Duryodhanization

by Nishant Uppal

  Keeping in mind this last clause of ‘agyaatvaas’, the ninth instance that makes Duryodhana seem to possess negative personality traits is when he sends spies to the forest in order to track down the Pandavas during the thirteenth year of the exile.9 The Pandavas were supposed to live in disguise during the thirteenth year of the exile so that nobody could recognize them. If the Kauravas came to know where and in what disguise they were living, the Pandavas would be mandated to spend another twelve years in exile along with another one year of agyaatvaas. Duryodhana wanted to track down the Pandavas and turn their exile into a vicious cycle. He wanted to ensure that they would never return to Hastinapur to claim their kingdom. His cunning plan to deceive the Pandavas and keep the throne for himself shows that Duryodhana was prepared to accomplish the worst possible feat to meet his desired ends. He was also anxious about the outcome if the Pandavas manage to live in agyaatvaas successfully. This is characteristic of an individual who possesses Machiavellian and neurotic traits.

  The tenth instance that characterizes his personality traits as narcissistic was when he proved that desires can never be satisfied. He did not stop with sending the Pandavas to the forest. He wanted to see them destitute, gloat in their misfortune, and remind them of all that they had lost to make them more miserable. He confessed to Karna, ‘The joy that I may feel in obtaining the sovereignty of the entire earth is nothing to that which will be mine upon beholding the sons of Pandu attired in barks of trees and deer-skins.’10 On the pretext of supervising the cattle stations, Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni and others obtained Dhritarashtra’s permission and proceeded to the forests. Intoxicated with power, the ever-egoistic Duryodhana commanded his attendants to set up their tents right where the Gandharvas (a sect of celestials) were residing. Annoyed at Duryodhana’s interference, the Gandharvas fought the Kaurava army. Unable to withstand the prowess of Chitrasena, the head of the Gandharvas, Karna fled from the battlefield. Duryodhana was held captive. But as fate would have it, Chitrasena happened to be a good friend of Arjuna. On his request, he handed Duryodhana over to Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira set Duryodhana free. As was the tradition, Duryodhana granted Arjuna a boon, which Arjuna later used to his advantage (discussed later in this discourse). How the tables turned. A venture to jeer at the Pandavas ended with Duryodhana bearing the ignominy of being saved and set free by the same Pandavas. His arrogance, a grandiose sense of superiority driven by self-love, his lack of empathy leading to reckless behaviour and the propensity to involve himself in exploitative acts are all indications of his narcissistic and sadistic traits.

  Further in this incident, we can see the eleventh behavioural instance. Duryodhana was saved by the Pandavas from the wrath of the Gandharvas in the forest. Instead of being thankful to them, he was disheartened on being saved by his arch enemies. He felt humiliated and thought of giving up his life for the embarrassment he had to face. No love or respect arose in his heart for his saviours. Yudhishthira had asked Arjuna and Bhima to rescue Duryodhana. Duryodhana, being a Kshatriya, granted Arjuna a boon. He would fulfill one of Arjuna’s demands anytime in his life. Resolving to die, Duryodhana pledged to fast unto death. He is pacified by Karna, who vows to kill Arjuna in battle and never drink wine until he does so. Duryodhana refused to go back to Hastinapur after being humiliated. He said he would not eat or drink until he died sitting there in the forest. He called Dusshasana, and declared that from thereafter he was relinquishing his kingdom and passing it on to his brother. He did not realize that the kingdom was not his to pass on when he himself was not the king yet! He had cried for the Pandavas to come to his rescue. But after they saved him from Chitrasena he was so humiliated that he felt he should have died on the battlefield rather than being saved by them.11 This incident shows that Duryodhana considered himself to be so superior to the Pandavas that death was far preferable over being saved by inferior beings. Even though he discontinued his fast after one night saying that the dark forces had urged him not to do so as they were on his side and would help him win, he lacked the dignity to accept his defeat gracefully. Also, the story could have been a mere fabrication to convince people that he lived not because he was afraid to die, but for a higher motive that the dark forces entrusted him with.12 This, again, showed narcissistic as well as Machiavellian characteristics in his personality.

