Birth of Duryodhana

Mahabharata Adiparva Sambhavaparva section 112-116
Sri Sadgurbhyoh namah

Kunti was married to Pandu. Pandu marries another by name Madri.

Pandu goes on a victory march winning over many kingdoms and returns to Hastinapur. He then retires to forest with his two wives to spend some time. There he begets his first son Yudhistir through Kunti much to the distress of Gandhari.

Once Vyasa comes to the house of Dhritarashtra, hungry and tired. Gandhari plays a good host, and treats him respectfully. He grants her a boon that she will have hundred sons.

Gandhari becomes pregnant and she carries for two years, but the baby is not born even after two years. She hears that Kunti has given birth to a Son, Yudhistir. She becomes distressed and hits her womb forcefully. She delivers a mass of flesh, that is not formed correctly.

Sage Vyasa arrives there and asks for a hundred pots of Ghee (clarified butter) to be brought and kept in a concealed place. The ball of flesh is divided into hundred parts and stored in those pots of ghee for two years.

The first to come out of the pots was Duryodhana, crying and braying like an ass. On hearing his braying all the wild animals respond with their response cries. Calamitous things are sighted, gales of wind blew accross the land. Fires were ignited in all directions.

Dhritarashtra becomes afraid at these events on the birth of his son, and summons Bhishma, Vidura and other ministers and asks them, "The first prince in this line was Yudhistir and he has right to the kingdom, but what is the chance that my son can also become a king?".

All the elders, wise people, and ministers answer him in one voice "Abandon this child, he is a calamity as can be seen by the events on his birth. He will cause the destruction of the Kuru race. He will be the cause for the death of all his other brothers. The saying is that, one should abandon individual for the sake of family. A family for the sake of village. A village for the sake of kingdom. Whole earth should be abandoned for the sake of soul. Hence, please abandon this child".

Dhritarashtra does not heed this advice and rears the child with blind love and attachment.

The child Duryodhana grows to be an evil person later and causes the destruction of Kuru race through a Great war called Mahabharata war waged in Kurukshetra in which countless people died including his own brothers. The Kurukshetra war exterminated the race of Kurus.

Hari OM