The primary antagonist in the epic Mahabharata, Duryodhana, was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari.
Dhritarashtra’s wife Gandhari was ecstatic when she realized that she was pregnant. Her joy was all the more because she had conceived before Kunti, King Pandu’s wife. This meant that her son would be the eldest and hence the rightful heir to the throne of Hastinapur.
Unfortunately, despite conceiving the child in her womb the birth of the child never occurred for two years. In the meantime Kunti delivered a male child. This would meant that King Pandu’s first born would inherit the throne. On hearing this news Gandhari was so furious with rage that she pressed her womb with so much force that it suddenly released a lump of flesh!
The divine sage Vyasa who was at Hastinapura, at the time, heard of this unfortunate incident and wishing to relieve Gandhari of her anguish suggested that the lump of flesh be divided into 100 pieces and then placed in jars filled with ghee (clarified butter). The remaining pieces were to be place together in another similar jar.
In due course the masses of flesh grew into a hundred boys and one girl. The first to emerge was a boy child who they named Duryodhana, meaning he who is hard to combat.
While the birth of Duryodhana brought immense joy to his parents, it was accompanied by foreboding omens. The new born emitted a jarring bray, echoing the unmistakable sound of an ass. This was followed by stringent and vehement cries from vultures, jackals, and crows. Simultaneously, a strong wind swept through, fanning wild fires in parts of the kingdom. Alarmed by these ominous events, King Dhritarashtra summoned the learned Brahmins to his court to seek their guidance. To the king’s dismay the sages predicted that the child would ultimately bring about of the downfall of the Kuru Kingdom. To his horror they proposed that forsaking the child would prove advantageous for both the dynasty and the clan (kula). They tried to appease the king by explaining that even if he did abandon this child he would still have ninety-nine other sons as his heirs. However, Dhritarashtra’s, intense paternal love and affection were too powerful to allow him to abandon his firstborn.
Duryodhana grew up to be an extremely skilled warrior. Training under the renowned guru Dronacharya he was adept at using the mace in battle. He went on to specialize in mace fighting under Balarama and was in fact Balarama’s favourite pupil. In fact Balarama described Duryodhana's body to be "lightning made flesh" and declared him to be the greatest mace fighter of his generation.
Duruyodhana was a great warrior and always a fair fighter. At the end of the Mahabharata Yudhisthira offers Duryodhana the opportunity to pick any of the Pandava brothers to fight on a one-to-one using the weapon of his choice. Yudhishira also declared that the outcome of this singular combat would determine the ultimate victor of the entire war. Duryodhana naturally chose the mace as his weapon. Considering his unmatched skill with the mace he could have effortlessly overcome all the Padavas with the exception of Bhima. Bhima was the only one who was his match in the use of the mace.
A fair and valiant warrior, Duryodhana chose to fight his arch enemy Bhima because then the fight would be one of equals. After a long and brutal battle Duryodhana began to exhaust Bhima, and Bhima nearly faints. Even Lord Krishna admitted that though both Bhima and Duryodhana were skilled mace warriors and both had been trained by His brother, Balarama, Duryodhana was far superior in battle – not only did he hit powerfully but he had the added advantage of being nimble on his feet. Eventually, it was only by unfair means that Bhima managed to defeat Duryodhana.
Duryodhana was also an exceptionally loyal and devoted friend to Karna. Their friendship began during an archery examination in Hastinapur. Both Arjuna and Karna were present. Arjuna at the time was famed as best archer in the world. When Karna displayed his skills in this examination it became apparent that he was more than a match for Arjuna. However, when it was time for Arjuna to compete against Karna, Dronacharya and Bhishma stepped in to prevent Karna from challenging Arjuna on the grounds that Karna was neither a prince nor a Kshatriya and hence did not qualify to compete in the competition. Humiliated by these learned and respected seniors Karna hung his head in shame and sadness. When no one stepped up to support Karna, it was Duryodhana who boldly took a stance and proclaimed, “It is actions, and not birth, that defines a warrior.”
