Dushala

Dushala
An illustration of Dushala carrying her grandson
Information
FamilyGandhari and Dhritarashtra (parents)
Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna and 97 other brothers
Yuyutsu (half-brother)
SpouseJayadratha
ChildrenSuratha (son)

Dushala (Sanskrit: दुश्शला, romanized: Duśśalā), sometimes spelled as Duhshala, was the princess of Hastinapura, and the only daughter of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[1] She was born after the birth of her Kaurava brothers and her paternal half-sibling, Yuyutsu. She is married to Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. She had a son named Suratha. She was very beautiful like her mother. Being the only princess of the most mighty Empire, she was very much loved by all the members of the royal family, particularly her elder brother, Duryodhana.[2][3]

Legend

When Jayadratha tried to kidnap and molest Draupadi and failed, some of the Pandavas decided to slay him. But on Yudhishthira's plea to prevent Dushala from becoming a widow, they left him alone, just shaving his head. Later, Jayadratha played a vital role in getting Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, killed in the Kurukhsetra war to satiate his vengeance. But Arjuna, with the help of Krishna, decapitated him.[4]

Later, during the Ashvamedha sacrifice, the horse of the Pandavas came to Sindhu, which was then ruled by Suratha, the son of Dushala. Suratha, terrified at the prospect of fighting Arjuna, commits suicide. Dushala came to the battlefield, wailing with the infant son of Suratha, which shattered Arjuna with sorrow. Arjuna proclaimed the infant the king of Sindhu.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 June 2017). "Dushshala, Duśśalā, Duśśala: 3 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ^ Mani 1975, p. 263.
  3. ^ "Unveiling the secret of Duhsala, the only sister of 100 Kaurava Brothers". Detechter. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Duśśalā". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
  6. ^ Shalom, Naama (27 March 2017). Re-ending the Mahabharata: The Rejection of Dharma in the Sanskrit Epic. SUNY press. ISBN 978-1-4384-6501-2.