{blockquote|text=Behold, again, this sight that is more painful than the death of my son, the sight of these fair ladies weeping by the side of the slain heroes! Behold, O Krishna, the mother of Lakshmana, that lady of large hips, with her tresses dishevelled, that dear spouse of Duryodhana, resembling a sacrificial altar of gold. Without doubt, this damsel of great intelligence, while her mighty-armed lord was formerly alive, used to sport within the embrace of her lord’s handsome arms! Why, indeed, does not this heart of mine break into a hundred fragments at the sight of my son and grandson slain in battle?|title=''Gandhari''|source=Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>}}

Gandhari continues:
{{blockquote|text=Alas, that faultless lady now smells (the head of) her son covered with blood. Now, again, that lady of fair thighs is gently rubbing Duryodhana’s body with her fair hand. At one time she is sorrowing for her lord and at another for her son. At one time she looketh on her lord, at another on her son. Behold, O Madhava, striking her head with her hands, she falls upon the breast of her heroic spouse, the king of the Kurus. Possessed of complexion like that of the filaments of the lotus, she still looketh beautiful like a lotus. The unfortunate princess now rubbeth the face of her son and now that of her lord.}}

== Marriage with Duryodhana ==
Duryodhana's marriage is found in the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. The tale of the Swayamvar of Chitrangada's daughter is narrated by Narada, the god sage. The text never mentions the name of the princess but states that she is fair and beautiful.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}

Duryodhana was invited to the [[Svayamvara]] of the daughter of King Chitrangada of [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]]. Duryodhana went to the city of Rajapura, taking along his dear friend [[Karna]]. Many legendary rulers like [[Shishupala]], [[Jarasandha]], Bhishmaka, Vakra, Kapotaroman, Nila, [[Rukmi]], Sringa, Asoka, Satadhanwan etc. attended the ceremony. After the commencing of the ceremony, the lovely princess entered the arena with a garland in her hand, surrounded by her nursemaid and bodyguards. As she was being informed about the names of the participants & their lineage, she walked away from Duryodhana. Duryodhana refuses to accept her rejection and already smitten by the princess, took her away on his chariot challenging other suitors to beat him & Karna. Karna successfully battled with the rest of the suitors to protect his friend. Karna easily defeated the pursuing Kings and the other royal suitors abandoned their pursuit after seeing Karna's fighting prowess. On reaching [[Hastinapur]], Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kashi]] for his stepbrother, [[Vichitravirya]]. Finally, the fair lady consented and married Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>

Bhanumati's story end with Gandhari's mentions after Duryodhana's death. In the Mahabharata, it is never mentioned if she married another man.

==Regional stories and folktales ==
Though Bhanumati is a minor character in the original Mahabharata, she appears in many regional stories and folktales.

===The dice match with Karna===

The popular tale is a Tamil folktale and is not mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''.{{Sfn|Menon|2006|p=}} One day, Duryodhana requested Karna to take care of Bhanumati and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.

Karna, before realizing his friend's arrival, grabbed Bhanumati's shawl and pulled her towards him. His action leads her pearl ornaments to scatter, making it more inappropriate. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react.

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the Vyasa Mahabharata but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship or Duryodhana's trust towards his wife and his friend.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Menon|2006}}

===Supriya's marriage===
In later stories, it is described that Bhanumati had a maid named [[Supriya (Karna's wife)|Supriya]], who was very close to her. As per the story, when Duryodhana and Karna abducted Bhanumati, Supriya also followed them. Later, when Bhanumati accepted Duryodhana as her spouse, Supriya chose Karna as her husband.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krishnan|first=S. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsKlDwAAQBAJ&q=vrushali+and+supriya&pg=PA50|title=Karna, the son of Kunti: Stories from the Mahabharatha|date=2017-07-01|publisher=SA}}</ref>

===Shalya's daughter in Indonesia===
According to a folktale of Indonesia, Bhanumati is the daughter of [[Shalya]], uncle of [[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]], making her their cousins. As per the story, Bhanumati wanted to marry Arjuna but she married Duryodhana as per her father's wish. As Duryodhan was his son-in-law, Shalya supported the Kaurava side in the Kurukshetra War.{{sfn|Pattanaik|2010}}

===Bhanumati's Origin===
Bhanumati has been given 3 origins, Daughter of Shalya and Daughter of Chitrangadha, The above-mentioned is the folklore of Indonesia and it makes her plot a bit different but we also find that she is mentioned to be the daughter of Chitrangadha of Kalinga, but in some versions we find him to be the King of Kashi or Kamboj.

==In popular culture==
* In 1857 [[Kaliprasanna Singha]], then 16 years old, played Bhanumati in a Bengal performance.
* Portrayed by [[Shubhi Ahuja]] in [[Suryaputra Karn]] television series
* Portrayed by Ravneet Kaur in [[Karn Sangini]], 2018 television series
* Portrayed By [[Aarti Singh]] in the [[Mahabharata Katha|Mahabharata Katha (TV Series)]]
* Portrayed By [[Draft:Asha Shetty|Asha Shetty]] in Mahabharat 2013 TV Series.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}
* {{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}
* {{Cite book|last=Chakravarti|first=Bishnupada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivQ6CwAAQBAJ&q=Bhanumati&pg=PT105|title=Penguin Companion to the Mahabharata|date=2007-11-13|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-93-5214-170-8|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzN2_fu0mIYC&q=Bhanumati&pg=PA221|title=Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-310425-4|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Menon|first=Ramesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GgCZqN_hAgC&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA540|title=The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering|date=2006-07-20|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-84565-1|language=en}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Draft:Dharmavati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T20:59:32Z

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Draft:Dharmavati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T20:57:46Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

Dharmavati is the wife of [[Dhrishtadyumna]] in some legends. She is also known as the cousin sister of Bhanumati, the wife of [[Duryodhana]].
{{Short description|Wife of Dhrishtadhyumna in Mahabharata}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Dharmavati
| spouse = [[Dhrishtadyumna]]
| image = Dharmavati.jpg
| caption = Painting of Dharmavati
| affiliation = Panchal Queen
| info-hdr =Information
| color = #FFC569
| family = ''' Parents '''
{{Unbulleted list| Dhanraja (father), Satyamala (mother)}}
}}

She is one of the wives of [[Dhrishtadyumna]].

==Life==
===Birth===
She was the daughter of Dhanraja. When she grew up, her father was worried about her marriage and was thinking about a groom who loved his daughter, Dharmavati.

===Marriage===
Her father Dhanraja held a swayamvara, in that he invited [[Duryodhana]], [[Dushasana]], [[Dhrishtadyumna]], and many other warriors. [[Dushasana]], seeing her beauty got mesmerized on her and also [[Duryodhana]]. Dharmavati didn't like the way the [[Kaurava]] saw her in a shameful manner. The maidservants gave Princess Dharmavati a garland and her father asked her to go and put the garland on the prince which you like. When she came across [[Duryodhana]], [[Duryodhana]] said, "O dear Dharmavati, put the garland on me.", but Dharmavati refused to put the garland and went to [[Dushasana]], he did the same thing with her and she again rejected, when she came to [[Dhrishtadyumna]], her eyes were filled with joy and happiness and she put the garland on [[Dhrishtadyumna]] and he took her to [[Hastinapura]] happily.

==See also ==
*[[Ashwatthama]]

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Draft:Dharmavati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T20:56:47Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

Dharmavati is the wife of [[Dhrishtadyumna]] in some legends. She is also known as the cousin sister of Bhanumati, the wife of [[Duryodhana]].
{{Short description|Wife of Dhrishtadhyumna in Mahabharata}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Dharmavati
| spouse = [[Dhrishtadyumna]]
| image = Dharmavati.jpg
| caption = Painting of Dharmavati
| affiliation = Kuru Queen
| info-hdr =Information
| color = #FFC569
| family = ''' Parents '''
{{Unbulleted list| Dhanraja (father), Satyamala (mother)}}
}}

She is one of the wives of [[Dhrishtadyumna]]. [[Dhritarashtra]] who was very fond of Duryodhana's marriage, wanted Dharmavati to marry him but she wrote a letter to [[Dhrishtadyumna]] and he kidnapped her. The purohits give this message to [[Duryodhana]]. [[Duryodhana]] with [[Karna]] find out where is Dharmavati and tried to kidnap her, later she married [[Dhrishtadyumna]] in a splendid ceremony.

==Life==
===Birth===
She was the daughter of Dhanraja. When she grew up, her father was worried about her marriage and was thinking about a groom who loved his daughter, Dharmavati.

===Marriage===
Her father Dhanraja held a swayamvara, in that he invited [[Duryodhana]], [[Dushasana]], [[Dhrishtadyumna]], and many other warriors. [[Dushasana]], seeing her beauty got mesmerized on her and also [[Duryodhana]]. Dharmavati didn't like the way the [[Kaurava]] saw her in a shameful manner. The maidservants gave Princess Dharmavati a garland and her father asked her to go and put the garland on the prince which you like. When she came across [[Duryodhana]], [[Duryodhana]] said, "O dear Dharmavati, put the garland on me.", but Dharmavati refused to put the garland and went to [[Dushasana]], he did the same thing with her and she again rejected, when she came to [[Dhrishtadyumna]], her eyes were filled with joy and happiness and she put the garland on [[Dhrishtadyumna]] and he took her to [[Hastinapura]] happily.

==See also ==
*[[Ashwatthama]]

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Bhanumati (Mahabharata)

2023-01-17T20:54:42Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Wife of Duryodhana, an antagonist of the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| color = #FFC569
| series =
| image = The spouse of Duryodhan, described to the fairest of all.jpg
| caption = An illustration of Bhanumati
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Bhanumati
| affiliation = [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru queen]]
| home = [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]] (by birth) [[Hastinapur]] (by marriage)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]] (son) [[Lakshmanaa]] (daughter)<ref name=gandhari>[[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11017.htm The Mahabharta]: Book 11: [[Stri Parva]]'', [[Kisari Mohan Ganguli|K. M. Ganguli]], tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>
| family = Chitrangada (father) Parvatnandini or Chandramudra (mother) <ref name="narada" /><ref name=riseofkali22/>
| spouse = [[Duryodhana]]
| relatives = ''' Cousins''' {{Bulleted list|Pratiyogini (wife of [[Kaurava]] Durmukha), [[Draft:Dharmavati|Dharmavati]] (wife of [[Dhrishtadyumna]]) and many others}}
}}
'''Bhanumati''' is the wife of Duryodhana, the main antagonist of the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''<ref name=keith>{{cite book|author=Arthur Berriedale Keith|author-link=Arthur Berriedale Keith|title=The Sanskrit Drama in Its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfqRhylNBpwC&pg=PA213|year=1992|publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]]|isbn=978-81-208-0977-2|page=213}}</ref><ref>[[Vaisampayana]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01068.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 1: [[Adi Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017</ref> Originally unnamed in the epic, the name of Duryodhana's wife is found in later versions.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}} Bhanumati's children are [[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]]. It is described that Duryodhana loved her immensely.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Valmiki|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qj9bDwAAQBAJ&q=mother+of+Lakshmana&pg=PT5921|title=Delphi Collected Sanskrit Epics (Illustrated)|last2=Vyasa|date=2018-05-19|publisher=Delphi Classics|isbn=978-1-78656-128-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name=riseofkali22>[[Anand Neelakantan]] (2015). ''[[Ajaya: Rise of Kali]]''. p. 22</ref>

In the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana's wife is mentioned thrice. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'' book, Duryodhana abducted king Chitrangada's daughter from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of [[Karna]].<ref name="narada">[[Narada]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a004.htm The Mahabharata]: Book 12: [[Shanti Parva]]'', K. M. Ganguli, tr. Retrieved 5 October 2017.</ref> Later, she is described by her mother-in-law, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], in the ''[[Stri Parva]]'' book.

