Jayadratha

Jayadratha had a warrior rank of Ati-Rathi. Affiliation: Kaurava. Jayadratha was King of Sindhu Kingdom. He was the son of King Vridhakshtra. He was married to Kauravas’ only sister and only daughter of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, Dushala. He kidnapped Draupadi on Duryodhana’s order but was stopped by Arjuna and Bhima. His hairs were cut off as a punishment. He was the biggest reason for Abhimanyu’s death. Jayadratha uses a boon he got from Mahadeva to confront and stop Pandavas from following the path created by Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu then is forced to fight the whole Kaurava army alone, which eventually results in his death. Abhimanyu’s father Arjuna swore to kill Jayadratha and he fulfilled his oath.

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“The king of the Sindhus, O monarch, is in my judgment, equal to two Rathas. That best of car-warriors will fight in battle, displaying great prowess.”- The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Uluka Dutagamana Parva: Section CLXVI
“And he pierced Satyaki with three arrows, and Vrikodara with eight; and having pierced Dhrishtadyumna. with sixty arrows, he pierced Drupada with five sharp ones, and Sikhandin with ten. Piercing then the Kaikeyas with five and twenty arrows, Jayadratha pierced each of the five sons of Draupadi with three arrows. And piercing Yudhishthira then with seventy arrows, the ruler of the Sindhus pierced the other heroes of the Pandava army with thick showers of shafts. And that feat of his seemed exceedingly wonderful. Then, O monarch, the valiant son of Dharma, aiming Jayadratha’s bow, cut it off with a polished and well-tempered shaft, smiling the while. Within the twinkling, however, of the eye, the ruler of the Sindhus took up another bow and piercing Pratha (Yudhishthira) with ten arrows struck each of the others with three shafts. Marking that lightness of hands showed by Jayadratha, Bhima then with three broad-headed shafts, quickly felled on the earth his bow, standard and umbrella. The mighty Jayadratha then, taking up another bow, strung it and felled Bhima’s standard and bow and steeds. O sire! His bow cut off, Bhimasena then jumping down from that excellent car whose steeds had been slain, mounted on the car of Satyaki, like a lion jumping to the top of a mountain. Seeing this, thy troops were filled with joy. And they loudly shouted, ‘Excellent! Excellent!’ And they repeatedly applauded that feat of the ruler of the Sindhus. Indeed, all creatures highly applauded that feat of his, which consisted in his resisting, single-handed, all the Pandavas together, excited with wrath. The path that the son of Subhadra had made for the Pandavas by the slaughter of numerous warriors and elephants was then filled up by the ruler of the Sindhus.” – The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Abhimanyu-badha Parva: Section XLI
“Dhananjaya began to strike with terrible shafts the protectors of the ruler of the Sindhus with his arrowy showers, Karna and Drona’s son and Kripa and Salya and Vrishasena and Duryodhana. So quick was he in the use of weapons that no one could mark when Arjuna took out his arrows, when he fixed them on the bowstring, when he stretched— the bow and let them off. Indeed, while striking the foe, his bow was seen incessantly drawn to a circle. His arrows also were seen incessantly issuing out of his bow and scattered in all directions.
“For grieving his foes and gladdening his friends, the son of Pandu, by shooting his shafts repeatedly at it, sent that head outside the limits of Samantapanchaka. Meanwhile, king Vriddhakshatra, the father of thy son-in-law, endued with great energy, was, O sire, engaged in his evening prayers. Decked with black locks and adorned with ear-rings, that head of Jayadratha was thrown upon Vriddhakshatra’s lap, as the latter was saying his prayers in a sitting posture. Thus thrown on his lap, that head decked with car-rings, O chastiser of foes, was not seen by king Vriddhakshatra. As the latter, however, stood up after finishing his prayers it suddenly fell down on the earth. And as the head of Jayadratha fell down on the earth, the head of Vriddhakshatra, O chastiser of foes, cracked into a hundred pieces. At the sight of this, all creatures were filled with wonder. And all of them applauded Vasudeva and the mighty Vibhatsu” – The Mahabharata, Book 7: Drona Parva: Jayadratha-Vadha Parva: Section CXLV