Duryodhana the great

[Guest guest]

Duryodhana was

 

* an able administrator

 

* the best fighter, next only to Balaram

 

* loved and respected his parents, took care of them till the end

 

* recognized Karna despite his low social status, protected him when others mocked him as sudra. That's an admirable quality, isn't it?

 

* while dying, he regretted Ashwatama's horrific act

 

 

The above points make him an extraordinary character. You may not like him, you may want to look at the dark side, but I will always respect him for his courage and conviction. Compared to the present-day folks (bush, bin laden etc.), he was a saint, no doubt. I am sorry people don't want to see this. Semitic conditioning often forces people to look at so-called good and "evil" and create a seemingly unbridgeable gulf. Vedic people don't. Who the hell are we to pass judgment on a great man and that too, living in the miserable kali yuga where thieves pass as holy men?

 

 

 

I am proud to know that he is one of my ancestors.

[Avinash]

We have had many ancestors. Some are good, some are bad.

 

You have written that Duryodhana was better than many present-day folks. I agree that he was better than many. But I do not consider him great.

 

You have called him an able administrator. Many administrators have the capability to make their subordinates listen to them. But it does not make them agreat. There are many underworld dons who are able administrators. But, it does not make them great.

 

You have called him as the best fighter, next only to Balaram. I think you meant in club war(gada yudh). Yes, I agree that he was very talented in that kind of war. But, does a person become great if he is good in some kind of war?

 

As per what you have said, Duryodhana loved and respected his parents. I disagree. Duryodhana was not the king. Dhrtarashtra was the king. So, there was no question of Duryodhana taking care of his parents. Rather, Dhrtarashtra had to face many problems because of Duryodhana. Dhrtarashtra gave allowed many evil deeds of Duryodhana because he was biased towards his son.

 

Duryodhana recognized Karna. I do consider this act of Duryodhana as something really good. And I do agree that those who mocked Karna as shudra did bad by mocking Karna. But, let us see why Duryodhana made friendship with Karna. He made friendship because he thought that friendship with Karna would help him a great deal in fight against Pandavas.

 

>>* while dying, he regretted Ashwatama's horrific act<<

 

In a version of Mahabharata that I have read, there is no mention of Duryodhana regretting Ashwathama's act. But, if he really regretted, then I agree that he did a good thing by regretting.

[Guest guest]

He made friendship because he thought that friendship with Karna would help him a great deal in fight against Pandavas."

 

Wrong. No one (and that includes Duryodhana) knew that Karna was a mighty archer, so there is no reason why Duryodhan would've made such calculations. Also, when karna entered his life, there was hardly any enmity between pandavas and kauravas, certainly not the kind that would've led to war.

 

Second, Duryodhana made him a king in front of hundreds, if not thousands. Will you find a rich, aristocratic high-caste guy in 21st CENTURY INDIA who would've the decency to defend a low-caste person, even if it for ulterior motives? Probably not, they are too ashamed to mingle with low-castes.

 

As per what you have said, Duryodhana loved and respected his parents. I disagree"

 

Duryodhan never disrespected his parents. When Draupadi called him a "blind man's son", he was hurt, not because of his ego but he couldn't endure any criticism of his father.

 

You have called him as the best fighter, next only to Balaram. I think you meant in club war(gada yudh)."

 

Point being, people always try to imply that bhima was the best and that duryodhan was jealous and all that bla-bla. I was trying to point out that there was no such possibility because bhim was no competition to Duryodhan. I thought it necessary to point out that Duryodhan was good at many things and not just another 'regular evil guy' who is good at nothing, hates everyone and so on.

[sumedh]

Duryodhana tried to kill bhima even as a child; he was envious of pandavas since their childhood.

 

 

Wrong. No one (and that includes Duryodhana) knew that Karna was a mighty archer, so there is no reason why Duryodhan would've made such calculations.

 

 

 

Duryodhana made friends with Karna when he had shown all the feats that Arjuna had, and also challanged Arjuna for a fight. So it can be concluded naturally that Duryodhana did all that after seeing the prowess of Karna.

 

Leaving all that apart he tried to strip his bhabhi before the entire assembly of elders etc. Even today the bhabhi is considered like a mother in many traditional homes in india; by any means he would be considered right there with the greatest scoundrals even by today's standards.

 

I guess one can find virtue in even the greatest criminal.

[Guest guest]

What do all of these characters in the Mahabharata look like? Are they "Indian" or other races too, i.e Caucasian, Chinese, African, etc.?

[Guest guest]

Duryodhana

 

* stood idly by while Dushasana tried to rape Draupadi

 

* attempted to poison Bhima even while he was a child

 

* plotted to kill the Pandavas several times

 

 

How can anyone with any sense of ethics regard a murderer and an accomplice to rape as a good man? Truly the guest who started this thread has a bizarre and skewed notion of morality.

 

 

[Guest guest]

I may say so. The Supreme God was there right before him, but he could not realise His supremacy. He carried out every act out of pure selfish motive without any remorse or the feeling of righteousness. He made many attempts on the lives of Pandavas, which is known. He wanted his brother to strip his own sister-in-law right in the midst of the court and wished she should sit on his lap. What can be more outrageous than this? The evil and jealous nature of Dhrutarashtra turned more intense as Duryodhana used to fuel his feelings of injustice supposedly meted out to him, earlier. It was Duryodhana who propelled him to do many wrongs to Pandavas, with the complete knowledge that it was Adharmic to do so.

Tell me, how can one accept his as Great by any stretch of imagination? I can only say that he was supremely fortunate to have seen the Lord.

[Guest guest]

He ordered the killing of and unarmed injured youth.

[Guest guest]

was not EVIL in my opinion. Didn't he attain heaven, like the Pandavas did at the end? He acted as per his dharma, even if he was an ego-ridden man, along with his brothers.

 

That's the whole point though. Duryodhana had the capacity for good and evil in him, and because of his ego, he became very destructive. However, in the versions of the Mahabharata I've read, he does attain heaven because he fought like a kshatriya should fight.