Dushasana

Dushasana (Sanskrit: दुःशासन, Duḥśāsana), also spelled as Dussasana and Dushyasana, was a Kaurava prince, the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and the younger brother of Duryodhana in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Dushasana
Mahabharata character
Dushasana humiliating Draupadi
In-universe information
WeaponFist
FamilyDhritarashtra (father)
Gandhari (mother)
Duryodhana, Vikarna, Duhsala and 97 others (siblings)
Spouseunknown
ChildrenDurmasena
ReligionHinduism

Etymology

The name is often derived from two elements, the Sanskrit: duh, meaning "bad or atrocious" and sasana, meaning "governance or reign". So the word Duhshasana means "A Bad Governance" or "An Atrocious Ruler".

Birth and development

When Dhritarashtra's queen Gandhari's pregnancy continued for an unusually long time, she beat her womb in frustration and in envy of Kunti, the queen of Pandu, who had given birth to three of the five Pandava brothers. Due to her actions, a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh emerged from her womb. Gandhari was devastated, and called upon Vyasa, the great sage who had blessed her with one hundred sons, to redeem his words.

Dussasana was devoted to his older brother Duryodhana. He was also closely involved in the various schemes and plots to kill the Pandavas along with Duryodhana and Shakuni.

Draupadi's humiliation
Draupadi is presented to a Parcheesi game

After Yudhishthira lost his kingdom, his brothers and his wife Draupadi, in a game of dice with Shakuni, Duhshasana dragged Draupadi by the hair into the assembly, at the behest of his brother Duryodhana, and tried to disrobe her. Draupadi prayed to Krishna and he made her sari to be of infinite length, so that Duhshasana could not take it off. Dussasana was very exhausted and he nearly fainted. The assembled men were amazed at this miracle. They condemned Duhshasana and praised Draupadi. However,Draupadi was humiliated by being dragged into court by her hair. After this humiliation Draupadi swore that she will not tie her hair until it is bathed with blood of Duhshasana. Bhima, who could no longer watch Draupadi's insult in silence, rose up. He vowed to tear open Dussasana's chest in battle and drink his blood. Bhima also exclaimed that if he could not fulfill his oath, then he would not meet his ancestors in heaven.

Durmasena

The son of Dushasana who helped his father many times in the Kurukshetra war.He was also present inside the Chakra Vyuh on the thirteenth day of the war and killed Abhimanyu with a mace. On 14th day, Durmasena was killed by Bhima who avenged his nephew Abhimanyu's death.

Kurukshetra war and death
Bhima fulfilling his promise regarding Dussasana in the Mahabharata field

He along with Duryodhana lead one of the Akshauhanis of the Kaurava army.

Day 1

Dushasana was the warrior who shot the first arrow in the war. On the first day of the war, Dushasana had fought with Nakula.


Day 10

On the tenth day, Dushasana was appointed on the frontlines to defend Bhishma from the Pandava army. Dushasana exhibited his valor on that day by resisting all the Pandavas single-handedly. But later, Arjuna managed to defeat him.

Day 13

On the thirteenth day, Dushasana was present in the Chakravyuha. After a fierce duel, Abhimanyu badly defeated Dushasana and his charioteer had to take him away from the battlefield.

Day 14

On the fourteenth day, Dushasana was appointed to defend Jayadratha. However, Arjuna vanquished Dushasana and proceeded to slay Jayadratha.

Day 16

On the sixteen day[1][2], Dushasana encountered Bhima in a duel. Dushasana was showering arrows and pierced Bhima's armour. Then Bhima shattered Dushasana's chariot with his mace. He then grabbed Dushasana by the throat and repeatedly crushed him on the ground. Bhima then ripped Dushasana's arms off him. Remembering his vow(taken on dice game day), Bhima tore open Dushasan's chest and drank his hot blood. He then took a handful of Dushasana's blood and applied it on Draupadi's hair to fulfill her vow. Dushasana's death had greatly agitated the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana. Bhima had given Dushasana one of the most brutal death in Mahabharata.


References
  1. Aayush. "18 Days of The Mahabharata War – Summary of the War". vedicfeed.com. VEDICFEED. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. Jha Preeti. "जानिए महाभारत युद्ध के 18 दिनों में किस दिन क्या हुआ था". jagran.com (in Hindi). jagran. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  • Media related to Dushasana at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.