==Textual sources and development==
Bhanumati is never directly mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''. In the ''[[Shalya Parva]]'', Duryodhana expresses his sorrow over the fate of the mother of his son, [[Laxman Kumara]]. In the ''[[Stri Parva]]'', [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]] (mother of Duryodhana) mentions her daughter-in-law. In the ''[[Shanti Parva]]'', the sage [[Narada]] narrates a story about the friendship of Duryodhana and [[Karna]]. Here, Karna helps his friend in abducting the daughter of Kalinga king Chitrāngada from her Swayamvar. As Duryodhana's wife is unnamed in the epic, her name is provided by the folktales.{{sfn|Sharma|2007}}

==Description in the Mahabharata==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, [[Gandhari (Mahabharata)|Gandhari]], mother of Duryodhana, describes her daughter in law to Krishna in the following manner.
{{blockquote|text=Behold, again, this sight that is more painful than the death of my son, the sight of these fair ladies weeping by the side of the slain heroes! Behold, O Krishna, the mother of Lakshmana, that lady of large hips, with her tresses dishevelled, that dear spouse of Duryodhana, resembling a sacrificial altar of gold. Without doubt, this damsel of great intelligence, while her mighty-armed lord was formerly alive, used to sport within the embrace of her lord’s handsome arms! Why, indeed, does not this heart of mine break into a hundred fragments at the sight of my son and grandson slain in battle?|title=''Gandhari''|source=Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>}}

Gandhari continues:
{{blockquote|text=Alas, that faultless lady now smells (the head of) her son covered with blood. Now, again, that lady of fair thighs is gently rubbing Duryodhana’s body with her fair hand. At one time she is sorrowing for her lord and at another for her son. At one time she looketh on her lord, at another on her son. Behold, O Madhava, striking her head with her hands, she falls upon the breast of her heroic spouse, the king of the Kurus. Possessed of complexion like that of the filaments of the lotus, she still looketh beautiful like a lotus. The unfortunate princess now rubbeth the face of her son and now that of her lord.}}

== Marriage with Duryodhana ==
Duryodhana's marriage is found in the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. The tale of the Swayamvar of Chitrangada's daughter is narrated by Narada, the god sage. The text never mentions the name of the princess but states that she is fair and beautiful.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}

Duryodhana was invited to the [[Svayamvara]] of the daughter of King Chitrangada of [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]]. Duryodhana went to the city of Rajapura, taking along his dear friend [[Karna]]. Many legendary rulers like [[Shishupala]], [[Jarasandha]], Bhishmaka, Vakra, Kapotaroman, Nila, [[Rukmi]], Sringa, Asoka, Satadhanwan etc. attended the ceremony. After the commencing of the ceremony, the lovely princess entered the arena with a garland in her hand, surrounded by her nursemaid and bodyguards. As she was being informed about the names of the participants & their lineage, she walked away from Duryodhana. Duryodhana refuses to accept her rejection and already smitten by the princess, took her away on his chariot challenging other suitors to beat him & Karna. Karna successfully battled with the rest of the suitors to protect his friend. Karna easily defeated the pursuing Kings and the other royal suitors abandoned their pursuit after seeing Karna's fighting prowess. On reaching [[Hastinapur]], Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kashi]] for his stepbrother, [[Vichitravirya]]. Finally, the fair lady consented and married Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>

Bhanumati's story end with Gandhari's mentions after Duryodhana's death. In the Mahabharata, it is never mentioned if she married another man.

==Regional stories and folktales ==
Though Bhanumati is a minor character in the original Mahabharata, she appears in many regional stories and folktales.

===The dice match with Karna===

The popular tale is a Tamil folktale and is not mentioned in the ''Mahabharata''.{{Sfn|Menon|2006|p=}} One day, Duryodhana requested Karna to take care of Bhanumati and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.

Karna, before realizing his friend's arrival, grabbed Bhanumati's shawl and pulled her towards him. His action leads her pearl ornaments to scatter, making it more inappropriate. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react.

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the Vyasa Mahabharata but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship or Duryodhana's trust towards his wife and his friend.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Menon|2006}}

===Supriya's marriage===
In later stories, it is described that Bhanumati had a maid named [[Supriya (Karna's wife)|Supriya]], who was very close to her. As per the story, when Duryodhana and Karna abducted Bhanumati, Supriya also followed them. Later, when Bhanumati accepted Duryodhana as her spouse, Supriya chose Karna as her husband.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krishnan|first=S. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsKlDwAAQBAJ&q=vrushali+and+supriya&pg=PA50|title=Karna, the son of Kunti: Stories from the Mahabharatha|date=2017-07-01|publisher=SA}}</ref>

===Shalya's daughter in Indonesia===
According to a folktale of Indonesia, Bhanumati is the daughter of [[Shalya]], uncle of [[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]], making her their cousins. As per the story, Bhanumati wanted to marry Arjuna but she married Duryodhana as per her father's wish. As Duryodhan was his son-in-law, Shalya supported the Kaurava side in the Kurukshetra War.{{sfn|Pattanaik|2010}}

===Bhanumati's Origin===
Bhanumati has been given 3 origins, Daughter of Shalya and Daughter of Chitrangadha, The above-mentioned is the folklore of Indonesia and it makes her plot a bit different but we also find that she is mentioned to be the daughter of Chitrangadha of Kalinga, but in some versions we find him to be the King of Kashi or Kamboj.

==In popular culture==
* In 1857 [[Kaliprasanna Singha]], then 16 years old, played Bhanumati in a Bengal performance.
* Portrayed by [[Shubhi Ahuja]] in [[Suryaputra Karn]] television series
* Portrayed by Ravneet Kaur in [[Karn Sangini]], 2018 television series
* Portrayed By [[Aarti Singh]] in the [[Mahabharata Katha|Mahabharata Katha (TV Series)]]
* Portrayed By [[Draft:Asha Shetty|Asha Shetty]] in Mahabharat 2013 TV Series.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}
* {{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 11: Stri Parva: Stri-vilapa-parva: Section 17|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m11/m11016.htm|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}
* {{Cite book|last=Chakravarti|first=Bishnupada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivQ6CwAAQBAJ&q=Bhanumati&pg=PT105|title=Penguin Companion to the Mahabharata|date=2007-11-13|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-93-5214-170-8|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzN2_fu0mIYC&q=Bhanumati&pg=PA221|title=Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-310425-4|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Menon|first=Ramesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GgCZqN_hAgC&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA540|title=The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering|date=2006-07-20|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-84565-1|language=en}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Lakshmana Kumara

2023-01-17T20:50:15Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Son of Duryodhana in the Indian epic Mahabharata}}
{{about|the character of Mahabharata|other uses|Lakshman (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox character
| color = #FFC569
| info-hdr=Information
| name = Laxman Kumara
| image = Abhimanyu Kilss Lakshmana.jpg
| caption = Abhimanyu kills Lakshmana
| family = {{ubl|[[Duryodhana]] (father) [[Bhanumati (wife of Duryodhana)|Bhanumati]] (mother)
[[Draft:Lakshmanā (Daughter of Duryodhana and Bhanumati)|Lakshmanā]](Sister)}}
| relatives = [[Dhritrashtra]] (Grandfather) [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]](Grandmother) other Kauravas, [[Pandavas]](Uncles), [[Dushala]] (Aunt)}}

In the [[Hindu epic]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'', '''Lakshmana Kumara''' (also spelled '''Laxman(a)''') was the son of [[Duryodhana]] and Bhanumati and grandson of [[Dhritarashtra]] and Gandhari.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml23.htm |title=Indian Myth and Legend: Chapter XVIII. The Battle of Eighteen Days |publisher=Sacred-texts.com }}</ref> He had a twin sister called [[Lakshmanaa]] who was kidnapped by [[Samba (Krishna's son)]]. Only few mentions of Lakshmana are there the ''Mahabharata''. He was the one who killed [[Kshatradeva]], [[Shikhandi]]'s son, on the twelfth day of the [[Kurukshetra War]], while himself being slain on the 13th day of the war by [[Abhimanyu]] who decapitated him using the ''nagashirastra''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.urday.in/mchakravyuh.htm |title=MAHABHARATA - Chakravyuh Abhimanyu`s Death |publisher=Urday.in |access-date=2012-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611120140/http://www.urday.in/mchakravyuh.htm |archive-date=11 June 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07043.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Abhimanyu-badha Parva: Section XLIV |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2012-08-26}}</ref>

==In folklore==

In [[Telugu people|Telugu]] folklore, not present in ''Mahabharata'', [[Sasirekha Parinayam|Vatsala]] (Sashirekha), the daughter of [[Balarama]], is betrothed to the [[Pandava]] prince [[Abhimanyu]]. Abhimanyu is the son of [[Krishna]]'s sister [[Subhadra]] and (Krishna's close friend) the [[Pandava]] prince [[Arjuna]]. So initially the marriage of Vatsala is to be performed with Abhimanyu but when Abhimanyu's father [[Arjuna]] goes into exile Balarama's wife [[Revati]] says that Arjuna has no kingdom left and a prince without a kingdom may well be a commoner. Balarama thinks about it and feels that his wife is right and that he is supposed to think about the welfare of his daughter to break off the marriage with Abhimanyu.

Balarama arranges it instead with Duryodhana's son Laxman. Abhimanyu learns of this and is annoyed. Abhimanyu asks his maternal uncle- Balarama's brother and Arjuna's ally, [[Krishna]] to intervene. Krishna says he cannot do so but he should ask help from his first cousin [[Ghatotkacha]] - the half-demon son of Arjuna's brother [[Bhima]] who lives in Varnavat. Abhimanyu sets out to Varnavat and meets his cousin's brother and tells him why he seeks his help. Ghatotkacha is furious at Balarama because he wants to keep an alliance with the very people who were the cause of the Pandavas' misery. Meanwhile, the marriage preparations take place at Balarama's house. Ghatotkacha hatches a plan to get Vatsala and Abhimanyu married.

Ghatotkacha goes disguised as Vatsala to the marriage ceremony. He clamps Laxman's arm, scaring Laxman who promptly faints. Laxman vows never to marry. The real Vatsala has been transported by Ghatotkacha to Varnavat where Abhimanyu awaits. The couple's marriage is celebrated. When Duryodhana learns that Abhimanyu has married Vatsala, he is infuriated and thus his anger toward the Pandavas is further fuelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=11706 |title=Balarama is Abhimanyu’s Father-In-Law: A Study In Folk Mahabharata by Indrajit Bandyopadhyay |publisher=Boloji.com |access-date=2012-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://devdutt.com/articles/mahabharata/caught-in-a-whirlpool.html |title=Caught in a Whirlpool : Devdutt Pattanaik |publisher=Devdutt.com |date=2009-12-27 |access-date=2012-08-26}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Duryodhana]]
{{Mahābhārata}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Duryodhana

2023-01-17T20:48:44Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D: /* Marriage and children */

{{Short description|Eldest Kaurava in the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| affiliation = [[Kaurava]]
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Duryodhana
| image = Duryodhana showing his army to Drona.jpg
| alt = Duryodhana
| caption = Duryodhana showing his army to [[Drona]]
| aliases = Suyodhana
| spouse = [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]
|
| weapon = [[Gada (mace)]]
| family = [[Dhritarashtra]] (father) [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] (mother) [[Dushasana]],Dussaha, Jalagandha, Durmuka [[Vikarna]],Subahu, Sulochana, Anudhara, Chitrasena and 90 more (brothers) [[Dushala]] (sister) [[Yuyutsu]] (step-brother)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]], [[Lakshmanaa]]
| relatives = [[Pandavas]] (paternal cousins) [[Shakuni]] (maternal uncle)
| color = #FFC569
}}

'''Duryodhana''' ({{lang-sa|दुर्योधन}}, {{IAST3|Duryodhana}}) also known as '''Suyodhana''', is the main antagonist in the Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and was the eldest of the [[Kaurava]]s, the hundred sons of a blind king [[Dhritarashtra]] and queen [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. Being the firstborn son of the blind king, he was the crown prince of [[Kuru Kingdom]] and its capital [[Hastinapura]] along with his cousin [[Yudhishtra]] who was older than him. [[Karna]] was Duryodhana's closest friend. Notably, Duryodhana, with significant assistance from Karna, performs Vaishnava Yagna when the Pandavas are in exile.<ref name="Netlancers Inc, 2014">{{cite book|last1=Ganguli|first1=Kisari Mohan|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva|publisher=Netlancers Inc, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Karna the conqueror of the entire world">{{cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03252.htm | title=Mahabaratha, Digvijaya yatra of Karna | publisher=Sacred Texts | work=The Mahabharata | date=1896 | access-date=11 June 2015 | author=Kisari Mohan Ganguli| author-link=Kisari Mohan Ganguli }}</ref> Duryodhana used his greater skill in wielding the mace to defeat opponents. He was also an extremely courageous warrior and he was said to be a good ruler. Duryodhana's greed and arrogance were the two qualities said to lead to his downfall in the Mahabharata.

== Etymology ==
The Sanskrit word, ''Duryodhana'' means "invincible".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gandhi|first=Maneka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkW6hs1OjyEC|title=The Penguin Book of Hindu Names|date=1993|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780140128413|page=125}}</ref>

==Birth==
[[File:Vyas ki vardhan.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Gandhari receiving boon from Vyasa]]

When [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari's]] pregnancy continued for an unusually long period of time, Her mother-in-law Ambika and Ambalika were very upset with her. Pandu and Kunti earlier bore a son whom they named Yudhishthira. So she beat her womb in frustration. This caused a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh to issue from her womb. She implored [[Vyasa]], the great sage who had blessed her as "Shata Putra Praptirasthu" (Sanskrit for "blessed with a hundred sons"), to redeem his words. Vyasa divided the ball of flesh into one hundred and one equal pieces and put them in pots of [[milk]], which were sealed and buried into the earth for two years. At the end of the second year, the first pot was opened, and Duryodhana emerged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01116.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CXV |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>

==Early years==
[[File:Duryodana-kl.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana in Javanese [[Wayang]]]]

Although loved by his family, Duryodhana and most of his brothers were not seen on the same level as the [[Pandavas]] in their adherence to virtue, duty, and respect for elders. Duryodhana felt that the partiality everyone showed to the Pandavas was only due to the [[Demigod#Hinduism|circumstances of their birth]]. Duryodhana was mentored by his maternal uncle [[Shakuni]], who masterminded most of Duryodhana's plots to humiliate and kill the Pandavas.

Duryodhana's hatred for the Pandavas stemmed from his sincere belief that he [[primogeniture|being the son of the eldest brother]] should be the [[heir]] apparent to the throne of Hastinapura. Because of his father's ([[Dhritarashtra]]) blindness , his father had to renounce the throne in favour of his younger brother, [[Pandu]]. Duryodhana deeply believed that what was rightfully his was being given away to his older cousin [[Yudhishthira]]. He also felt that the Pandavas were the sons of Kunti and [[Gods|devas/deities]], and not of Pandu. He never believed that their divine origin alone proved their superiority. On many occasions he questioned their merits and always called them 'Kaunteya' (sons of Kunti). He would never accept the Pandavas as his brothers but always did his best to restrain them. He also bore a deep hatred of [[Bhima]], who was older than him but much stronger and dominated his brothers in sport and skill with his immense physical power and strength. Out of anger and jealousy, he even tried to poison Bheem, but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rao|first=Shanta Rameshwar|title=The Mahabharata (Illustrated)|year=1985|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=9788125022800|pages=25–26}}</ref>

===Training===

Learning martial skills from his gurus [[Dronacharya]], he proved to be extremely skilled with the [[Gada (mace)|mace]]. He then went to specialize in mace fighting under [[Balarama]], so as to gain sympathy from him and went on to become his favourite pupil. [[Balarama]] described Duryodhana's body to be "lightning made flesh" and declared him to be the greatest mace fighter of his generation.

===Relationship with Karna===
At the martial exhibition where the [[Kaurava]] and [[Pandava]] princes demonstrated their skills before their elders, their guru [[Drona]] and the people of that kingdom, [[Karna]] appeared and challenged an unsuspecting [[Arjuna]], who is considered to be the best of the princes. But Karna was stopped when [[Kripa]] asked him to ascertain his lineage, as it would be inappropriate for unequal to compete. Karna, not being a [[kshatriya]], bowed his head in shame.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrath |first=Kevin |year=2004 |title=The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahābhārata |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=90-04-13729-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC |access-date=25 November 2013 }}</ref>

Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, arguing that it is skill and bravery, and not birth, that defines a warrior. Using the boon granted to him by [[Dhritarashtra]], Duryodhana made Karna king of [[Anga]] so that he was regarded as Arjuna's equal.<ref name=":0" /> Karna pledged his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana. Neither of them knew that Karna was in fact [[Kunti|Kunti's]] oldest son, born to (the sun god) [[Surya]], before her marriage to [[Pandu]].

In the [[Kurukshetra War]], Karna was Duryodhana's greatest champion and served as [[Kurukshetra War#Day 15|commander from the fifteenth day]]. Duryodhana sincerely believed that Karna was superior to [[Arjuna]], and would defeat his four brothers. When [[Karna]] was killed, Duryodhana mourned his death intensely, even more so than the death of his own brothers and was inconsolable. When Karna's identity was revealed to him, Duryodhana's love for Karna only grew and it is said to be he, and not the Pandavas, who performed Karna's last rites.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jain|first=Gopal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wvQDwAAQBAJ&q=karna%27s+final+rights+were+performed+by&pg=PA444|title=SHAKUNI - AN OATH FOR REVENGE|date=2020-02-14|publisher=BlueRose Publishers|language=en}}</ref> Krishna confirmed that he had the highest right over Karna, as they loved and supported each other truly.

===Tendencies and schemes===

During their childhood, Bhima used his brute strength to inflict injuries on the [[Kaurava]] brothers. As Bhima was gluttonous, Duryodhana, guided by Shakuni attempted to kill Bhima by feeding him poison, but Bhima survived the trap and emerged even stronger than before. Duryodhana then participated in a [[Lakshagraha|plot by Shakuni]] to burn the Pandavas in a house of wax at Varnavata; however, they managed to escape the trap having been warned by [[Vidura]].

== Marriage and children ==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, Gandhari mentioned the wife of Duryodhana and mother of Laxman. In the [[Shanti Parva]], sage Narada narrated the marriage of Duryodhana with the daughter of King Chitrangada of Kalinga. In the Mahabharata, the wife of Duryodhana is unnamed but by most sources, Duryodhana had only one wife, who was named [[Bhanumati]] in later interpolations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}</ref>

According to the story found in ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted King Chitrangada's daughter, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her. It is described that he loved her immensely. On reaching Hastinapur, Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of Kashi for his stepbrother. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>
[[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]] were the children of Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Life of Krishna: Based on the Earliest Oral Traditions and the Sacred Scriptures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFwoDwAAQBAJ&q=lakshmana+daughter+of+duryodhana&pg=PT171|publisher=Simon and Schuster|author=Vanamali|access-date=22 May 2012|isbn = 9781594776908|year=2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml23.htm |title=Indian Myth and Legend: Chapter XVIII. The Battle of Eighteen Days |publisher=Sacred-texts.com }}</ref> Little is revealed about them in the ''Mahabharata'' other than Laxman's death in the Kurukshetra War and Laxmanaa's marriage to [[Krishna]]'s son [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]].

==Usurping the Kingdom==

After the Pandavas revealed that they had survived the wax house, with [[Draupadi|a new wife]] to boot, [[Bhishma]] suggested that the kingdom be divided in order to ease the obvious tension. [[Yudhishthira]] is given half the kingdom and made king of [[Khandavprastha]], so as to avoid a clash with the Kaurava princes over the whole [[Kuru Kingdom]]. Duryodhana became the crown prince of [[Hastinapura]], and owing to the age and blindness of his father, he accumulated much control and influence, managing the state affairs himself with a group of his advisers that included his uncle [[Shakuni]], brother [[Dushasana]], Bhishma, Vidura, and [[Karna]].
[[File:Duryodfhana fall into water.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana slips into water, while Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadev laugh at him.]]
But Duryodhana remained jealous of Yudhishthira, especially after the Pandavas along with [[Krishna]] transformed Khandavaprastha to [[Indraprastha]]. Moreover, Yudhishthira performed the [[Rajasuya|Rajasuya Yagna]] and gained authority over several other kingdoms; Indraprastha's prosperity and fame appeared to exceed Hastinapura's. Duryodhana was unable to contain his anger, which was intensified when [[Bhima]], [[Arjuna]], the twins and the servants laughed at him when he slipped into a pool of water during a visit to Indraprastha.

