The Tragic End Of Duhssasana
And in the midst of a terrible turmoil, in the distance Arjuna saw Karna.
“There he is,” he said to Krishna, “the last of our nightmares. When he dies, victory will be ours. Direct the horses in that direction.”
Hearing Hanuman’s cries and the unmistakable noise of the chariot and Gandiva, Karna turned and saw the Pandava approaching. And he prepared himself for the fight without any fear and with such firmness that he wrested words of deep admiration from Shalya for the first time.
But Duryodhana did not feel at all at ease when he saw Arjuna near his friend. And he called Duhssasana to himself.
“Brother, I see Arjuna infuriated by the wounds that Karna inflicted on Yudhisthira. When our cousin is in this state it becomes dangerous. Take reinforcements with you and run to help our general.”
However, the arrival of Duhssasana and his brothers did nothing but cause a furious melee in which the two antagonists had difficulty fighting each other; but they did not succeed in driving away Arjuna, but rather benefited Bhima, master of melee combat. In fact, noticing this other group of his cousins, led this time by Duhssasana, his fury reached obsessive heights. Pushing the horses to their maximum speed, he swooped into the group of Kauravas.
He found himself immediately a few meters from Duhssasana.
“Cousin, where are you running? I am here and it’s with me that you have to fight, not with my brother, who will not kill you because he respects my oath. We have a pending account, don’t forget it; I have been waiting for you. All these days I have continually tried to get close to you, but you have consistently avoided me. And now how are you going to escape? The moment I have been waiting for years has come.
“When, like a vile shepherd, you grabbed my wife Draupadi’s hair in the meeting room and humiliated her in front of everyone by calling her with offensive names and then trying to strip her naked, I swore that you would pay a high price for the offense. Maybe you thought she had forgotten, but she has not. Do you remember what I promised that fateful day? I swore that I would kill you and drink the blood of your heart.
“The Kshatriyas who do not keep their promises never get the celestial planets; and today I will win them with full merit.”
“Don’t talk so much, you,” replied the insolent Duhssasana, “your goal has yet to be achieved. Perhaps you will be the one biting the dust, shot down by my arrows.”
At that point the fury and the immense desire for revenge that he had repressed for so many years exploded with unprecedented violence: his strength increased a hundredfold, Bhima whirled his mace like a vortex and hurling himself against the enemy’s chariot, he knocked down his horses.
It was a terrible scene: Bhima glowed and smoked like the fire of the dissolution of the universe, and the vibrations all around him made even the bravest heart beat faster. In the blink of an eye he tore his chariot to pieces, destroying it completely; overwhelmed, Duhssasana fell to the ground, stunned. Quick as a lion that knows it has now conquered its prey, Bhima was on top of him. No one was unaware of his ferocious vow, and everyone stopped to watch the scene with bated breath. Not far from there, Duryodhana also watched helplessly. And the Pandava, with the enemy clenched in his mighty hands, saw him and shouted,
“Look, Duryodhana, take a good look,” he shouted at him in his deep voice. “Surely you will not have become forgetful too. So watch your dearest brother as he dies. And try to prevent it, if you can.”
Having said this, he raised Duhssasana high above his head, then threw him to the ground; and while he was still alive he snatched his right arm from his body without the aid of any weapon. His fury exploded more than ever.
“Duryodhana, are you watching?” he roared angrily, throwing the still bleeding limb in the direction of the stunned Kaurava. “Well, half of my vote has been acquitted, the arm that dragged Draupadi was punished just as I promised. Now I’ll do the rest.”
And with a swipe of the sword he opened the chest of Duhssasana by now dying, tore out his heart and drank his warm blood. At the sight of the blood running down his cheeks and soaking his entire armor, everyone, friend and foe, felt a keen sense of terror.
When he finally realized that the victim had expired, Bhima let out a real roar of victory.
“Is it all over already? Duhssasana, you can thank the death that protected you by taking you away. Now how will I vent my anger?”
Then, with that heart still bleeding in his hands, he danced in ecstasy, shouting the name of Draupadi. It was an incredible vision: never had such ferocity been seen.
Duryodhana, in complete shock, leaned on the flagpole of the chariot so as not to faint; what he had seen was horrible.
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 2”.
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