In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. Duryodhana - Birth. When Dhritarashtra's queen Gandhari's pregnancy continues for an unusually long period of time, she beats her womb in frustration, and envy of Kunti, the queen of Pandu who had given birth to the five Pandavas. Due to her actions, a hardened mass of grey-colored flesh emerg ...

Including:

• Duryodhana - Birth
• Duryodhana - Omens
• Duryodhana - Development
• Duryodhana - Karna
• Duryodhana - Evil tendencies and schemes
• Duryodhana - Usurping the kingdom
• Duryodhana - The dice plot and Draupadi's humiliation
• Duryodhana - World emperor
• Duryodhana - The Kurukshetra War
• Duryodhana - Gandhari's blessing and the fight with Bhima
• Duryodhana - Death and Heaven
• Duryodhana - Modern assessment
• Duryodhana - In media

Read more here: » Duryodhana: Encyclopedia - Duryodhana

When the princes come of age, Yudhisthira is given half the kingdom and made king of Indraprastha, so as to avoid a clash with the Kaurava princes over the whole Kuru kingdom. Duryodhana becomes the prince regent of Hastinapura, and owing to the age and blindness of his father, he accumulates much control and influence, managing the state affairs himself with a coterie of his advisors that include his ...

See also:

Duryodhana, Duryodhana - Birth, Duryodhana - Omens, Duryodhana - Development, Duryodhana - Karna, Duryodhana - Evil tendencies and schemes, Duryodhana - Usurping the kingdom, Duryodhana - The dice plot and Draupadi's humiliation, Duryodhana - World emperor, Duryodhana - The Kurukshetra War, Duryodhana - Gandhari's blessing and the fight with Bhima, Duryodhana - Death and Heaven, Duryodhana - Modern assessment, Duryodhana - In media

Read more here: » Duryodhana: Encyclopedia II - Duryodhana - Usurping the kingdom

Duryodhana

The eldest son of Dhritarashtra and chief rival of the Pandavas. He made many attempts to cheat the Pandavas of their right to the Kuru throne. After arrogantly ignoring the good advice of Bhishma, Drona, and Krishna he perished with his ninety-nine brothers in the Kurukshetra battle.

(See also: Duryodhana , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Duryodhana:

Duryodhana: Kaurava, nephew of Arjuna, who lead the hostile armies together with his other hundred brothers, the sons of the blind oncle Dhrtarastra.

(See also: Duryodhana , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Abhimanyu (Sanskrit) (from abhi towards + the verbal root man to think)

Son of Arjuna by Subhadra, sister of Krishna. In the mystic interpretation of the Bhagavad-Gita, Abhimanyu represents high-mindedness, akin to dhyana (meditation). Abhimanyu killed Duryodhana's son Lakshmana on the second day of the great battle of Kurukshetra, while he himself was slain on the thirteenth day.

The Mahabharata tells of Abhimanyu's previous birth as Varchas, son of Chandra, and the agreement entered into by Chandra with the devas to send his son to be born as the son of Arjuna in order to fight against the "wicked people." Chandra imposed the condition, however, that Abhimanyu should be slain by the opposing forces so as to return to him in his sixteenth year.

(See also: Abhimanyu , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Sakuni

Duryodhana’s Uncle who gambled with the Pandavas on Duryodhana’s behalf, forcing the Pandavas into exile.

(See also: Sakuni , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Righteousness: God's Chariot Shows the Path

The wheel was, without doubt, a great technological breakthrough. It made quick motion possible. And when the wheel was integrated with the domesticated horse, it redefined mobility and did wonders for tactics and strategy of warfare. It also gave the charioteer a commanding view of life. Nagasena used the chariot as a metaphor to explain profound truths:

Read more here: » Righteousness: God's Chariot Shows the Path

Yudhishthira Yudhisthira (Sanskrit) One of the principal heroes of the Mahabharata, eldest of the five Pandavas, son of Kunti by the god of justice, Dharma. Because he possessed virtuous character and all the attributes of a model ruler, he was selected as heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapura by his uncle Dhritarashtra: this choice led to the enmity of his cousin Duryodhana and his followers (the Kauravas or Kurus), and eventually to the great conflict on the field of Kurukshetra described in the opening chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita. The Pandavas were victorious in this struggle, and Yudhishthira was crowned king.

One section of the Mahabharata is devoted to the attainment of svarga (heaven) by Yudhishthira. He set out on this pilgrimage with his dog, four brothers, and their wife Draupadi, who one by one fell by the way. Alone Yudhishthira and the dog ascended to svarga to be met by Dharma, who said the dog was not permitted to enter. Yudhishthira refused to enter without his dog and turned away from the goal, but Dharma explained that it was only a test of his compassion. Yudhishthira also descended into the underworld successfully, aiding his brothers and wife whom he found there, and they all ascended to svarga.

