Storytelling Week Twelve: Duryodhana's Shame

Damn those Pandava brothers! They could at least have the courtesy of having one flaw. Well, besides that eldest being such a miserable dice player. Duryodhana chuckled to himself as he thought of the way he had tricked the five brothers and made a show of their whore wife. What man wants to share a woman anyways? Especially with five men. Duryodhana occupied himself with thoughts of anatomy and how the whole five husband thing would play out. He shuddered. They could have that. He then daydreamed of his wives, and then of course there was his harem. Thousands of women, just awaiting the day they could grant his every desire. Now that is how a man should live. But Duryodhana’s daydreams dissipated like a cloud in the summer sun when he thought of the occurrence that day. He had been trying to show off his wealth to those wretches, and had gotten captured! How could he have been so stupid! He had misjudged those Gandharvas. I mean, who knew they were such masters of illusion? Really, it was not his fault that he had gotten captured. But this train of thought made the young prince feel weak, so he desperately thought of another justification for the battle earlier that day. Why had the Gandharva’s obeyed the Pandava brothers? What was so special about them? He hated them so much. Their smug faces as they let Duryodhana out of the iron cage he was being held in in the sky. That was so humiliating! He was squashed among his common soldiers like a fruit at the bottom of a farmer’s basket. He could still feel the sweaty men crushing him. And the smell. Who knew that many soldiers could make such a foul stench? That odor could have killed him alone. But amid all these random thoughts, a small voice spoke out in the back of Duryodhana’s mind. Why had the brothers saved him? Did they want to save the pleasure of killing him for themselves? He had certainly done enough to deserve their hatred. But they were worthless peasants, and as prince he could do whatever he wanted with them. Or maybe, were they simply that honorable? Duryodhana quickly shook this preposterous idea out of his head. Nonsense. Suddenly, his face lit up. He had figured it out! They feared the wrath of Duryodhana! They saw how I was being treated and worried that I would seek vengeance. That is it! Duryodhana adopted a smug smile as the idea crossed his mind, and let himself fall asleep with the thought of the Pandava brothers bowing to him caressing his mind.

Drona and Duryodhana
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Author's Note: I find Duryodhana to be a pompous, ignorant slug. I thought this scene illuminated these qualities in Duryodhana so I could not resist the urge to write on it. The Pandava brothers were simply being honorable, and saving their kinsmen. Yet Duryodhana, as disillusioned as he was, would have never picked up on that. He would have simply looked for another answer that allowed him to remain the best.

Sources: Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata