A new lease of life for Duryodhana

The defeat by the Gandharvas was a big blow for Duryodhana. What was worse was that he was tied up as a slave in front of his wife and other ladies of the Kaurava palace. He received the last blow to his hurt ego when he was finally rescued by the Pandavas. Duryodhana decided that he would not return to the palace after this. He announced to his associates that he was determined to end his life. He would stop eating until death with immediate effect.

Dussasa was in tears hearing the tragic words from his dear brother. He pleaded with Duryodhana without success. Then, he declared that he would follow his brother to death.

Karna consoles

Karna has been the best friend of the Kaurava prince all along. He tried his best to boost the ego of Duyodhana. He spoke. “You faced the Gandharvas boldly like a warrior when even I had to flee from the battle field”.

Duryodhana thought that Karna was not aware of the whole truth. He replied. “How can I to forget that I was bound as captive and it took the Pandavas to fight for my release? Do you know what Arjuna said to the Gandharva king? He said that when we face each other they are five and we are one hundred. But, when attacked by some one else, we are one hundred and five!” (An often quoted quote)

Karna tried to console his friend further. “Winning and losing are all part of the game. It was the duty of the Pandavas as the subjects to come to the aid of their king in time of danger”.But, Duryodhana was beyond consolation.

Sakuni also tried his best to inspire his nephew. He said that all his efforts to win the entire kingdom from the Pandavas on his behalf would go waste. Duryodhana should forget about the past and enjoy the riches now.

Fast unto death

Duryodhana’s grief was such that no words would pacify him. He was determined to end his life. The Kaurava prince bathed in the nearby river and changed to ascetic attire. He, then, sat down on grass spread on earth and was ready to die. Dussasana also did likewise.

Help from the world below

The demons living in the world below had considered the Kauravas, all along, as their friends. Krishna was their arch enemy who sided with the Pandavas in his heart. So were other gods like Indra. They hoped to take revenge on the gods through the Kauravas. Now the events have taken the wrong turn.

So, they sent a demon to Duryodhana and took him by force to their abode underground. They pacified the Kaurava in various ways. They assured him that the Kauravas were sure to win the war against the Pandavas. The only formidable one on the Pandava side was Arjuna. But, Karna had sworn that he would kill Arjuna and he was more than a match for the Pandava. Great warriors like Bhishma and Drona were all on the Kaurava side. The demons would send their irresistible army to help them. So, the ultimate victory was definitely with Duryodhana. He would then live for hundred years in glory.

These words had the desired effect on the Kaurava. By the time Duryodhana was taken back to the Dwaita forest the Kaurava prince was his former self with his ambition restored. .

The Kauravas return to their palace

Duryodhana soon returned to Hastinapura along with his brothers and associates. The offer of help from underworld gave him new ambitious plans. He declared that he wanted to perform a Rajasooya as was done by Yudhishthira. Karna and Sakuni liked the idea. Karna promised that he would win over all kings in the four directions all by himself. It had taken four of the Pandavas, including the formidable Bhima and valiant Arjuna to accomplish the same task.
Karna received the blessing of the senior Kauravas and started on his victory march soon after. True to his word, he won over all the kingdoms single handedly and made them to accept the suzerainty of Duryodhana.

But, the Brahmins who were invited to perform the Rajasooya ritual objected on one count. It was wrong for Duryodhana to perform Rajasooya while his elder brother, Yudhishthira, was alive. Instead, they suggested, another Yajna by name Vaishnava which was equally significant, but, much rarer. Only Lord Vishnu had performed that before. Karna consoled Duryodhana saying that his wish would come true after all the Pandavas in killed in war.

The great ritual, Vaishnava Yajna, was performed in a grand way. Everyone hailed the achievement of Duryodhana and declared him to be an emperor with unrivalled power.

Vyasa thus ends the chapter titled “the march to inspect cattle (Ghosha Yatra Parvam)”.