Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( Sanskrit दुर्योधन duryodhana , m. ) Was the eldest son of King Dhritarashtra and leader of the Kaurava princes in the Mahabharata .
Childhood and youth
Duryodhana grew up as the eldest of Dhritrashtra's hundred sons at the court of Hastinapura . When Dhritarashtra's brother Pandu died early, his five sons, the Pandavas , were also brought to Hastinapura, whereupon strong rivalries developed between the cousins and Duryodhana saw his leadership position in the circle of princes endangered. Finally, at Duryodhana's instigation, there were attacks on the Pandavas, who went into hiding for some time in exile.
dice game
After the Pandavas returned from exile, Dhritarashtra decreed a division of the empire in order to settle the rivalries. The Pandavas now resided in the new capital, Indraprastha , and gained much wealth and reputation there, which in turn provoked Duryodhana's disapproval. He persuaded Dhritarashtra to play a game of dice between his cunning uncle Shakuni and the meek Yudhishthira , the eldest of the Pandavas. During the game, Yudhisthira then lost all his stakes, ultimately also all his possessions, his brothers, their common wife Draupadi and themselves. Duryodhana used the opportunity to humiliate Draupadi and her brothers in front of everyone. In the end, however, Dhritarashtra intervened and ordered that the Pandavas should not lose their freedom, but had to go into exile for thirteen years.
Triumph of the Pandavas
During this time in exile, Duryodhana wanted to visit the Pandavas in the forest to delight in their plight. But on the way he was ambushed and captured by a group of Gandharvas and finally freed by the Pandavas, which was an extreme humiliation for him. When the period of exile was over and the Pandavas were due to return to their capital, it became apparent that war was inevitable, as Duryodhana was not interested in reaching an agreement with his cousins. Finally there was an eighteen-day battle, which the Pandavas won with the support of Krishna . In a duel with the strong Pandava Bhima , Duryodhana was fatally injured and died on the battlefield.
literature
- John Dowson : A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history and literature . London 1879, pp. 99-101, sv Duryodhana
- MMS Shastri Chitrao: Bharatavarshiya Prachin Charitrakosha (Dictionary of Ancient Indian Biography, in Hindi). Pune 1964, pp. 280-85, sv Duryodhana
- Wilfried Huchzermeyer : Studies in the Mahabharata. Indian Culture, Dharma and Spirituality in the Great Epic. Edition Sawitri, Verlag W. Huchzermeyer, Karlsruhe 2018, ISBN 978-3-931172-32-9