The injustice was glaringly evident to all the observers – had Karna not been unjustly disqualified, he would have undoubtedly triumphed over Arjuna. Recognizing the unfairness, Duryodhana promptly bestowed upon Karna the title of the king of Angadesh. Duryodhana detested the Pandavas yet even when Karna's identity was revealed as the son of Kunti and the eldest of the Pandavas, Duryodhana's loyalty and affection for Karna did not diminish but in fact increased at knowing that Karna’s mother had, until, the battle, never acknowledged him.
Duryodhana remained an unwavering and devoted companion to Karna throughout the course of their lives. The indomitable bond between them reached its poignant zenith on the battlefield, where Duryodhana was stricken with inconsolable grief on witnessing the death of his dearest friend.
In the hushed aftermath of Karna's demise, even the divine presence of Lord Krishna acknowledged the profound depth of Duryodhana's love for Karna. Krishna, the astute observer of hearts, proclaimed that Duryodhana possessed the highest claim over Karna, because their mutual love and steadfast support transcended the ordinary and embraced a rare and profound camaraderie. Theirs was a connection that endured the trials of fate and found its apotheosis in the crucible of loyalty and genuine friendship.
Among his other qualities Duryodhana was a good administrator and ruled his subjects in a just and fair manner. He was a noble and caring brother and highly protective of his siblings. He married once and was deeply devoted to his wife. Duryodhana gave his all in relationships, being a true friend to his allies and a fierce enemy to his foes.
Duryodhana maintained a rare honesty which is apparent in his self-evaluation when he stated, “I have always been a good son, loyal friend, caring brother, generous prince and a terrible enemy”.
In the war he candidly acknowledged the breaches of rules on both sides, yet remained steadfast in his mission to safeguard his throne and the legacy of his lineage His commitment was unshakable, and he fought with relentless and ruthless determination, without ever succumbing to the challenges that surrounded him. Undeterred by the chaos of war, he fought with tenacious resolve, refusing to surrender or bow to the inevitable - a resolute spirit that endured until the bitter end.
Duryodhana was a man honest to himself, his birth and his duty.
Duryodhana carried with him his parent’s disappointment and anger for the fact that the throne of Hastinmapur rightfully belonged to the eldest son of King Pandu - Yudhishtira. This hatred became the determining factor in his life and earned him the ignominy of being the evil instigator of the Mahabharata War and the primary antagonist.
Duryodhana is the most condemned of all the participants in the great Mahabharat War. It is his greed and arrogance that are highlighted and are said to have been the cause of his ultimate downfall.
However, when Yudhisthira entered heaven and looked around he did not see any of his brothers but there before him, seated on a jewelled seat, was Duryodhana. Alarmed Yudhisthira exclaims, I cannot bear to see Duryodhana here. He has been responsible for so many deaths on earth!”
Sage Narada then came up to him and explained, “It is indeed true that Duryodhana caused innumerable deaths but these wrongs have been cleansed because he stayed true to his birth. He was born a Kshatriya and died as a Kshatriya fighting on a battle field. He remained unafraid throughout his life and ruled his kingdom justly. Hence he is loved by all the kings here in heaven. He died on the holy spot Samantapanchka. Balarama granted that he should go to heaven. Gandhari’s severe penance also ensured him a place in heaven.”
Narada said, “Yudhishthira, this is heaven there is no place for enmity in heaven.
LIFE LESSONS
1. From Duryodhana we learn that honesty to oneself is the most important.
2. From Duryodhana we learn to accept who we are and live the life we are given as we should.
3. We also learn that all humans have frailties and we must not condemn them for these weaknesses.
4. Duryodhana’s life teaches us never to allow hatred to consume our life.
5. We also learn from Duryodhana the importance of being a loyal and loving friend, son, sibling and ruler.
6. Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from Duryodhana is that we must live by our swadharma and not drift into paradharma.
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