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Duryodhana is the main antagonist of the indian epos Mahabharata.
He is the king of Kauravas, the eldest son of king Dhritarashtra and queen Ghandhari. He ignited a bloody war for territory and influence and lost it, continuing to fight to the last man .
In his most well known media appearance, Duryodhana was portrayed by Aprit Ranka in the Mahabharata TV series 2013.
Biography[]
-There are 2 sources used in the work on the profile: the BORI edition without critical apparatus and the Ganguli edition. The moments present only in Ganguli's edition are highlighted in Indian red. All quotes are taken from Ganguli.
Adiparva[]
| “ | O illustrious Kshattri, Bhimasena is missing! Where has he gone? The other brothers have all come back from the gardens, only Bhima of mighty arms does not come home! Duryodhana likes him not. The Kaurava is crooked and malicious and low-minded and imprudent. He coveteth the throne openly. I am afraid he may have in a fit of anger slain my darling. This afflicts me sorely, indeed, it burns my heart. | „ |
Ghandhari experiences an unnaturally long pregnancy she meets opposition from other members of the royalty for not bearing an heir. In a fit of psychotic rage she physically beats and hits at her womb and belly, an omen foreshadowing what is to come.
She finally gives birth after the distress, but it ends up as a miscarriage and she births a heap of flesh. However the royals seek sage Vedha Vyasa, who uses his magic to give birth to the hundred embryonic seeds in the flesh from special cocoons. When Duryodhana is born, nature and the heavens become violent as an omen of the future.
Duryodhana's father have developed an egocentric ideology and sense of partiality towards their sons. His mother blindfolded herself to share her husband's suffering.
Duryodhana's cousin Bhima constantly beats up the Kauravas during the games. Duryodhana lights up with desire to kill him and imprison his brothers to rule the world.
He orders to build a place for water games and will go there with his two brothers. There he feeds Bhima poisoned food, and then, when the children, having played enough, fall asleep, ties him up and throws him into the water. Bhima enters the Naga kingdom and soon returns from there. Duryodhana tries to kill him again and again, but the Pandavas, although they know about it, do nothing.
| “ | O father, I have heard the parting citizens utter words of ill omen. Passing thee by, and Bhishma too, they desire the son of Pandu to be their king. Bhishma will sanction this, for he will not rule the kingdom. It seems, therefore, that the citizens are endeavouring to inflict a great injury on us. Pandu obtained of old the ancestral kingdom by virtue of his own accomplishments, but thou, from blindness, didst not obtain the kingdom, though fully qualified to have it. If Pandu’s son now obtaineth the kingdom as his inheritance from Pandu, his son will obtain it after him and that son’s son also, and so on will it descend in Pandu’s line. In that case, O king of the world, ourselves with our children, excluded from the royal line, shall certainly be disregarded by all men. Therefore, O monarch, adopt such counsels that we may not suffer perpetual distress, becoming dependent on others for our food. O king, if thou hadst obtained the sovereignty before, we would certainly have succeeded to it, however much the people might be unfavourable to us. | „ |
| ~ Duryodhana talks to father |
The two factions, Kauravas and Pandavas, spend the years up to their adulthood studying combat in Drona's school, and their rivalry hasn't changed but rather gotten worse. Duryodhana befriends Karna, the first born Pandava who was separated from their mother Kunti as she had him before marriage. Duryodhana know that the people of Kurujangala have neglected him due to his father’s blindness. He plots to send the Pandavas on a vacation to the Varanavata. After their arrival, they immediately become aware that the house is built of flammable materials. Duryodhana's confidant, Purochana, plots to burn it down, but the Pandavas do it themselves, burning Purochana alive in his own trap. They fake their deaths, and return years later. Due to Duryodhana's royal status, he suffered no consequences. The Pandavas leave the Hastinapura and begin the construction of Indrapura.
Sabhaparva[]
After many decades they invite Duryodhana to a Rajasuya ritual, which gives Yudhishthira the status “samrāj”. Duryodhana is envious of the splendour of sacrifice.
| “ | O uncle, beholding this whole earth owning the sway of Yudhishthira in consequence of the might of the illustrious Arjuna’s weapons and beholding also that sacrifice of the son of Pritha like unto the sacrifice of Sakra himself of great glory among the celestials, I, being filled with jealousy and burning day and night, am being dried up like a shallow tank in the summer season. Behold, when Sisupala was slain by the chief of the Satwatas, there was no man to take the side of Sisupala. Consumed by the fire of the Pandava, they all forgave that offence; otherwise who is there that could forgive it? That highly improper act of grave consequence done by Vasudeva succeeded in consequence of the power of the illustrious son of Pandu. And so many monarchs also brought with them various kinds of wealth for king Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, like tribute-paying Vaisyas! Beholding Yudhishthira’s prosperity of such splendour, my heart burneth, efflicted with jealously, although it behoveth me not to be jealous. | „ |
| ~ Duryodhana complains to Shakuni about life |
| “ | I shall throw myself upon a flaming fire or swallow poison or drown myself in water. I cannot live. What man is there in the world possessed of vigour who can bear to see his foes in the enjoyment of prosperity and himself in destitution? | „ |
| ~ still |
Burning with envy, he invites Yudhishthira to a dice game, tricking him into gambling away all that he has. Karna also publicly humiliates the Pandava's bride Draupadi by having Duryodhana’s brother Dushasana strip her. God saves Draupadi, and the event becomes the final straw, breaking out the war on the field of Kuru.
Vanaparva[]
Duryodhana complains to his advisers that he is tormented by thoughts of the return of the Pandavas and will not be able to live if he sees them again. Karna, wanting to please him, incites the Kauravas along with the army to go into the forest to kill the Pandavas. The sage who appeared forbids them to do this.