In popular culture, television shows and post-modern novels on Mahabharata attribute this blame to [[Draupadi]] with an added statement "the son of the blind man also is blind", but the scene in the canonical text of Vyasa's Sanskrit epic is different. As per original scripture written by Ved Vyasa Draupadi didn't taunt Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02046.htm | title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Sisupala-badha Parva: Section XLVI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-19|title=Did Draupadi Insult Duryodhana during Rajasuya, Karna in Swayamvara?|url=https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2020/05/19/did-draupadi-insult-duryodhana-during-rajasuya-karna-in-swayamvara/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=myIndiamyGlory|language=en-GB}}</ref>
This enraged Duryodhana and increases his hostility towards the Pandavas.

===The dice plot, and Draupadi's humiliation===
[[File:Draupadi s presented to a pachisi game.jpg|thumb|Draupadi is presented to a pacheesi game]]

Duryodhana's jealousy of the prosperity and fame of Indraprastha and being humiliated by the Pandavas made him furious and he wished to throw down the [[Pandavas]]. To support his will, Shakuni devised a scheme to rob [[Yudhishthira]] of his kingdom and wealth by defeating him in a [[Pachisi|Pakida or game of dice]], in which Shakuni couldn't lose as he had dices which he could control.

Unable to decline the invitation, due to diplomacy, Yudhishthira gambled away his entire kingdom, his wealth, his four brothers and even his wife, in a series of gambits to retrieve one by staking another. After Yudhishthira lost Draupadi, Duryodhana encouraged his brother Dushasana to drag her into the court as she was now his property. Dushsana pulled Draupadi's hair and dragged her into the court. Duryodhana ordered Draupadi to sit on his left thigh, showing and patting it to insult her for revenge. Draupadi refused and Duryodhan ordered Dushashan to disrobe her. Following his brother's orders, Dushashan laughed and started pulling Draupadi's saree. Duryodhan, [[Shakuni]], [[Karna]] and the other Kauravas (except [[Vikarna]]) also started laughing. However, by Krishna's grace, Draupadi's amount of clothing remained the same.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMsMAwAAQBAJ|title=The Mahabharata|last=Raya|first=Pratapacandra|date=1884|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9785875963933|language=en}}</ref>

Due to this action, Bhima pledged that he would break Duryodhana's thigh.

As an enraged Draupadi was about to curse the [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru clan]], [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] intervened. Fearing retribution by the Pandavas, their allies, and history, [[Dhritarashtra]] and Gandhari reversed all of Yudhishthira's losses. But then (either through Duryodhana forcing his father to command the Pandavas to play again or through Shakuni's vicious tricks) the game was repeated. For this game of dice Shakuni set the condition that upon losing, Yudhishthira and his brothers must spend thirteen years in exile in the forest and one year of ''Agyatavasa'' (remain unknown to others possibly by a disguise) before they reclaim their kingdom. The thirteenth year must be passed incognito, or else the term of exile would be repeated. The Pandavas lost and began their exile.

==Virata War==
Duryodhana was a good friend of [[Matsya Kingdom]]'s commander-in-chief [[Kichaka]]. When [[Bhima]] killed him for humiliating [[Draupadi]], Duryodhana blamed Matsya's King [[Virata]] for his friend Kichaka's death. Virata got angry and ordered Duryodhana to get out of his Kingdom after insulting him. Duryodhana took his army and attacked Matsya. He ordered his wife's cousin [[Susharma]] to attack Matsya from other side but they failed to conquer it because [[Arjuna]] and [[Bhima]] defended it.

==The Kurukshetra War==
===Peace Talks and Buildup===

At the end of the exile term, Duryodhana refused to return [[Yudhishthira|Yudhishthira's]] kingdom, despite the counsel of [[Bhishma]], [[Dronacharya]], and [[Vidura]]. Although [[Dhritarashtra]] openly criticized his son, he tacitly desired that Duryodhana retain his throne. In a final attempt at securing peace, [[Krishna]] returned with the [[Pandavas|Pandavas']] final proposal: the Pandavas would give up all claims to [[Indraprastha]] and [[Hastinapura]] in exchange for five villages. Scoffing, Duryodhana said he will not even give even a needlepoint of land to the Pandavas. Egged on by Krishna, Duryodhana attempted to arrest him. Krishna revealed his [[Vishvarupa]] form. The entire [[Kaurava]] court, saved for Bhishma, Drona, Vidura, and Dhritarashtra (who was granted a divine vision in order to see that by supporting his son, he was going against [[God]]), was temporarily blinded by the form. This confirmed to those present that Krishna was indeed an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]. Duryodhana, being vastly egoistic (in some versions of the story an outright [[atheism|atheist]]), brushed off the incident, not convinced of Krishna's divinity, and believing that strength of arms, not [[philosophy]], would win him a war.

===Gathering the army===

With war inevitable, Duryodhana gathered support from his powerful vassals. The most powerful warriors – [[Bhishma]], [[Drona]], [[Karna]], [[Kripa]], [[Shalya]], [[Bhurisravas]], [[Ashwatthama]], even those who were critical of him were forced to fight for Duryodhana due to their previous commitments. He ended up amassing a larger army than his rivals.

Shakuni also advised Duryodhana to seek Krishna's help. Duryodhana rushed to [[Dvārakā|Dwarika]] only to find Krishna sleeping; he waited at the head of Krishna's bed when suddenly, [[Arjuna]] arrived with the same goal in mind. Arjuna waited at the foot of Krishna's bed. When Krishna woke up, both Duryodhana and Arjuna appealed for his alliance. Krishna offered a choice of himself, completely unarmed or the entire [[Vrishni]] army. Duryodhana proclaimed that because he arrived first, he should get first pick. However, Krishna said that because he saw Arjuna first and because Arjuna was younger, that Arjuna gets the first choice. Duryodhana became worried but was overjoyed when Arjuna elected to reject Krishna's army in favour of Krishna alone. Joyously, Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura with the [[Vrishni]] army in hand, only to be rebuked by Shakuni, who comments that Krishna is worth many armies by himself.

Duryodhana also managed to win the army of [[Shalya]], the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva. Duryodhana intercepted Shalya's army as it came to [[Kurukshetra]] and offered hospitality; Shalya accepted thinking [[Yudhishthira]] had made the offer. After Shalya had enjoyed Duryodhana's comforts, Duryodhana revealed the duplicity and indicated that Shalya is now indebted to him. He used this indebtedness to extract Shalya's army and support. Duryodhana wanted Shalya mainly so that [[Karna]] would have an equivalent [[Ratha|charioteer]] to Arjuna's Krishna.

===4th day===
[[Bhima]] attacked Duryodhana, pierced him and cut off his bow. In return, Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]], his Charioteer and cut off his bow. Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]] with shafts on his breast. [[Bhima]] feeling great pain fled away from the battlefield.<ref name="sacred-texts.com">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section LXIV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06064.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 8th day ===
On the 8th day, Rakashasaas of Ghatotkacha's army attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana slew many rakshasas like Vegavat, Maharudra, Vidyujihva and Pramathin.<ref name="sacred-texts.com"/> Later, he killed Visharada, son of [[Kunti-Bhoja]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XCV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06095.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 14th day ===
Uttamauja and Yudhamanyu (sons of [[Drupad]])<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Jayadratha-Vadha Parva: Section CXXIX|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07126.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> attacked Duryodhana and Duryodhana defeated them in mace fighting.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> After the death of [[Jayadratha]], Duryodhana became very angry and he started killing the Pandava army. However, he is later defeated by [[Yudhishthira]], who in turn starts massacring the Kaurava army.

=== 15th day ===
[[Nakula]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana fought with him and defeated Nakula, forcing him to flee. On the sixteenth day, he tried to face Yudishthira and bravely withstood his onslaught. But soon, Yudishthira defeated him and destroyed his chariot. Luckily, he was rescued by Karna.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Defeat of Nakula by Duryodhana|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07184.htm?fbclid=IwAR1wKvwUUcltb_jFK2W275ssjKJqRg7Pcz7SN1GsOqnMWYcoHdNSsysw3gc}}</ref>

=== 17th day ===
[[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana pierced them and nearly killed them. Later, [[Dhrishtadyumna]] saved them. Then many Pandava warriors, including Yudhishthira, Bhima, Dristadyumna, Satyaki, etc. all together attacked Duryodhana. However Duryodhana alone managed to resist all the Pandavas and he repelled the Pandavas' group attack single-handedly.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 3|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09003.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

=== 18th day ===
On the 18th day, the Pandavas together had attacked Duryodhana but they were unsuccessful as Duryodhana alone resisted and defeated all of them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 17|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09017.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 22|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09022.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref> Duryodhana had also killed a Yadava warrior named Chekitana on that day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 12|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09012.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

==Gada-Yuddha==

[[File:Duel between Duryodhana and Bhima.jpg|thumb|left|The final battle between [[Bhima]] and Duryodhana]]
[[File:Bhima fighting Duryodhana.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Bhima fighting with Duryodhana, [[Kalighat painting]]]]
[[File:Duryodhana_found_in_the_lake.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana Found in The Lake]]
[[File:Canvas1.png|thumb|Duryodana was defeated by Bhima – A scene from Razmanama]]
On the eighteenth day of the war, with his army reduced to himself, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripa]] and [[Kritvarma]], Duryodhana went to meditate in a lake. When the [[Pandavas]] and [[Krishna]] eventually found him, Duryodhana told them that he wanted to gift the kingdom to them, and retire to the forest. [[Yudhishthira]] rejected the offer, telling him that [[Hastinapur]] is not Duryodhana's to gift. Instead, he offered that Duryodhana may pick any of the Pandava brothers to fight against one-to-one with a weapon of his choice, with the winner of the conflict the victor of the war.

Despite his proposed advantage over Yudhishthira, [[Arjuna]], [[Nakula]], or [[Sahadeva]] with the [[gada (mace)|gada]], Duryodhana picked his nemesis [[Bhima]]. Despite Bhima's physical advantage, Duryodhana had the better technique due to his devotion to his craft. After a long and brutal battle between the two disciples of Balarama, Duryodhana began to exhaust Bhima and nearly made Bhima faint.

