Duryodhana
Duryodhana (, ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari of Kuru dynasty. Born through a miraculous manner, his birth is accompanied by ill-omens. Duryodhana grows up in Hastinapura and later becomes its crown prince. Driven by innate selfishness, jealousy, and hostility towards his cousins—the five Pandava brothers—Duryodhana frequently plots against them, aided by his principal allies: his trickster uncle Shakuni, his loyal friend Karna, his devoted brother Du
Key facts
- Character.affiliation
- Kaurava
- Character.info hdr
- Information
- Character.name
- Duryodhana
- Character.image
- File:Duryodhana—Raja Ravi Varma.jpg
- Character.caption
- Duryodhana in the Kuru Court insulting Krishna before the Kurukshetra War, painting by Raja Ravi Varma
- Character.aliases
- Suyodhana
- Character.weapon
- Gada (mace)
- Character.spouse
- Princess of Kalinga Princess of Kashi
- Character.children
- Lakshmana Kumara (son) Lakshmanaa (daughter, in Puranic scriptures)
- Character.family
- Dhritarashtra (father) Gandhari (mother) Dushasana, Vikarna, and 97 more (younger brothers) Dushala (sister) Yuyutsu (half-brother)
- Character.relatives
- Pandavas (paternal half cousins) Shakuni (maternal uncle) Pandu and Vidura (paternal uncles)
Article
24 sectionsContents
- Etymology and epithets
- Literary Background
- Biography
- Birth
- Early years
- Usurping the Kingdom
- The game of dice
- During Pandava's exile
- Virata battle
- Peace talks and buildup of war
- Kurukshetra war
- Day 1–11 (''[[Bhishma Parva]]'')
- Day 12–15 (''[[Drona Parva]]'')
- Day 16–17 (''[[Karna Parva]]'')
- Day 18 (''[[Shalya Parva]]'')
- Gada Yuddha
- Death and aftermath
- Personal life
- Assessment
- Derivative works
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Duryodhana (, ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari of Kuru dynasty. Born through a miraculous manner, his birth is accompanied by ill-omens. Duryodhana grows up in Hastinapura and later becomes its crown prince. Driven by innate selfishness, jealousy, and hostility towards his cousins—the five Pandava brothers—Duryodhana frequently plots against them, aided by his principal allies: his trickster uncle Shakuni, his loyal friend Karna, his devoted brother Dushasana and his blind and indulgent father Dhritarashtra.
Duryodhana's envy culminates in the infamous dice game, where he humiliates Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas. This incident provokes Bhima, the second Pandava, to vow that he will one day smash Duryodhana's thigh. Later, with the help of Shakuni, Duryodhana tricks the Pandavas into relinquishing their kingdom and forces them into exile. Even after the Pandavas complete their thirteen-year exile, he refuses to restore their kingdom, directly triggering the outbreak of the Kurukshetra War.