Dhritarashtra wants to set his son on the right path by reconciling him with his cousins, and invites the sage to him. The sage gives a long lecture about all the good things, but Duryodhana does not want to listen to him and is fooling around, digging the ground with his toe. In a rage, the sage curse him.
Wanting to see the Pandavas living in the forest, Duryodhana goes to the camps of the shepherds and is captured by the Gandharvas. The Pandavas save him, obeying Yudhishthira's wish. He returns to the city in deep sadness, but along the way deciding to commit suicide. At night, daityas and danavas, wanting to comfort him, take him to the underworld. He learns that Shiva created him from flowers and precious stones for them. The Danavas assure him that hosts of demons born among humans will fight for him in the upcoming war. Inspired by this, he finds the strength to live and returns to Hastinapura.
Terribly offended by the reproaches of the elders, Karna, who fled from the battle with the Gandharvas, subordinates the Indian tribes to Duryodhana, and he arranges a magnificent sacrifice.
Durvasa, an ascetic known for his quarrelsome temper, comes to Hastinapura. Duryodhana, after talking with his advisers, decides to send him to the Pandavas. Durvasa torments him with his expressive behavior, demanding to cook food for him in the dead of night or, conversely, defiantly refusing to eat, but Duryodhana humbly serves him. Satisfied, Durvasa suggests that he choose a gift. Duryodhana asks him to visit the Pandavas.
Virataparva[]
Duryodhana, along with Susharman, the king of the trigartas, attacks the matsyas, wanting to steal their cows. Arjuna, disguised as a eunuch, single-handedly crushes his army.
Udyogaparva[]
Duryodhana gathers an army of 11 akshauhini and refuses to give Yudhishthira even a few villages. He unhesitatingly decides to start a war.
Karnaparva[]
He makes Karna the commander-in-chief of his army and persuades Shalya to become his charioteer. Before Karna's death, he decides to continue the fight in the hope that Karna will defeat the tired Arjuna. After Karna's death, he falls into despair, and his supporters take him away from the battlefield.
Shalyaparva[]
Duryodhana dies on the eighteenth day of the war on the field of Kuru. He battles his nemesis, Bhimasena. Bhima strikes him down and Duryodhana succumbs to his injuries.
Personality[]
He is a melancholic and impressionable man, prone to suicide. He is ready to commit a sin in order to get rid of the feeling of his own inferiority, although he usually considers his actions prudent. He often talks openly about his emotions with others and berates himself. Sometimes, consciously or not, he uses his condition to force someone to do something. He strives for the prosperity of his kind, in which he sees self-realization, and sees no meaning in a life devoid of happiness and loved ones. At some points, it is claimed that he wants to rule India, but without additional circumstances, he does not strive for this goal. He is very stubborn and often neglects elders, although he generally respects and loves them. Although he is usually calm and reserved, he can be proud and cocky. Sometimes he loses his temper from the realization of his own greatness. He is very generous and lavishes his wealth on gaining supporters, he knows how to win people over and can control himself if necessary: although the epic calls him irascible and proud, and emphasizes that it is difficult for him to tolerate insults.
Despite the fact that envy is one of his main motivations, he often easily accepts the superiority of someone over himself. In particular, he has always admired Suta Karna, who was brought by him into the highest circles of Kshatriya society. He does not show hatred the Pandavas or speak ill of them, but he clearly dislikes them and is happy when Karna tries to humiliate them.
In the second third of the epic, he calls himself a greedy and stupid man who causes suffering to his loved ones. Contrary to the prevailing opinion in modern times, in the Sanskrit epic he is not a sadist, not a tyrant and not an abuser.
The epic calls him distraught from greed and sometimes compares him to an overconfident child.
In modern times[]
Over the past millennia, the image has undergone major changes. In many ways, he stopped being the main villain and lost his independence. The figure of Duryodhana's uncle Shakuni, a treacherous and vengeful schemer who had a great influence on his nephew, came to the foreground. In the epic, this hero is almost completely devoid of character, although in Ganguli's edition (but not in BORI's edition) one can find cursory mentions of his special role in shaping Duryodhana's personality (probably added in connection with the development of the image). Shakuni became the main source of all Duryodhana's intrigues and generally replaced his brain.
The image of Shakuni in the history of Duryodhana is associated with a legend that is often found in books and TV series and is known from medieval works. Gandhari's parents, rulers of Gandhara, trying to outwit their daughter's fate, married her off to a tree/goat, after which she became a widow. Duryodhana, having learned that in this way he is considered the son of a tree/goat, and not Dhritarashtra, went to war against Gandhara and captured it. Shakuni's relatives starved to death in prison, and he himself vowed revenge. In some versions, it is not Duryodhana who is waging the war.
Modern Duryodhana is often portrayed as stupid and infantile, and at the same time a cruel and ill-mannered man, raised in an atmosphere of feeling his own exclusivity and permissiveness. The motive of envy mainly covers his childhood, whereas his motivation for setting up the dice game is revenge for the insult inflicted on him by Draupadi. Modern-day Duryodhana is often called a tyrant, a hater of humanity, an abuser, a sadist and a man leading a depraved lifestyle. But this position is widespread mainly in the religious environment: whereas in secular sources he is often presented as a good-natured man and a devoted friend.
The tragism of this image, unfortunately, sank under the weight of his stupidity.
Powers and Abilities[]
Duryodhana is a skilled mace combatant and possesses superhuman strength. However he mostly gets his way through abuse of power and authoritative immunity. Just like his rival Bhima, Duryodhana's strength allows him to create small earthquakes just by smashing the ground.
Trivia[]
- Duryodhana served as the main inspiration for Bhallaladeva.