At this point, Krishna, observing the fight, called out to Bhima and signalled him by repeatedly clapping his own thigh with his hand. As intended, Bhima was reminded of an [[oath]] he had taken after the [[pachisi|game of dice]] to crush Duryodhana's thighs. Bhima victoriously attacked Duryodhana with his mace and struck his thigh, mortally wounding Duryodhana. After having his face insultingly kicked by Bhima, Duryodhana bemoaned that he was slain by unfair means, given that it was illegal to attack below the waist in a mace fight.

Infuriated at the violation, [[Balarama]], the brother of Lord Krishna, raised his weapon to attack. Lord Krishna consoled Balarama, by reminding him of Duryodhana's evil deeds, and reprimanded him for trying to influence a war he refused to participate in.<ref>K M Ganguly(1883-1896) [http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09060.htm Balarama curses Bhima and came to aid of Duryodhana] October 2003, Retrieved 2015-03-08</ref>

Lying defeated, Duryodhana boasted to the Pandavas about how he would die a glorious death, about how he got to enjoy Hastinapur while the Pandavas were in exile, and about how he would now spend the afterlife in the company of his friends and relatives. He again eviscerated the Pandavas for all their chicanery during the war and decried their legacy. Venerating his own character, Duryodhana proclaimed he will die happily.

==Death==

When the coast was clear, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripacharya]], and [[Kritvarma]], having witnessed the fight and not wanting to interrupt so as to rob Duryodhana of his [[honor]], came to Duryodhana's broken body. Ashwatthama promised Duryodhana that he would dispatch the Pandavas and their allies to the abode of Yama and requests his permission to continue the war.

Ashwatthama proceeds to the encampment and into Drishtadyumna's tent at night while everybody of Pandava camp were sleeping. Drishtadyumna awakens from his sleep, and begs Ashwatthama not to kill him cowardly at night and unarmed, and let him die a warrior's death with an appropriate duel. Ashwatthama ignores his plea and beats him to death. The Upapandavas and Shikhandhi alerted by Drishtadyumn’s cries, came out of their tents to battle, only to be slain. Ashwatthama proceeds to massacre everyone in the encampment while any escapees were slain by Kripacharya and Kritvarma at the gates of the encampment.

After killing the Upapandavas and the last remnants of the Panchalas, Ashwatthama returns to Duryodhana. He showed Duryodhana the blood on his sword which belonged to the Upapandavas, hearing Duryodhana peacefully left his body satisfied with revenge. Concomitant with Duryodhana's death, [[Sanjaya]] loses his divine sight, which he had been using to update Duryodhana's father Dhritarashtra. This symbolizes the conclusion to the war.

After the Pandavas retired, only Yudhishthira reached heaven alive. There, he saw Duryodhana, which shocked him. When asked by Yudhishthira, Narada replied that Duryodhana fulfilled his religious duties.<ref>https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m18/m18001.htm</ref>

==Evaluation==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2021}}
Duryodhana is a popular choice of analysis. His merits, flaws, symbolism, and relevance are widely discussed.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

[[Urubhanga]]m is a [[Sanskrit]] play written by [[Bhasa]] in the 2nd or 3rd century AD with Duryodhana as its primary protagonist. Written as a tragedy, the drama focuses on his point of view of the events of Mahabharata. His portrayal as a tragic hero is especially unique within the body of works in [[Sanskrit drama]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Many [[Hindu]]s believe that Duryodhana was the personification of [[Kali (demon)|Kali]] with demoniac qualities such as greed, ego and lust. Many critics argue that he is not without positives; many consider Duryodhana as a fair king and there are temples dedicated to him and the [[Kauravas]]. Scholars believe that like most other characters of the [[Mahabharata]], the true picture is not [[black and white]]. His name is often mistaken to mean bad ruler, however, his name is actually coined from the Sanskrit words "du"/"duh" which means "difficult" and "yodhana" which means "fight"/"war".{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=August 2015}} So Duryodhana actually means ''someone who is extremely difficult to fight/defeat or wage war against''.

Duryodhana is viewed, by some, as the product of Dhritarashtra's ambition and also in a metaphorical sense, his "blindness". He is also praised for his adherence to his duties as a [[Kshatriya]], and even in his last combat, fights bravely. He chooses to face [[Bhima]] in combat over all the other [[Pandavas]], with whom he has an advantage in mace fighting. His skills in the mace are also praised; many stories call him the greatest mace-fighter of the age after [[Balarama]], Krishna and Bheema.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Friendship with Karna===

The friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana is considered to be a great one, and is used as an example of friendship and loyalty.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=Vignesh|first1=Inba|title=The Greatest friends ever lived - Karna and Duriyoudan|url=http://www.hearty-india.com/2011/10/karan-and-dhuriyoudan-greatest-friends.html|website=India - The Land of Hearts|publisher=India - The Land of Hearts|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Friendship|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/religion/friendship/article2296494.ece|access-date=15 June 2017|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu}}</ref>
A lesser-known story is told about Karna, Duryodhana, and his wife Bhanumati, as an example of honest friendship.
With the help of Karna, Duryodhana married Bhanumati. According to the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted Bhanumati, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her.

As per a Tamil folktale, when Duryodhana had recently wedded Bhanumati, one day, he requested Karna to take care of her and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana had returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

He immediately reached for her pearl-trimmed shawl, and accidentally pulled so hard that the trimming broke, and the pearls were scattered all over the floor. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react. She had heard of his ego and had personally been present the last time he was insulted, which had resulted in her own abduction.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the [[Vyasa|Vyasa Mahabharata]], but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf</ref>
[[File:Coronation of Karna.jpg|thumb|Coronation of Karna]]

===Modern Worship===
* At [[Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple]] in [[Kerala]]'s [[Kollam|Kollam district]], Duryodhana is worshipped as the main deity. It is the only temple in [[South India]] where a [[Kaurava]] is considered a [[God]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malanada.com/ |title=Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada | The one and only one Duryodhana Temple in South India |publisher=Malanada.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>
* In the [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] region of [[Uttarakhand]], several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as the deity. The mountain tribes of [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] fought along with Duryodhana in the Mahabharata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.
* There is a temple in Osla, [[Garhwal division]] of Uttarakhand. This was built by the inhabitants of Saur. People believe he stayed here with the blessings of [[Mahasu Devta Temple|Lord Mahasu]] to care for the people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shrine for Duryodhana!|url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/a-temple-for-duryodhana-in-the-himalayas/article18425964.ece?homepage=true|access-date=12 May 2017|work=The Hindu|date=11 May 2017}}</ref>

== In media ==
* ''[[Krishnavatara]]'' (Hindi: कृष्णअवतार), a series of seven novels written by Dr. [[K.M. Munshi]] ([[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]])
* ''Duryodhana'' by [[Viswanathan Raghunathan]] (2014, Harper Collins).

=== Television & films ===
*[[Mammootty]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 1991 [[Kollywood]] film [[Thalapathi]]. The theme of the film is based on the friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite web|last1=R|first1=Narendran|title=Vintage Movie Review: A Review on Thalapathi|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-fans-Column/vintage-movie-review-a-review-on-thalapathi-thalpathi-visitor-review.html|access-date=18 February 2016|website=Behindwoods.com|publisher=Behindwoods.com}}</ref>
*[[Manoj Bajpayee]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 2010 [[Bollywood]] film [[Raajneeti]].{{cn|date=January 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Project !! Played by!! Country !! Language
|-
| 1964 ||''[[Karnan (1964 film)|Karnan]]''||[[S. A. Ashokan]]|| rowspan="3" | India || Tamil
|-
| 1977 ||''[[Daana Veera Shura Karna]]''||[[N. T. Rama Rao]]|| Telugu
|-
| 1988 ||''[[Mahabharat (1988 TV series)]]''||[[Puneet Issar]]|| Hindi
|-
| 1989 ||''[[The Mahabharata (1989 film)|The Mahabharata]]''||[[Georges Corraface]]|| Belgium Australia U.S. Sweden Portugal Norway Netherlands Japan Ireland Iceland Finland Denmark UK France || English
|-
| 1993 ||''[[Krishna (TV series)]]''|| Kumar Hegde|| rowspan="9" | India || Hindi
|-
| 2002 ||''[[Maharathi Karna (TV series)|Maharathi Karna]]''||[[Nimai Bali]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2008 ||''[[Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki]]''||[[Aryan Vaid]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharatham (TV series)]]''|| Vetri Vel|| Tamil
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 TV series)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Arpit Ranka]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 film)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Jackie Shroff]] (voice)|| Hindi
|-
| 2015 ||''[[Suryaputra Karn]]''||[[Shaleen Bhanot]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2018 ||''[[Karn Sangini]]''||[[Paras Chhabra]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2019 ||''[[Kurukshetra (2019 film)|Kurukshetra]]''||[[Darshan (actor)|Darshan]]||[[Kannada]], [[Malayalam]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], and [[Hindi]]
|-
|2018 -
|[[RadhaKrishn]]
|Krrip Kapur Suri
|India
|Hindi
|}

==See also==
*[[Kauravas]]
*[[Kali (demon)]]
*''[[Mahabharata]]''

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist|30em}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
*''The Mahabharata'' (1999) by [[Krishna Dharma]]

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Duryodhana}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100205123023/http://ancientindians.wordpress.com/duryodhana/ Duryodhana Temples and Lineage]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170304200505/http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/greatpersonalities/karna/page8.htm karna great personalities]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140317194726/http://newzfeaturez.com/2014/03/17/the-relevance-of-karna-and-duryodhanas-friendship-in-the-modern-indian-society/ THE RELEVANCE OF “KARNA AND DURYODHANA’S” FRIENDSHIP IN THE MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171108140058/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/from-duryodhanas-perspective/article7530151.ece From Duryodhana’s perspective]

{{Mahābhārata}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Forms of Kali (demon)]]

Duryodhana

2023-01-17T20:47:14Z

2402:8100:387D:352B:5437:81FF:FE0B:2E5D:

{{Short description|Eldest Kaurava in the epic Mahabharata}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| affiliation = [[Kaurava]]
| info-hdr = Information
| name = Duryodhana
| image = Duryodhana showing his army to Drona.jpg
| alt = Duryodhana
| caption = Duryodhana showing his army to [[Drona]]
| aliases = Suyodhana
| spouse = [[Bhanumati (Mahabharata)|Bhanumati]]
|
| weapon = [[Gada (mace)]]
| family = [[Dhritarashtra]] (father) [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] (mother) [[Dushasana]],Dussaha, Jalagandha, Durmuka [[Vikarna]],Subahu, Sulochana, Anudhara, Chitrasena and 90 more (brothers) [[Dushala]] (sister) [[Yuyutsu]] (step-brother)
| children = [[Laxman Kumara]], [[Lakshmanaa]]
| relatives = [[Pandavas]] (paternal cousins) [[Shakuni]] (maternal uncle)
| color = #FFC569
}}

'''Duryodhana''' ({{lang-sa|दुर्योधन}}, {{IAST3|Duryodhana}}) also known as '''Suyodhana''', is the main antagonist in the Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and was the eldest of the [[Kaurava]]s, the hundred sons of a blind king [[Dhritarashtra]] and queen [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]]. Being the firstborn son of the blind king, he was the crown prince of [[Kuru Kingdom]] and its capital [[Hastinapura]] along with his cousin [[Yudhishtra]] who was older than him. [[Karna]] was Duryodhana's closest friend. Notably, Duryodhana, with significant assistance from Karna, performs Vaishnava Yagna when the Pandavas are in exile.<ref name="Netlancers Inc, 2014">{{cite book|last1=Ganguli|first1=Kisari Mohan|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva|publisher=Netlancers Inc, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Karna the conqueror of the entire world">{{cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03252.htm | title=Mahabaratha, Digvijaya yatra of Karna | publisher=Sacred Texts | work=The Mahabharata | date=1896 | access-date=11 June 2015 | author=Kisari Mohan Ganguli| author-link=Kisari Mohan Ganguli }}</ref> Duryodhana used his greater skill in wielding the mace to defeat opponents. He was also an extremely courageous warrior and he was said to be a good ruler. Duryodhana's greed and arrogance were the two qualities said to lead to his downfall in the Mahabharata.

