To the question why Krishna, and not Duryodhana, is likened to Hitler, my answer is that Duryodhana was not very wrong in staking his claim for the throne because his father was the king before him. The war and the wholesale massacre could have very well been avoided if only Krishna had not actively egged on Arjuna by means of BG, to fight and kill every one irrespective of whether the opponents were guru, pitamaha or jnaatis. In my view Krishna is as condemnable as Hitler and not Duryodhana, therefore.
The kingdom, those days, was given only to the able (and not physically disabled) candidate. Thus,
in the words of DhridarAstra, SantAnu, Bhisma's father obtained the kingdom, bypassing his two elder brothers., and he advises Duryodhana to calm down and give atleast half of the share. [after the pandus came from 14 years exile and 1 year disguise]. Even
vidura, Gandhari,
Bhisma, Drona, everyone advised Duryodhana. But, he wanted war.
Excerpts from the Mahabharata (Sacred Texts):
Realising that he won't oblige, Krishna showed his extra-ordinary feats to incite fear. With no results, Finally Krishna's words to Duryodhana,"'Those heroes, the sons of Pandu, sacrificing their pride, will live in
dependence on Dhritarashtra, Bhishma and Vidura. Let the kingdom be given to thee. Let them have no power. Let: it all be as the king (Dhritarashtra), as Ganga's son (Bhishma) and as Vidura say for thy good. Let the kingdom be thine. Relinquish but five villages (to the Pandavas). O best of kings, without doubt they deserve to be supported by thy father."
Then,
Duryodhana provokes the pandavas for war, through the messenger Uluka.
His words, "'Say once more unto Dhananjaya in the bearing of Vasudeva these words,
viz.,--O hero, either vanquishing us rule thou this world, or vanquished by us lie thou down on the field (deprived of life)! Recalling to thy mind the sufferings occasioned by your banishment from the kingdom, the woes of your sojourn in the woods, and 'he affliction of Krishna, be a man, O son of Pandu! That for which a Kshatriya lady bringeth forth a son is now arrived! Displaying, therefore, in battle, thy might, energy, courage, manliness, and great dexterity and speed in the use of weapons, appease thy wrath! For twelve long years hadst thou been exiled from home into the woods, and one whole year hadst thou passed in Virata's service! Remembering the pangs of banishment from the kingdom and of thy sojourn in the woods, as also those which Krishna had suffered, be thou a man! From fear of Vasudeva, or from fear of thyself, O Falguni, I will not give up the kingdom! Fight with Kesava as thy ally! Neither deception, nor conjuror's tricks, nor jugglery, can terrify the armed man addressed for fight. On the other hand, these provoke only his wrath. A thousand Vasudevas, a hundred Falgunis, approaching me whose arms and weapons never go for nothing, will surely fly away in all directions. O thou of little understanding, how canst thou, O fool, venture to fight with me when stationed in the midst of my elephant-host? Fight, O Arjuna, without bragging! When having plunged into this surging ocean with its inexhaustible waves of weapons, thou wilt, from fatigue, be deprived of senses and have all thy relatives and friends slain, then will repentance possess thy heart! Then also will thy heart turn away from the thought of ruling the earth, like the heart of a person of impure deeds turning away from (hope of) heaven. Indeed, for thee to win a kingdom to rule is as impossible as for one not possessed of ascetic merit to obtain heaven!'"
Arjuna's words through Uluka, 'Go, O Uluka, and say unto Duryodhana, that ungrateful, wicked-minded embodiment of hostilities, that infamous wretch of his race, these words,
viz.,--O sinful wretch, thou always behavest with crookedness towards the Pandavas! O sinful fool, he that displayeth his prowess relying on his own might and summoneth his foes (to battle) and fulfilleth his own words, even he is a man of the Kshatriya order! Be thou a Kshatriya, O sinful wretch, and summon us to battle! O infamous one of thy race, do not come to battle, placing at thy head others for whom we profess respect! O Kaurava, relying on thy own might and on that of thy servants, summon the sons of Pritha to battle! Be Kshatriya in every way! He, who summoneth his foes, relying on the might of others, and incapable of receiving them himself is, indeed, a eunuch! Thou, however, thinkest highly of thyself, relying on the might of others! Being weak and unable thyself, why then dost thou roar so (in words) at us?'
"
Krishna said, 'My words also, O gambler's son, should be communicated unto Suyodhana. Let that morrow come to thee on which the battle is to take place. O thou of wicked soul, be a man! O fool, thou thinkest Janardana will not fight, since he hath been chosen by the Pandavas to act only as a charioteer, so thou art not alarmed. That, however, will not be, even for a moment. If my wrath is excited, I may then consume all the kings (assembled by thee) like a fire consuming a heap of straw. At Yudhishthira's command, however, I shall only discharge the functions of charioteer to the high-souled Falguni, of senses under complete control and who alone, (amongst us two) will fight! If thou fliest beyond the limits of the three worlds, if thou sinkest into the depths of the earth, thou shalt, even at these places, behold Arjuna's car tomorrow morning. Thou thinkest that Bhima's words have been spoken in vain! But know that Dussasana's blood hath already been quaffed. Know this also that although thou hast uttered such cross and perverse words, yet neither Partha, nor king Yudhishthira, nor Bhimasena, nor any of the twins, regardeth thee as straw!'"
P.S: Enjoy the dialogue!
And our future generations are in safe hands, I would say.
