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Good Qualities of Duryodhana
Everybody speaks about the justice and good qualities but when the practice comes, hypocrisy is followed. This is clear to everybody because the inner self is the real witness. We cannot condemn such souls because these qualities are precipitated from millions of previous births and are like hard diamonds.
Every soul is made of the three qualities (Good Sattvam and bad Rajas and Tamas). Good quality may predominate and the bad qualities may exist as invisible traces of impurities. Any single quality of these three cannot exist in isolated way. When the human being boasts that he is completely good, the boasting itself is a bad quality (Rajas)! In some other time, Rajas and Tamas predominate even in the case of top most devotees.
Even the top most spiritual preacher like Veda Vyasa wrote that Ghritachi, a dancer from heaven, attracted him.
Why Duryodhana was against Krishna
Duryodhana was an avatar of the demon Kali who had bewitched the soul of Nala, forcing him to gamble away his kingdom.
During the exile, Duryodhana attempts to humiliate Yudhisthira by flashing his wealth and prowess in their forest of exile. He is however caught in a conflict with the Gandharva king Chitrasena, who captures him. Yudhisthira asks Arjuna and Bhima to rescue Duryodhana, who is humiliated. Setting his mind to die, Duryodhana pledges to fast unto death..
During his fast, Duryodhana is mystically taken to a gathering of powerful Daitya and Danava beings, who inform him that he was born as a result of their tapasya, and his mission was to destroy the purpose of the Devas and Krishna upon earth. The demonic beings assure him that powerful demons had been incarnated as his allies, making his defeat impossible.
Many Hindus believe that Duryodhana was the personification of evil, and one whose purpose was to defeat the will of Vishnu on Earth. Yet there are a section of Hindus who consider Duryodhana as a fair king and there are temples dedicated to him and 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". 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 Dhritarastra's ambition and also in a metaphorical sense, his "blindness".
Many critics argue that he is not without positives. In the epic, he decries the means of discrimination employed by Dronacharya. He goes one step further to accord Karna place among the royals, by crowning him the King of Anga and standing by him whenever anyone pointed a finger at his lower-birth.
In modern light, his disrespect for discrimination and blind following of tradition is seen more positively. According to Mahabharata, when Bhishma has to pick Dhritarashtra's successor, he mentions to Vidura many of Duryodhana's positive qualities in comparison to Yudhishthira. Having spent so many years in the forest, Yudhishthira doesn't have Duryodhana's experience, military expertise, education, and courtly manners. Bhishma adds that Duryodhana is loved by the people, while Yudhishthira is an unknown quantity to them. However, Bhishma ultimately selects Yudhishthira for other reasons.
A list of Duryodhana's positive traits:
1) Loyal friend and trusting
Duryodhana's wife Bhanumati and his close friend Karna were playing a game of dice. The stake between them was substantial. As the game progressed, it was evident that Karna was winning and Bhanumati was losing. Just then Duryodhana entered his queen's chamber. Karna had his back to the door while Bhanumati was facing it. Seeing her husband coming, she was about to stand up. As she was just rising, Karna, thinking that she was trying to get away from the embarrassment of certain defeat in the game, snatched at her drape, studded with pearls. Tugged at by Karna's powerful hands, the thread snapped and all the pearls rolled on the floor. Queen Bhanumati was stunned and did not know what to say or do. Seeing her shocked state and sensing that something was wrong,
Karna turned round and saw his friend Duryodhana. He was deeply shocked and distressed beyond words. Here he was, in the royal chamber, playing a game of dice with his friend's wife and, as if this was not enough, he had the audacity to catch her clothes, thus embarrassing and endangering her chaste reputation. He stood dumbfounded and transfixed. Surely, Duryodhana would not tolerate such immodesty. He readied himself for the inevitable punishment. As both she and Karna look down sheepishly, unable to meet Duryodhana's eyes, the Kaurava scion only asks: "Should I just collect the beads, or string them as well." Both Bhanumati and Karna had misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen and greater was his faith on his friend Karna. He does not suspect, does not get angry with Karna but helps him in picking up the pearls.
2) Respects merit
He seems to not care about the low birth of Karna and is the only one to vocally support Karna candidature in the archery contest without caring about caste inequality. When Kripa humiliated Karna in the martial exhibition, Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, and made him king of Anga. Karna pledges his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana, as Duryodhana had rescued him from a source of continuing humiliation and hardship. Neither of them knows that Karna is in fact Kunti's oldest son, born to (sun god) Surya. When Draupadi refuses to allow Karna to string the bod at her Swayamvara because of his low birth, Duryodhana defends him saying "great sages, philosophers, and warriors have no source. They are made great, not born great".
Another incident, is when knowing Sahadeva's ability as an astrologer, Duryodhana asked him to fix Muhurtha time for commencement of war.
