Duryodhana is an important character in the Mahabharata, the Hindu epic. Duryodhana means one with whom it is extremely difficult to fight. Duryodhana was the eldest amongst the hundred sons of his parents and crowned as prince of the Kuru Kingdom and Hastinapur its capital. Queen Gandhari and the blind King Dhritarashtra were parents of the Kauravas. Duryodhana’s closest friend was Karna who assisted him to perform the Vaishnava Yagna after the Pandavas left for exile. Karna is the greatest champion of Durodhana in the Kurukshetra War. Right from the 15th day he serves as commander. Duryodhana unconsolably mourns Karna’s death, more than his own brothers and performs his last rites.
As per Hindu mythology Gandhari was frustrated when she was pregnant for a very long time period and beat up her womb. A grey colored hardened mass was created due to this in her womb. On pleading the great sage Vyasa, blessed her with 100 sons, divided the hardened flesh into equal portions, placed them in a ghee pots and buried them for two years into the earth. When the first pot was opened towards the second year end, Duryodhana appeared.
Duryodhana’s maternal uncle, Shakuni, was his mentor. Many plots were were masterminded by Shakuni to embarrass and humiliate the Pandavas. Dronacharya was his guru who taught him martial skills and trained him in mace fighting. He became skilled with the mace under Balarama’s training and became his most favored pupil. Duryodhana’s body is described as ‘lightning made flesh’ by Balarama and announced that he was the finest mace fighter of his generation.