  The twelfth instance that reveals his psychopathic, sadistic traits was when Duryodhana persuaded the sage Durvasa to visit the Pandavas. Durvasa Maharishi was infamous for his temper. Duryodhana slyly appealed to Durvasa to visit the Pandavas with his entire retinue after Draupadi had finished her meal. Surya (the Sun God) had presented the Pandavas with an ‘Akshaya Paathra’, a vessel that produced endless amounts of food every day until Draupadi had fed all her guests and herself, after which it produced no more food that day. Duryodhana planned for Durvasa to reach the Pandavas’ hermitage after everyone had eaten, so there would be no food left. Yudhishthira would be unable to entertain the sage appropriately. Incensed, Durvasa would curse the Pandavas. Of course, with Krishna’s timely intervention, the day was saved.13 (Mahabharata. Vana Parva. 363-1) Duryodhana’s jealousy and hatred are at the forefront here. He focuses all his resources on destroying the Pandavas. It is earlier seen that he had the nobility and warm-heartedness that could have earned him respect and recognition on par with that of Yudhishthira. It is sad to note that his emotions constricted him to baseless vengeance. Further, the humiliation that he heaped on the Pandavas, and his inhuman treatment of Draupadi shows us how low an individual can stoop to when his baser instincts get the better of him

  Adding to this, the thirteenth instance was when after offering sage Durvasa his hospitality, he sent 9000 soldiers disguised as Durvasa’s disciples along with the troupe of a thousand disciples and attendants of the maharishi. He thought that Yudhishthira would not be able to serve a legion of 10,000 people, even if he succeeded in serving the thousand disciples originally accompanying Durvasa.14 He wanted to ensure that the Pandavas finished all their rations in serving the hungry troupe, and were themselves starved as there would be no food left for them.15 This lack of empathy and erratic behaviour show that he was, indeed, a psychopath. This cruel motive was foiled by Lord Krishna. And Duryodhana was furious when he came to know that the sage and his troupe did not eat anything at all, leaving immediately after blessing the Pandavas.

  The fourteenth instance of his psychopathic behaviour was when Duryodhana sent Jayadratha to kidnap Draupadi while they were staying in an ashram in their thirteenth year of exile.16 He planned this so that the Pandavas and their entire family would have to come and rescue Draupadi. Their identity would be unveiled as a result of this, and their exile would get extended for another thirteen years.

  The fifteenth instance highlights those personality traits of his that resemble Machiavellianism. Duryodhana tricked Shalya, the brother of Madri (mother of Nakula and Sahadeva), into fighting for the Kauravas. He knew very well that Shalya would have supported the Pandavas for their right to the throne.17 When Shalya came to know of the impending war of Kurukshetra, he marched forth with his army to join his nephews Nakula and Sahadeva. On his way, he was tricked by Duryodhana. He had arranged a magnificent feast for Shalya and his army. Shalya thought that this feast was hosted for him by Yudhishthira and therefore, impressed by Yudhishthira’s hospitality, asked to see him and grant him a boon. When Duryodhana revealed the treachery, Shalya was astounded but was compelled to grant a boon as per Kshatriya dharma. Duryodhana asked him to fight for the Kauravas. He resorted to all manners of treachery and manipulation to achieve his self-serving ends. His foremost scheme was to befriend all the enemies of the Pandavas and divide their armies so that they would lose their support from other kingdoms.18

  The sixteenth instance was when, after the successful completion of one year in hiding, the Pandavas came to Duryodhana and asked for their kingdom, Indraprastha. Duryodhana flatly refused. A priest was sent to the Kauravas asking for their kingdom back
to prevent war. Duryodhana ridiculed the priest and sent him back. Then Krishna himself came to the Kauravas and pleaded for at least five villages for the Pandavas, to avoid a war, but Duryodhana did not budge. War was inevitable. Thus started the terrible eighteen-day war between the Kauravas and their allies and the Pandavas and their allies.

  During the first ten days of the battle, Bhishma was the general of the Kaurava army. He was the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Bound by his vow to serve the ruling family of Hastinapur, he fought on the side of the Kauravas. However, Bhishma loved the Pandavas and felt that they were right. Duryodhana knew this and felt that Bhishma, though a fine warrior, was purposely not killing the Pandavas because of his love for them. One night, after a dismal show by the Kauravas in the battle, Duryodhana went to Bhishma and exclaimed that he was ashamed of his fighting. He spoke with undisguised anger, accusing him of fighting on behalf of the Pandavas. Why else was the greatest warrior in the world unable to kill five pathetic humans? Bhishma took a deep breath to calm himself, but he couldn’t. Duryodhana’s words kept ringing in his head. How could he make Duryodhana believe in him? With great difficulty, Bhishma pulled out five of his arrows. He touched them with his eyes closed. Duryodhana watched this entire scene in bewilderment, wondering what his grandfather was doing. A force left Bhishma’s body and entered the five arrows. The five arrows gleamed menacingly. Duryodhana looked at the arrows, afraid to touch them. Bhishma looked weak, the creases on his face were more accentuated than they had been before. He took a deep breath to control himself as he felt his energy draining from him. Bhishma knew what he had done would definitely seal the fate of the Pandavas but as the general of the Kaurava army he had no choice. He was bound to serve his king. He haltingly said that he had put his life force in those arrows. The force in those arrows would not fail. One arrow for each of the Pandavas. Bhishma felt sorry for what he had done. Duryodhana thought that if he left the arrows with Bhishma he might, out of his sense of righteousness, lose them. Or worse, hand them over to the Pandavas. So, he asked Bhishma to give him custody of the five golden arrows, saying that he would return them the next morning. Bhishma tried arguing with Duryodhana but his grandson was adamant and he eventually gave in. Krishna knew that Bhishma had the capacity to make these arrows. He could sense it, and his spies confirmed it. Krishna hurried to Arjuna’s camp. He reminded Arjuna of his boon and told him to go to Duryodhana and ask for the five golden arrows. When Arjuna came to ask for the arrows, Duryodhana was shocked and had to comply, being true to his words as a Kshatriya. Duryodhana’s distrust and insecurity because of Bhishma’s love for the Pandavas eventually led him to lose the only thing that could have won him the war. He provoked Bhishma into creating those arrows because he wanted to kill the Pandavas at any cost. This evil streak in him is additional evidence of his Machiavellian, psychopathic and sadistic traits. He not only wanted his interests to be foremost, but also drew pleasure from the bad fortune and hardships faced by the Pandavas. He went to unparalleled lengths to demean and defeat the Pandavas. He would have even killed them, if not for Krishna, because of his neurotic traits in addition to his other negative personality traits.

  The seventeenth instance happened in the Udyoga Parva, during Krishna’s visit as the Pandavas’ envoy. He requested the Kauravas to give five villages or at least five houses to the Pandavas in Hastinapur. Despite Krishna’s recognition as God by everyone around him, Duryodhana’s evil self remained unmoved. He refused to see the reality unfolding around him. Fueled by his arrogance and pride, he even attempted to imprison Krishna. Till the very end, the evil forces in Duryodhana remained blind to the supreme God present before them.

  The eighteenth instance was when Arjuna and Duryodhana visited Lord Krishna to request his help in their war efforts. This incident shows that even when a choice for redemption is available, the evil mind opts only for lower material benefits. Before the war, Krishna offered both sides to either chose him without arms or his army without him. Arjuna chose the unarmed Krishna while Duryodhana was happy with the Dwaraka army. He did not realize that this army was invincible only because Krishna was its leader. Duryodhana’s evil mind was unable to comprehend God’s glory, and he choose the material alternative, the army. His narcissism is evident from the air of superiority he does not hesitate to assert, even in front of God.

  The nineteenth instance throws light on his narcissistic and neurotic personality traits. When Vidura fed Krishna in his house, Duryodhana flew into a rage and accused him of being a whore’s son. This outrage led Vidura to break his bow, which was one of the causes for Duryodhana’s defeat. His lack of empathy leading to callousness is prominent in his outrageous behaviour. As is the arrogance and anxiety that fuels his self-destructive course of action.

  The twentieth instance depicting his narcissistic nature, was at the end of the war when the Pandavas and Krishna made him an offer—he could pick any of the Pandava brothers to fight against, one-on-one, with a weapon of his choice. If he defeated the Pandava, Duryodhana would be deemed the victor of the war. Duryodhana picked his arch-enemy, Bhima, even though he could have effortlessly overwhelmed the other Pandava brothers with his skill at fighting with the mace. This may seem fair and just. But it may just have been a sense of excessive self-admiration and grandiose self-love where he thought of himself to as superior to all, even Bhima. We cannot negate this possibility, considering that most of his past actions have pointed towards a similar personality trait.

  The twenty-first instance showing his psychopathic inclination was when he disregarded battlefield honour after Abhimanyu slayed Duryodhana’s son Lakshmana. He commanded all his soldiers to attack Abhimanyu at once. This was foul play from his side. Abhimanyu was the only one who seemed to know how to enter the chakravyuha and destroy it. However, he did not know how to come out of it and Duryodhana knew that. Taking advantage of this knowledge, and Abhimanyu’s confusion on being attacked from all sides while he was unarmed inside the chakravyuha, Duryodhana ordered him to be slaughtered.

  His deceitful nature continued to prevail until the last hour. He lied to Bhima about where the centre of his life was situated to gain an undue advantage over him in single combat. The only occasion when he felt remorse over his evil acts was when Ashwatthama showed him the severed heads of the Pandavas’ children.

  Thus far, it is evident that Duryodhana was firmly controlled by his emotions, and thereby orchestrated his own destiny. He had a strong resolve and was fearless, obstinate and tenacious. Undoubtedly, he was a great warrior. But his lust for power and hatred of the Pandavas made him totally blind to the concept of dharma. So, steeped in ego, he rejected the wise counsel of elders like Bhishma, Vidura and Drona. He comfortably dismissed all sane counsel and clung to his path of adharma. This shows his personality to have narcissistic, Machiavellian and psychopathic traits along with a hint of sadism where he remorselessly enjoys the injustice and torture he meted out to the Pandavas.