== Etymology ==
The Sanskrit word, ''Duryodhana'' means "invincible".<ref>{{cite book|last=Gandhi|first=Maneka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkW6hs1OjyEC|title=The Penguin Book of Hindu Names|date=1993|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780140128413|page=125}}</ref>

==Birth==
[[File:Vyas ki vardhan.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Gandhari receiving boon from Vyasa]]

When [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari's]] pregnancy continued for an unusually long period of time, Her mother-in-law Ambika and Ambalika were very upset with her. Pandu and Kunti earlier bore a son whom they named Yudhishthira. So she beat her womb in frustration. This caused a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh to issue from her womb. She implored [[Vyasa]], the great sage who had blessed her as "Shata Putra Praptirasthu" (Sanskrit for "blessed with a hundred sons"), to redeem his words. Vyasa divided the ball of flesh into one hundred and one equal pieces and put them in pots of [[milk]], which were sealed and buried into the earth for two years. At the end of the second year, the first pot was opened, and Duryodhana emerged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01116.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CXV |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>

==Early years==
[[File:Duryodana-kl.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana in Javanese [[Wayang]]]]

Although loved by his family, Duryodhana and most of his brothers were not seen on the same level as the [[Pandavas]] in their adherence to virtue, duty, and respect for elders. Duryodhana felt that the partiality everyone showed to the Pandavas was only due to the [[Demigod#Hinduism|circumstances of their birth]]. Duryodhana was mentored by his maternal uncle [[Shakuni]], who masterminded most of Duryodhana's plots to humiliate and kill the Pandavas.

Duryodhana's hatred for the Pandavas stemmed from his sincere belief that he [[primogeniture|being the son of the eldest brother]] should be the [[heir]] apparent to the throne of Hastinapura. Because of his father's ([[Dhritarashtra]]) blindness , his father had to renounce the throne in favour of his younger brother, [[Pandu]]. Duryodhana deeply believed that what was rightfully his was being given away to his older cousin [[Yudhishthira]]. He also felt that the Pandavas were the sons of Kunti and [[Gods|devas/deities]], and not of Pandu. He never believed that their divine origin alone proved their superiority. On many occasions he questioned their merits and always called them 'Kaunteya' (sons of Kunti). He would never accept the Pandavas as his brothers but always did his best to restrain them. He also bore a deep hatred of [[Bhima]], who was older than him but much stronger and dominated his brothers in sport and skill with his immense physical power and strength. Out of anger and jealousy, he even tried to poison Bheem, but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rao|first=Shanta Rameshwar|title=The Mahabharata (Illustrated)|year=1985|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=9788125022800|pages=25–26}}</ref>

===Training===

Learning martial skills from his gurus [[Dronacharya]], he proved to be extremely skilled with the [[Gada (mace)|mace]]. He then went to specialize in mace fighting under [[Balarama]], so as to gain sympathy from him and went on to become his favourite pupil. [[Balarama]] described Duryodhana's body to be "lightning made flesh" and declared him to be the greatest mace fighter of his generation.

===Relationship with Karna===
At the martial exhibition where the [[Kaurava]] and [[Pandava]] princes demonstrated their skills before their elders, their guru [[Drona]] and the people of that kingdom, [[Karna]] appeared and challenged an unsuspecting [[Arjuna]], who is considered to be the best of the princes. But Karna was stopped when [[Kripa]] asked him to ascertain his lineage, as it would be inappropriate for unequal to compete. Karna, not being a [[kshatriya]], bowed his head in shame.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrath |first=Kevin |year=2004 |title=The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahābhārata |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=90-04-13729-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC |access-date=25 November 2013 }}</ref>

Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, arguing that it is skill and bravery, and not birth, that defines a warrior. Using the boon granted to him by [[Dhritarashtra]], Duryodhana made Karna king of [[Anga]] so that he was regarded as Arjuna's equal.<ref name=":0" /> Karna pledged his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana. Neither of them knew that Karna was in fact [[Kunti|Kunti's]] oldest son, born to (the sun god) [[Surya]], before her marriage to [[Pandu]].

In the [[Kurukshetra War]], Karna was Duryodhana's greatest champion and served as [[Kurukshetra War#Day 15|commander from the fifteenth day]]. Duryodhana sincerely believed that Karna was superior to [[Arjuna]], and would defeat his four brothers. When [[Karna]] was killed, Duryodhana mourned his death intensely, even more so than the death of his own brothers and was inconsolable. When Karna's identity was revealed to him, Duryodhana's love for Karna only grew and it is said to be he, and not the Pandavas, who performed Karna's last rites.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jain|first=Gopal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wvQDwAAQBAJ&q=karna%27s+final+rights+were+performed+by&pg=PA444|title=SHAKUNI - AN OATH FOR REVENGE|date=2020-02-14|publisher=BlueRose Publishers|language=en}}</ref> Krishna confirmed that he had the highest right over Karna, as they loved and supported each other truly.

===Tendencies and schemes===

During their childhood, Bhima used his brute strength to inflict injuries on the [[Kaurava]] brothers. As Bhima was gluttonous, Duryodhana, guided by Shakuni attempted to kill Bhima by feeding him poison, but Bhima survived the trap and emerged even stronger than before. Duryodhana then participated in a [[Lakshagraha|plot by Shakuni]] to burn the Pandavas in a house of wax at Varnavata; however, they managed to escape the trap having been warned by [[Vidura]].

== Marriage and children ==
In the [[Stri Parva]] of Mahabharata, Gandhari mentioned the wife of Duryodhana and mother of Laxman. In the [[Shanti Parva]], sage Narada narrated the marriage of Duryodhana with the daughter of King Chitrangada of Kalinga. In the Mahabharata, the wife of Duryodhana is unnamed but by most sources, Duryodhana had only one wife, who was named [[Mayuri]] in later interpolations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnCxH85Vra4C&q=duryodhana+wife&pg=PA298|title=Essays on the Mahābhārata|date=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-2738-7|language=en}}</ref>

According to the story found in ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted King Chitrangada's daughter, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her. It is described that he loved her immensely. On reaching Hastinapur, Duryodhana justified his act by giving the example of his great grandfather [[Bhishma]] abducting three princesses of Kashi for his stepbrother. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Anonymous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygA2240G74kC&q=Narada+said%2C+%27Having+thus+obtained+weapons+from+him+of+Bhrigu%27s+race%2C+Karna+began+to+pass+his+days+in+great+joy%2C+in+the+company+of+Duryodhana%2C+O+bull+of+Bharata%27s+race.&pg=PT7783|title=The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Complete)|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-2637-3|language=en}}</ref>
[[Laxman Kumara]] and [[Lakshmanaa]] were the children of Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Life of Krishna: Based on the Earliest Oral Traditions and the Sacred Scriptures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFwoDwAAQBAJ&q=lakshmana+daughter+of+duryodhana&pg=PT171|publisher=Simon and Schuster|author=Vanamali|access-date=22 May 2012|isbn = 9781594776908|year=2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml23.htm |title=Indian Myth and Legend: Chapter XVIII. The Battle of Eighteen Days |publisher=Sacred-texts.com }}</ref> Little is revealed about them in the ''Mahabharata'' other than Laxman's death in the Kurukshetra War and Laxmanaa's marriage to [[Krishna]]'s son [[Samba (Krishna's son)|Samba]].

==Usurping the Kingdom==

After the Pandavas revealed that they had survived the wax house, with [[Draupadi|a new wife]] to boot, [[Bhishma]] suggested that the kingdom be divided in order to ease the obvious tension. [[Yudhishthira]] is given half the kingdom and made king of [[Khandavprastha]], so as to avoid a clash with the Kaurava princes over the whole [[Kuru Kingdom]]. Duryodhana became the crown prince of [[Hastinapura]], and owing to the age and blindness of his father, he accumulated much control and influence, managing the state affairs himself with a group of his advisers that included his uncle [[Shakuni]], brother [[Dushasana]], Bhishma, Vidura, and [[Karna]].
[[File:Duryodfhana fall into water.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana slips into water, while Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadev laugh at him.]]
But Duryodhana remained jealous of Yudhishthira, especially after the Pandavas along with [[Krishna]] transformed Khandavaprastha to [[Indraprastha]]. Moreover, Yudhishthira performed the [[Rajasuya|Rajasuya Yagna]] and gained authority over several other kingdoms; Indraprastha's prosperity and fame appeared to exceed Hastinapura's. Duryodhana was unable to contain his anger, which was intensified when [[Bhima]], [[Arjuna]], the twins and the servants laughed at him when he slipped into a pool of water during a visit to Indraprastha.

In popular culture, television shows and post-modern novels on Mahabharata attribute this blame to [[Draupadi]] with an added statement "the son of the blind man also is blind", but the scene in the canonical text of Vyasa's Sanskrit epic is different. As per original scripture written by Ved Vyasa Draupadi didn't taunt Duryodhana.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02046.htm | title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Sisupala-badha Parva: Section XLVI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-19|title=Did Draupadi Insult Duryodhana during Rajasuya, Karna in Swayamvara?|url=https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2020/05/19/did-draupadi-insult-duryodhana-during-rajasuya-karna-in-swayamvara/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=myIndiamyGlory|language=en-GB}}</ref>
This enraged Duryodhana and increases his hostility towards the Pandavas.