3) Valor
He strictly adheres 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.
4) Good King
As Duryodhana is about to die, he looks at Krishna malevolently. "I have been a good king,” he says. "I have conducted myself as a Kshatriya should and have come by death in battle. I'll die and attain heaven, but you will live in grief and sorrow." Upon hearing the words of Duryodhana, celestial beings showered flowers upon him hailing, "Praise be to king Duryodhana!"
5) Strategist
Duryodhana was a skilled strategist. He managed to win the pledge of King Shalya, who was actually the maternal uncle of Pandavas, to fight on his side in battle of Kurukshetra. It so happened that while King Shalya was moving with his army to go and support Yudhishthira, he and his force were looked after extremely well en route. Floored by the hospitality, Shalya offered complete support to the host thinking it was Yudhishthira. Only later did he discover that Duryodhana was the person behind the hospitality, and was thus indebted to him. Duryodhana wanted Shalya mainly so that Karna would have an equivalent charioteer to Arjuna's Krishna.
Family
According to Mahabharata, Duryodhana was married to Princess Bhanumati of Kalinga. He fathered two children of royal queen, son Laxman Kumara and daughter Lakshmana. Laxman was killed by Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata war.
Modern Worship
At Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple in Kerala's Kollam district, Duryodhana is worshipped as the main deity. It is the only temple in South India where a Kaurava is considered a God.
In the Kumaon region of Uttranchal, several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as the deity. The mountain tribes of Kumaon fought along with Duryodhana armies in the Mahabharata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.
This sums up Duryodhana
When Duruyodhana finally defeated by Bheema in one to one fight. He declares
"I have no interest in becoming a king now, I have lost all interests in this world which is fake and temporary, slain in battle I shall spend the rest of my afterlife in heaven in the company of my friends, relatives and well wishers. You defeated us by cheating and trickery, otherwise the likes of Bhishma, Drona, Karna amongst others were unconquerable. The victory which you obtained is not true victory and your names will bear black stains in the future. I have always been a good son, loyal friend, caring brother, and terrible enemy, while I lived I stamped my foot on the heads of those who dared oppose me in any way, I am happy to have died fighting and thank everyone who laid his life down for me, I die happy."
Be Careful to Analyze Krishna
EPICS OF INDIA: Duryodhana
EPICS OF INDIA: 2009-08-09
Duryodhana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Everybody speaks about the justice and good qualities but when the practice comes, hypocrisy is followed. This is clear to everybody because the inner self is the real witness. We cannot condemn such souls because these qualities are precipitated from millions of previous births and are like hard diamonds.
Every soul is made of the three qualities (Good Sattvam and bad Rajas and Tamas). Good quality may predominate and the bad qualities may exist as invisible traces of impurities. Any single quality of these three cannot exist in isolated way. When the human being boasts that he is completely good, the boasting itself is a bad quality (Rajas)! In some other time, Rajas and Tamas predominate even in the case of top most devotees.
Even the top most spiritual preacher like Veda Vyasa wrote that Ghritachi, a dancer from heaven, attracted him.
Why Duryodhana was against Krishna
Duryodhana was an avatar of the demon Kali who had bewitched the soul of Nala, forcing him to gamble away his kingdom.
During the exile, Duryodhana attempts to humiliate Yudhisthira by flashing his wealth and prowess in their forest of exile. He is however caught in a conflict with the Gandharva king Chitrasena, who captures him. Yudhisthira asks Arjuna and Bhima to rescue Duryodhana, who is humiliated. Setting his mind to die, Duryodhana pledges to fast unto death..
During his fast, Duryodhana is mystically taken to a gathering of powerful Daitya and Danava beings, who inform him that he was born as a result of their tapasya, and his mission was to destroy the purpose of the Devas and Krishna upon earth. The demonic beings assure him that powerful demons had been incarnated as his allies, making his defeat impossible.
Many Hindus believe that Duryodhana was the personification of evil, and one whose purpose was to defeat the will of Vishnu on Earth. Yet there are a section of Hindus who consider Duryodhana as a fair king and there are temples dedicated to him and 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". 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 Dhritarastra's ambition and also in a metaphorical sense, his "blindness".
Many critics argue that he is not without positives. In the epic, he decries the means of discrimination employed by Dronacharya. He goes one step further to accord Karna place among the royals, by crowning him the King of Anga and standing by him whenever anyone pointed a finger at his lower-birth.
In modern light, his disrespect for discrimination and blind following of tradition is seen more positively. According to Mahabharata, when Bhishma has to pick Dhritarashtra's successor, he mentions to Vidura many of Duryodhana's positive qualities in comparison to Yudhishthira. Having spent so many years in the forest, Yudhishthira doesn't have Duryodhana's experience, military expertise, education, and courtly manners. Bhishma adds that Duryodhana is loved by the people, while Yudhishthira is an unknown quantity to them. However, Bhishma ultimately selects Yudhishthira for other reasons.
