Dushasana

Dushasana (Sanskrit: दुःशासन; Duḥśāsana in IAST transliteration, and sometimes written Duhshasana and Dushyasana) was the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari in the epic Mahābhārata, and the younger brother of Duryodhana.

Birth and development

When Dhritarashtra's queen Gandhari's pregnancy continues for an unusually long period of time, she beats her womb in frustration and envy of Kunti, the queen of Pandu, who had given birth to three of the five Pandavas. Due to her actions, a hardened mass of grey-colored flesh emerges from her womb. Gandhari is devastated, and calls upon Vyasa, the great sage who had blessed her with one hundred sons, to redeem his words.^{[citation needed]}

Vyasa divides the flesh ball into one hundred equal pieces, and puts them in pots of ghee, which are sealed and buried into the earth for one year. At the end of the year, the first pot is opened, and Duryodhana emerges. The next one to emerge is Dushasana.^{[citation needed]} Dushasana is devoted to his older brother Duryodhana, and is also closely involved in the various schemes and plots to kill the Pandavas.

Draupadi's humiliation

After Yudhisthira loses his kingdom, his brothers and his wife Draupadi in a game of dice with Shakuni, Dushasana dragged Draupadi in 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 Dushasana could not take it off. However, the princess was humiliated as she was dragged into court by her hair. Because of this humiliation, Draupadi vows that she will not tie her hair until she washes it with the blood of Dushasana's chest.

Bhima pledged to tear open Dushasana's chest and drink his blood.

Death

Bhima fulfilling his promise regarding Duhshasan in the Mahabharata field

In the Kurukshetra War, Bhima kills Dushasana, tears his chest and drinks his blood, as pledged and helps Draupadi redeem her vow while redeeming his own. Dushasana's death greatly agitated Karna and Duryodhana, and demoralized the Kaurava Army watching Bhima in his ecstasy of wrath.

The name

The name is often derived from two elements, the Sanskrit: duh, meaning hard, tough , and ''shasana, meaning ruler, punisher.

References

• The Mahabharata (1999) by Krishna Dharma