===The dice plot, and Draupadi's humiliation===
[[File:Draupadi s presented to a pachisi game.jpg|thumb|Draupadi is presented to a pacheesi game]]

Duryodhana's jealousy of the prosperity and fame of Indraprastha and being humiliated by the Pandavas made him furious and he wished to throw down the [[Pandavas]]. To support his will, Shakuni devised a scheme to rob [[Yudhishthira]] of his kingdom and wealth by defeating him in a [[Pachisi|Pakida or game of dice]], in which Shakuni couldn't lose as he had dices which he could control.

Unable to decline the invitation, due to diplomacy, Yudhishthira gambled away his entire kingdom, his wealth, his four brothers and even his wife, in a series of gambits to retrieve one by staking another. After Yudhishthira lost Draupadi, Duryodhana encouraged his brother Dushasana to drag her into the court as she was now his property. Dushsana pulled Draupadi's hair and dragged her into the court. Duryodhana ordered Draupadi to sit on his left thigh, showing and patting it to insult her for revenge. Draupadi refused and Duryodhan ordered Dushashan to disrobe her. Following his brother's orders, Dushashan laughed and started pulling Draupadi's saree. Duryodhan, [[Shakuni]], [[Karna]] and the other Kauravas (except [[Vikarna]]) also started laughing. However, by Krishna's grace, Draupadi's amount of clothing remained the same.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMsMAwAAQBAJ|title=The Mahabharata|last=Raya|first=Pratapacandra|date=1884|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9785875963933|language=en}}</ref>

Due to this action, Bhima pledged that he would break Duryodhana's thigh.

As an enraged Draupadi was about to curse the [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru clan]], [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] intervened. Fearing retribution by the Pandavas, their allies, and history, [[Dhritarashtra]] and Gandhari reversed all of Yudhishthira's losses. But then (either through Duryodhana forcing his father to command the Pandavas to play again or through Shakuni's vicious tricks) the game was repeated. For this game of dice Shakuni set the condition that upon losing, Yudhishthira and his brothers must spend thirteen years in exile in the forest and one year of ''Agyatavasa'' (remain unknown to others possibly by a disguise) before they reclaim their kingdom. The thirteenth year must be passed incognito, or else the term of exile would be repeated. The Pandavas lost and began their exile.

==Virata War==
Duryodhana was a good friend of [[Matsya Kingdom]]'s commander-in-chief [[Kichaka]]. When [[Bhima]] killed him for humiliating [[Draupadi]], Duryodhana blamed Matsya's King [[Virata]] for his friend Kichaka's death. Virata got angry and ordered Duryodhana to get out of his Kingdom after insulting him. Duryodhana took his army and attacked Matsya. He ordered his wife's cousin [[Susharma]] to attack Matsya from other side but they failed to conquer it because [[Arjuna]] and [[Bhima]] defended it.

==The Kurukshetra War==
===Peace Talks and Buildup===

At the end of the exile term, Duryodhana refused to return [[Yudhishthira|Yudhishthira's]] kingdom, despite the counsel of [[Bhishma]], [[Dronacharya]], and [[Vidura]]. Although [[Dhritarashtra]] openly criticized his son, he tacitly desired that Duryodhana retain his throne. In a final attempt at securing peace, [[Krishna]] returned with the [[Pandavas|Pandavas']] final proposal: the Pandavas would give up all claims to [[Indraprastha]] and [[Hastinapura]] in exchange for five villages. Scoffing, Duryodhana said he will not even give even a needlepoint of land to the Pandavas. Egged on by Krishna, Duryodhana attempted to arrest him. Krishna revealed his [[Vishvarupa]] form. The entire [[Kaurava]] court, saved for Bhishma, Drona, Vidura, and Dhritarashtra (who was granted a divine vision in order to see that by supporting his son, he was going against [[God]]), was temporarily blinded by the form. This confirmed to those present that Krishna was indeed an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]. Duryodhana, being vastly egoistic (in some versions of the story an outright [[atheism|atheist]]), brushed off the incident, not convinced of Krishna's divinity, and believing that strength of arms, not [[philosophy]], would win him a war.

===Gathering the army===

With war inevitable, Duryodhana gathered support from his powerful vassals. The most powerful warriors – [[Bhishma]], [[Drona]], [[Karna]], [[Kripa]], [[Shalya]], [[Bhurisravas]], [[Ashwatthama]], even those who were critical of him were forced to fight for Duryodhana due to their previous commitments. He ended up amassing a larger army than his rivals.

Shakuni also advised Duryodhana to seek Krishna's help. Duryodhana rushed to [[Dvārakā|Dwarika]] only to find Krishna sleeping; he waited at the head of Krishna's bed when suddenly, [[Arjuna]] arrived with the same goal in mind. Arjuna waited at the foot of Krishna's bed. When Krishna woke up, both Duryodhana and Arjuna appealed for his alliance. Krishna offered a choice of himself, completely unarmed or the entire [[Vrishni]] army. Duryodhana proclaimed that because he arrived first, he should get first pick. However, Krishna said that because he saw Arjuna first and because Arjuna was younger, that Arjuna gets the first choice. Duryodhana became worried but was overjoyed when Arjuna elected to reject Krishna's army in favour of Krishna alone. Joyously, Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura with the [[Vrishni]] army in hand, only to be rebuked by Shakuni, who comments that Krishna is worth many armies by himself.

Duryodhana also managed to win the army of [[Shalya]], the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva. Duryodhana intercepted Shalya's army as it came to [[Kurukshetra]] and offered hospitality; Shalya accepted thinking [[Yudhishthira]] had made the offer. After Shalya had enjoyed Duryodhana's comforts, Duryodhana revealed the duplicity and indicated that Shalya is now indebted to him. He used this indebtedness to extract Shalya's army and support. Duryodhana wanted Shalya mainly so that [[Karna]] would have an equivalent [[Ratha|charioteer]] to Arjuna's Krishna.

===4th day===
[[Bhima]] attacked Duryodhana, pierced him and cut off his bow. In return, Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]], his Charioteer and cut off his bow. Duryodhana pierced [[Bhima]] with shafts on his breast. [[Bhima]] feeling great pain fled away from the battlefield.<ref name="sacred-texts.com">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section LXIV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06064.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 8th day ===
On the 8th day, Rakashasaas of Ghatotkacha's army attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana slew many rakshasas like Vegavat, Maharudra, Vidyujihva and Pramathin.<ref name="sacred-texts.com"/> Later, he killed Visharada, son of [[Kunti-Bhoja]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 6: Bhishma Parva: Bhagavat-Gita Parva: Section XCV|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06095.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref>

=== 14th day ===
Uttamauja and Yudhamanyu (sons of [[Drupad]])<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Jayadratha-Vadha Parva: Section CXXIX|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07126.htm|website=sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> attacked Duryodhana and Duryodhana defeated them in mace fighting.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> After the death of [[Jayadratha]], Duryodhana became very angry and he started killing the Pandava army. However, he is later defeated by [[Yudhishthira]], who in turn starts massacring the Kaurava army.

=== 15th day ===
[[Nakula]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana fought with him and defeated Nakula, forcing him to flee. On the sixteenth day, he tried to face Yudishthira and bravely withstood his onslaught. But soon, Yudishthira defeated him and destroyed his chariot. Luckily, he was rescued by Karna.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Defeat of Nakula by Duryodhana|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07184.htm?fbclid=IwAR1wKvwUUcltb_jFK2W275ssjKJqRg7Pcz7SN1GsOqnMWYcoHdNSsysw3gc}}</ref>

=== 17th day ===
[[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]] attacked Duryodhana. Duryodhana pierced them and nearly killed them. Later, [[Dhrishtadyumna]] saved them. Then many Pandava warriors, including Yudhishthira, Bhima, Dristadyumna, Satyaki, etc. all together attacked Duryodhana. However Duryodhana alone managed to resist all the Pandavas and he repelled the Pandavas' group attack single-handedly.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 3|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09003.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

=== 18th day ===
On the 18th day, the Pandavas together had attacked Duryodhana but they were unsuccessful as Duryodhana alone resisted and defeated all of them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 17|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09017.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 22|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09022.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref> Duryodhana had also killed a Yadava warrior named Chekitana on that day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 9: Shalya Parva: Section 12|url=https://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09012.htm|access-date=2020-06-04|website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

==Gada-Yuddha==

[[File:Duel between Duryodhana and Bhima.jpg|thumb|left|The final battle between [[Bhima]] and Duryodhana]]
[[File:Bhima fighting Duryodhana.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Bhima fighting with Duryodhana, [[Kalighat painting]]]]
[[File:Duryodhana_found_in_the_lake.jpg|thumb|Duryodhana Found in The Lake]]
[[File:Canvas1.png|thumb|Duryodana was defeated by Bhima – A scene from Razmanama]]
On the eighteenth day of the war, with his army reduced to himself, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripa]] and [[Kritvarma]], Duryodhana went to meditate in a lake. When the [[Pandavas]] and [[Krishna]] eventually found him, Duryodhana told them that he wanted to gift the kingdom to them, and retire to the forest. [[Yudhishthira]] rejected the offer, telling him that [[Hastinapur]] is not Duryodhana's to gift. Instead, he offered that Duryodhana may pick any of the Pandava brothers to fight against one-to-one with a weapon of his choice, with the winner of the conflict the victor of the war.

Despite his proposed advantage over Yudhishthira, [[Arjuna]], [[Nakula]], or [[Sahadeva]] with the [[gada (mace)|gada]], Duryodhana picked his nemesis [[Bhima]]. Despite Bhima's physical advantage, Duryodhana had the better technique due to his devotion to his craft. After a long and brutal battle between the two disciples of Balarama, Duryodhana began to exhaust Bhima and nearly made Bhima faint.

At this point, Krishna, observing the fight, called out to Bhima and signalled him by repeatedly clapping his own thigh with his hand. As intended, Bhima was reminded of an [[oath]] he had taken after the [[pachisi|game of dice]] to crush Duryodhana's thighs. Bhima victoriously attacked Duryodhana with his mace and struck his thigh, mortally wounding Duryodhana. After having his face insultingly kicked by Bhima, Duryodhana bemoaned that he was slain by unfair means, given that it was illegal to attack below the waist in a mace fight.

Infuriated at the violation, [[Balarama]], the brother of Lord Krishna, raised his weapon to attack. Lord Krishna consoled Balarama, by reminding him of Duryodhana's evil deeds, and reprimanded him for trying to influence a war he refused to participate in.<ref>K M Ganguly(1883-1896) [http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m09/m09060.htm Balarama curses Bhima and came to aid of Duryodhana] October 2003, Retrieved 2015-03-08</ref>

Lying defeated, Duryodhana boasted to the Pandavas about how he would die a glorious death, about how he got to enjoy Hastinapur while the Pandavas were in exile, and about how he would now spend the afterlife in the company of his friends and relatives. He again eviscerated the Pandavas for all their chicanery during the war and decried their legacy. Venerating his own character, Duryodhana proclaimed he will die happily.