A list of Duryodhana's positive traits:
1) Loyal friend and trusting
Duryodhana's wife Bhanumati and his close friend Karna were playing a game of dice. The stake between them was substantial. As the game progressed, it was evident that Karna was winning and Bhanumati was losing. Just then Duryodhana entered his queen's chamber. Karna had his back to the door while Bhanumati was facing it. Seeing her husband coming, she was about to stand up. As she was just rising, Karna, thinking that she was trying to get away from the embarrassment of certain defeat in the game, snatched at her drape, studded with pearls. Tugged at by Karna's powerful hands, the thread snapped and all the pearls rolled on the floor. Queen Bhanumati was stunned and did not know what to say or do. Seeing her shocked state and sensing that something was wrong,
Karna turned round and saw his friend Duryodhana. He was deeply shocked and distressed beyond words. Here he was, in the royal chamber, playing a game of dice with his friend's wife and, as if this was not enough, he had the audacity to catch her clothes, thus embarrassing and endangering her chaste reputation. He stood dumbfounded and transfixed. Surely, Duryodhana would not tolerate such immodesty. He readied himself for the inevitable punishment. As both she and Karna look down sheepishly, unable to meet Duryodhana's eyes, the Kaurava scion only asks: "Should I just collect the beads, or string them as well." Both Bhanumati and Karna had misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen and greater was his faith on his friend Karna. He does not suspect, does not get angry with Karna but helps him in picking up the pearls.
2) Respects merit
He seems to not care about the low birth of Karna and is the only one to vocally support Karna candidature in the archery contest without caring about caste inequality. When Kripa humiliated Karna in the martial exhibition, Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, and made him king of Anga. Karna pledges his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana, as Duryodhana had rescued him from a source of continuing humiliation and hardship. Neither of them knows that Karna is in fact Kunti's oldest son, born to (sun god) Surya. When Draupadi refuses to allow Karna to string the bod at her Swayamvara because of his low birth, Duryodhana defends him saying "great sages, philosophers, and warriors have no source. They are made great, not born great".
Another incident, is when knowing Sahadeva's ability as an astrologer, Duryodhana asked him to fix Muhurtha time for commencement of war.
3) Valor
He strictly adheres 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.
4) Good King
As Duryodhana is about to die, he looks at Krishna malevolently. "I have been a good king,” he says. "I have conducted myself as a Kshatriya should and have come by death in battle. I'll die and attain heaven, but you will live in grief and sorrow." Upon hearing the words of Duryodhana, celestial beings showered flowers upon him hailing, "Praise be to king Duryodhana!"
5) Strategist
Duryodhana was a skilled strategist. He managed to win the pledge of King Shalya, who was actually the maternal uncle of Pandavas, to fight on his side in battle of Kurukshetra. It so happened that while King Shalya was moving with his army to go and support Yudhishthira, he and his force were looked after extremely well en route. Floored by the hospitality, Shalya offered complete support to the host thinking it was Yudhishthira. Only later did he discover that Duryodhana was the person behind the hospitality, and was thus indebted to him. Duryodhana wanted Shalya mainly so that Karna would have an equivalent charioteer to Arjuna's Krishna.
Family
According to Mahabharata, Duryodhana was married to Princess Bhanumati of Kalinga. He fathered two children of royal queen, son Laxman Kumara and daughter Lakshmana. Laxman was killed by Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata war.
Modern Worship
At Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada Temple in Kerala's Kollam district, Duryodhana is worshipped as the main deity. It is the only temple in South India where a Kaurava is considered a God.
In the Kumaon region of Uttranchal, several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as the deity. The mountain tribes of Kumaon fought along with Duryodhana armies in the Mahabharata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.
This sums up Duryodhana
When Duruyodhana finally defeated by Bheema in one to one fight. He declares
"I have no interest in becoming a king now, I have lost all interests in this world which is fake and temporary, slain in battle I shall spend the rest of my afterlife in heaven in the company of my friends, relatives and well wishers. You defeated us by cheating and trickery, otherwise the likes of Bhishma, Drona, Karna amongst others were unconquerable. The victory which you obtained is not true victory and your names will bear black stains in the future. I have always been a good son, loyal friend, caring brother, and terrible enemy, while I lived I stamped my foot on the heads of those who dared oppose me in any way, I am happy to have died fighting and thank everyone who laid his life down for me, I die happy."
Be Careful to Analyze Krishna
EPICS OF INDIA: Duryodhana
EPICS OF INDIA: 2009-08-09
Duryodhana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Last edited:
