Dushasana

Dushasana

Dushasana had a warrior rank of Rathi. Affiliation: Kaurava. Dushasana was a Kaurava prince, the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and the younger brother of Duryodhana in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Dushasana had five wives but among them was a princess of the Trigarta Kingdom. In a later retelling, she is known as Chandramukhi. They had a son named Drumasena.

Quote

“Firstly, with thy country of brothers including Dussasana and others, thou art of the foremost of Rathas! All of you are skilled in striking, and proficient in cutting chariots and piercing. All of you are accomplished drivers of chariots while seated in the driver’s box, and accomplished managers of elephants while seated on the necks of those animals. All of you are clever smiters with maces and bearded darts and swords and bucklers. You are accomplished in weapons and competent in bearing burthens of responsibility.” – The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Uluka Dutagamana Parva: Section CLXVI
“Bhima took up that terrible mace of his for Duhshasana’s slaughter. Once more addressing him, he said, “O thou of wicked soul, I shall today drink thy blood on the field of battle.” Thus addressed, thy son sped at Bhima with great force a fierce dart resembling Death itself. Bhima also, his form filled with wrath, whirled his terrible mace and hurled it at his antagonist. That mace, precipitately breaking Duhshasana’s dart, struck thy son on his head. Indeed, perspiring like an elephant with juicy secretions trickling down his body, Bhima, in that dreadful battle, hurled his mace at the prince. With that weapon, Bhimasena forcibly threw Duhshasana down from his car at a distance measured by the length of ten bows. Struck with the impetuous mace, Duhshasana, thrown down on the ground, began to tremble. All his steeds also, O king, were slain, and his car too was reduced to atoms by that falling weapon. As regards Duhshasana himself, his armour and ornaments and attire and garlands were all displaced, and he began to writhe, afflicted with agony.” – The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 83
“The mighty-armed Bhima of inconceivable feats, O king, beholding Duhshasana (in that plight), and recollecting the seizure of Draupadi’s tresses and her disrobing while she was ill,—indeed, the innocent Bhima, reflecting also upon the diverse other wrongs inflicted on that princess while her husbands sat with faces turned away from the scene, blazed up in wrath like fire fed with libations of clarified butter. Addressing Karna and Suyodhana and Kripa and Drona’s son and Kritavarma, he said, “Today I shall slay the wretched Duhshasana. Let all the warriors protect him (if they can).” Having said this, Bhima of exceeding strength and great activity suddenly rushed, from desire of slaying Duhshasana. Like a lion of fierce impetuosity rushing towards a mighty elephant, Vrikodara, that foremost of heroes, rushed towards Duhshasana in that battle and attacked him in the very sight of Suyodhana and Karna. Jumping down from his car, he alighted on the ground, and fixed his eyes steadfastly on his fallen foe. Drawing then his whetted sword of keen edge, and trembling with rage, he placed his foot upon the throat of Duhshasana, and ripping open the breast of his enemy stretched on the ground, quaffed his warm life-blood. Then throwing him down and cutting off, O king, with that sword the head of thy son, Bhima of great intelligence, desirous of accomplishing his vow, again quaffed his enemy’s blood little by little, as if for enjoying its taste. Then looking at him with wrathful eyes, he said these words, “I regard the taste of this blood of my enemy to be superior to that of my mother’s milk, or honey, or clarified butter, or good wine that is prepared from honey, or excellent water, or milk, or curds, or skimmed milk, or all other kinds of drinks there are on earth that are sweet as ambrosia or nectar.” – The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 83

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