==Death==

When the coast was clear, [[Ashwatthama]], [[Kripacharya]], and [[Kritvarma]], having witnessed the fight and not wanting to interrupt so as to rob Duryodhana of his [[honor]], came to Duryodhana's broken body. Ashwatthama promised Duryodhana that he would dispatch the Pandavas and their allies to the abode of Yama and requests his permission to continue the war.

Ashwatthama proceeds to the encampment and into Drishtadyumna's tent at night while everybody of Pandava camp were sleeping. Drishtadyumna awakens from his sleep, and begs Ashwatthama not to kill him cowardly at night and unarmed, and let him die a warrior's death with an appropriate duel. Ashwatthama ignores his plea and beats him to death. The Upapandavas and Shikhandhi alerted by Drishtadyumn’s cries, came out of their tents to battle, only to be slain. Ashwatthama proceeds to massacre everyone in the encampment while any escapees were slain by Kripacharya and Kritvarma at the gates of the encampment.

After killing the Upapandavas and the last remnants of the Panchalas, Ashwatthama returns to Duryodhana. He showed Duryodhana the blood on his sword which belonged to the Upapandavas, hearing Duryodhana peacefully left his body satisfied with revenge. Concomitant with Duryodhana's death, [[Sanjaya]] loses his divine sight, which he had been using to update Duryodhana's father Dhritarashtra. This symbolizes the conclusion to the war.

After the Pandavas retired, only Yudhishthira reached heaven alive. There, he saw Duryodhana, which shocked him. When asked by Yudhishthira, Narada replied that Duryodhana fulfilled his religious duties.<ref>https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m18/m18001.htm</ref>

==Evaluation==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2021}}
Duryodhana is a popular choice of analysis. His merits, flaws, symbolism, and relevance are widely discussed.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

[[Urubhanga]]m is a [[Sanskrit]] play written by [[Bhasa]] in the 2nd or 3rd century AD with Duryodhana as its primary protagonist. Written as a tragedy, the drama focuses on his point of view of the events of Mahabharata. His portrayal as a tragic hero is especially unique within the body of works in [[Sanskrit drama]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Many [[Hindu]]s believe that Duryodhana was the personification of [[Kali (demon)|Kali]] with demoniac qualities such as greed, ego and lust. Many critics argue that he is not without positives; many consider Duryodhana as a fair king and there are temples dedicated to him and the [[Kauravas]]. Scholars believe that like most other characters of the [[Mahabharata]], the true picture is not [[black and white]]. His name is often mistaken to mean bad ruler, however, his name is actually coined from the Sanskrit words "du"/"duh" which means "difficult" and "yodhana" which means "fight"/"war".{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=August 2015}} So Duryodhana actually means ''someone who is extremely difficult to fight/defeat or wage war against''.

Duryodhana is viewed, by some, as the product of Dhritarashtra's ambition and also in a metaphorical sense, his "blindness". He is also praised for his adherence to his duties as a [[Kshatriya]], and even in his last combat, fights bravely. He chooses to face [[Bhima]] in combat over all the other [[Pandavas]], with whom he has an advantage in mace fighting. His skills in the mace are also praised; many stories call him the greatest mace-fighter of the age after [[Balarama]], Krishna and Bheema.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Friendship with Karna===

The friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana is considered to be a great one, and is used as an example of friendship and loyalty.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=Vignesh|first1=Inba|title=The Greatest friends ever lived - Karna and Duriyoudan|url=http://www.hearty-india.com/2011/10/karan-and-dhuriyoudan-greatest-friends.html|website=India - The Land of Hearts|publisher=India - The Land of Hearts|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Friendship|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/religion/friendship/article2296494.ece|access-date=15 June 2017|agency=The Hindu|work=The Hindu}}</ref>
A lesser-known story is told about Karna, Duryodhana, and his wife Bhanumati, as an example of honest friendship.
With the help of Karna, Duryodhana married Bhanumati. According to the ''Mahabharata'', Duryodhana abducted Bhanumati, the maiden of the fairest complexion, from her [[swayamvara]] with the help of his best friend [[Karna]] in the wake of having been rejected by her.

As per a Tamil folktale, when Duryodhana had recently wedded Bhanumati, one day, he requested Karna to take care of her and entertain her for the evening as he had duties to be taken care of. To pass time, Karna and Bhanumati began playing a game of dice. The game soon got very interesting, engrossing the two of them completely. Gradually, Karna started winning. Meanwhile, Duryodhana had returned early and entered the room. Seeing her husband come in, Bhanumati immediately stood up as a mark of respect. Karna, whose back was facing the door, did not realize this and misconstrued her intent, thinking that she was leaving because she was on the losing side.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

He immediately reached for her pearl-trimmed shawl, and accidentally pulled so hard that the trimming broke, and the pearls were scattered all over the floor. Her veil also slipped along with the shawl, so she was half-dressed. Bhanumati, who was as yet, not so familiar with Karna, froze at the thought of how her husband would react. She had heard of his ego and had personally been present the last time he was insulted, which had resulted in her own abduction.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Karna, following Bhanumati's stunned gaze, turned around to see Duryodhana observing them both carefully. He stood in shame, embarrassment and guilt, considering the wrath and inevitable punishment he was going to face from his friend. He was sure Duryodhana would immediately accuse them of impropriety. However, much to both their surprise, Duryodhana looked past Karna, and addressed his wife, ''"Should I just collect the beads, or would you like me to string them, as well?”{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}''

Bhanumati and Karna could only look at each other in shock, mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both severely misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen, and even greater was his faith in his friend Karna. Not for a moment did he suspect that the man he had considered his brother would ever betray him, and only quietly picked up the pearls trustfully. This story is not present in the [[Vyasa|Vyasa Mahabharata]], but is often commonly told when discussing Karna and Duryodhana's genuine friendship.<ref>https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/93789/5/05_chapter%203.pdf</ref>
[[File:Coronation of Karna.jpg|thumb|Coronation of Karna]]

===Modern Worship===
* At [[Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple]] in [[Kerala]]'s [[Kollam|Kollam district]], Duryodhana is worshipped as the main deity. It is the only temple in [[South India]] where a [[Kaurava]] is considered a [[God]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malanada.com/ |title=Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada | The one and only one Duryodhana Temple in South India |publisher=Malanada.com |access-date=2014-08-15}}</ref>
* In the [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] region of [[Uttarakhand]], several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as the deity. The mountain tribes of [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] fought along with Duryodhana in the Mahabharata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.
* There is a temple in Osla, [[Garhwal division]] of Uttarakhand. This was built by the inhabitants of Saur. People believe he stayed here with the blessings of [[Mahasu Devta Temple|Lord Mahasu]] to care for the people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shrine for Duryodhana!|url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/a-temple-for-duryodhana-in-the-himalayas/article18425964.ece?homepage=true|access-date=12 May 2017|work=The Hindu|date=11 May 2017}}</ref>

== In media ==
* ''[[Krishnavatara]]'' (Hindi: कृष्णअवतार), a series of seven novels written by Dr. [[K.M. Munshi]] ([[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]])
* ''Duryodhana'' by [[Viswanathan Raghunathan]] (2014, Harper Collins).

=== Television & films ===
*[[Mammootty]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 1991 [[Kollywood]] film [[Thalapathi]]. The theme of the film is based on the friendship between [[Karna]] and Duryodhana.<ref>{{cite web|last1=R|first1=Narendran|title=Vintage Movie Review: A Review on Thalapathi|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-fans-Column/vintage-movie-review-a-review-on-thalapathi-thalpathi-visitor-review.html|access-date=18 February 2016|website=Behindwoods.com|publisher=Behindwoods.com}}</ref>
*[[Manoj Bajpayee]] played a character based on Duryodhana in the 2010 [[Bollywood]] film [[Raajneeti]].{{cn|date=January 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Project !! Played by!! Country !! Language
|-
| 1964 ||''[[Karnan (1964 film)|Karnan]]''||[[S. A. Ashokan]]|| rowspan="3" | India || Tamil
|-
| 1977 ||''[[Daana Veera Shura Karna]]''||[[N. T. Rama Rao]]|| Telugu
|-
| 1988 ||''[[Mahabharat (1988 TV series)]]''||[[Puneet Issar]]|| Hindi
|-
| 1989 ||''[[The Mahabharata (1989 film)|The Mahabharata]]''||[[Georges Corraface]]|| Belgium Australia U.S. Sweden Portugal Norway Netherlands Japan Ireland Iceland Finland Denmark UK France || English
|-
| 1993 ||''[[Krishna (TV series)]]''|| Kumar Hegde|| rowspan="9" | India || Hindi
|-
| 2002 ||''[[Maharathi Karna (TV series)|Maharathi Karna]]''||[[Nimai Bali]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2008 ||''[[Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki]]''||[[Aryan Vaid]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharatham (TV series)]]''|| Vetri Vel|| Tamil
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 TV series)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Arpit Ranka]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2013 ||''[[Mahabharat (2013 film)|Mahabharat]]''||[[Jackie Shroff]] (voice)|| Hindi
|-
| 2015 ||''[[Suryaputra Karn]]''||[[Shaleen Bhanot]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2018 ||''[[Karn Sangini]]''||[[Paras Chhabra]]|| Hindi
|-
| 2019 ||''[[Kurukshetra (2019 film)|Kurukshetra]]''||[[Darshan (actor)|Darshan]]||[[Kannada]], [[Malayalam]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], and [[Hindi]]
|-
|2018 -
|[[RadhaKrishn]]
|Krrip Kapur Suri
|India
|Hindi
|}

==See also==
*[[Kauravas]]
*[[Kali (demon)]]
*''[[Mahabharata]]''

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist|30em}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
*''The Mahabharata'' (1999) by [[Krishna Dharma]]

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category|Duryodhana}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100205123023/http://ancientindians.wordpress.com/duryodhana/ Duryodhana Temples and Lineage]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170304200505/http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/greatpersonalities/karna/page8.htm karna great personalities]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140317194726/http://newzfeaturez.com/2014/03/17/the-relevance-of-karna-and-duryodhanas-friendship-in-the-modern-indian-society/ THE RELEVANCE OF “KARNA AND DURYODHANA’S” FRIENDSHIP IN THE MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171108140058/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/from-duryodhanas-perspective/article7530151.ece From Duryodhana’s perspective]

{{Mahābhārata}}
{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Forms of Kali (demon)]]