Orientalists have speculated as to whether there was a monarch named Yudhishthira at the time of the commencement of the kali yuga (3102 BC). The computation of periods in Hindu accounts, however, applied to cosmic events as well as to terrestrial catastrophes, and names were used in the same manner. Thus Yudhishthira, "the first King of the Sacea, who opens the Kali Yuga era, which has to last 432,000 years -- 'an actual King and man who lives 3,102 years BC,' applies also, name and all, to the great Deluge at the time of the first sinking of Atlantis. He is the 'Yudishthira born on the mountain of the hundred peaks at the extremity of the world beyond which nobody can go' and 'immediately after the flood' " (SD 1:369-70). About the time of the reign of Yudhishthira the epic tells of a small flood which destroyed the Yadavas. Yudhishthira is both an eponymous hero, and an epic hero, an historical character, such as were also Arjuna, Krishna, and the many other heroes mentioned in the Mahabharata, stated to have lived when kali yuga began, now some 5,000 years ago.

(See also: Yudhishthira, Yudhisthira , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Bhishma

The son of Santanu and the sacred Ganga. He was one of the twelve mahajanas, the great authorities on Vedic knowledge. As the elder of the Kuru warriors, he led Duryodhana’s forces in battle until felled by the arrows of Arjuna. He passed away gloriously at his own chosen moment in the presence of Krishna.

(See also: Bhishma , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhima (-sena)

The second and strongest of the five Pandava brothers, a great club fighter, voracious eater, and intolerant punisher of wrongdoers. In the Battle of Kurukshetra he fulfilled his vow to kill Duryodhana and all the Kaurava brothers.

(See also: Bhima , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Duryodhana:

Duryodhana (Dhuryodhana). Chief (and eldest) of the evil-minded sons of Dhritharashtra.

(See also: Duryodhana , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Sacred Revelations: Christ and Krishna

Both Krishna and Christ appeared on earth to help us evolve spiritually. The Supreme, though unborn and undying, reveals itself in human form to help us overcome the illusions of ignorance and self-centredness, of hatred and cruelty, through love and compassion. There are interesting similarities in the life and precepts of Krishna and Christ. Kansa and Herod - one the king of Mathura, the other, of Palestine - were forewarned that they would die at the hands of a child yet to be born. So, they went about slaughtering newborns.

Read more here: » Christ and Krishna: Sacred Revelations - Christ and Krishna

Gujarat is the land of Krishna and his clansmen, the Vrishnis . Krishna'skingdom was Dwaraka. The recent events in Gujarat echo the story of the end of Dwaraka and the Vrishni clan.

They were not destroyed by any invader; they killed one another in a fratricidal strife. According to the Bhagavatha Purana they were intoxicated by a drink called Maireyaka .

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Self-destruction of Vrishnis - A Replay?

Dussasana:

Dussasana (Dhusshaasana). Infamous second son of Dhritharashtra and younger brother of Duryodhana.

(See also: Dussasana , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Kambhoja:

Kambhoja (Kaambhoja). King who fought for Duryodhana; killed by Krishna.

(See also: Kambhoja , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Jayadratha

The king of Sindhu-desha and brother-in-law of Duryodhana. He once kidnapped Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, and so the Pandavas captured and humiliated him. He was a commander in the Kuru army at Kurukshetra and was killed by Arjuna.

(See also: Jayadratha , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Duhshasana

The second of Dhritarashtra’s one hundred sons. Duhshasana, Sakuni, and Karna were the inner circle of advisers to Duryodhana and incited him to commit grievous wrongs against the Pandavas. Bhima killed Duhshasana in the Kurukshetra battle.

(See also: Duhshasana , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Achilles' heel refers to a fatal weakness in a powerful person that leads or may lead to his downfall. It references a vulnerability that the individual may possess. While the mythological reference is physical, this can often be used as a description of an attribute or quality of a person that can lead to their downfall. In Greek mythology, Achilles is made invulnerable by being dipped in the river Styx by his mother, Thetis. However, his mother held him by the heel, and th ...

Read more here: » Achilles' heel: Encyclopedia - Achilles' heel

Samkhya Nyaya Vaisheshika Yoga Purva Mimamsa Advaita Vedanta Vishishtadvaita Dvaita Carvaka Jain Buddhist Logic Carvaka, also frequently transliterated as Charvaka, and also known as Lokayata, is a thoroughly materialistic and atheistic school of thought with ancient roots in India. Carvaka - Destruction of ...

Including:

• Carvaka - Destruction of Original Works
• Carvaka - Madhavacharya and Carvaka System
• Carvaka - Some Quotes attributed to Carvaka from Sarva-Darsana-Sangraha
• Carvaka - Brihaspati and Lokayata
• Carvaka - Hinduism Buddhism & Jainism vs. Lokayata
• Carvaka - Abul Fazl on Lokayata
• Carvaka - Lokayata on the role of Women
• Carvaka - Notes
• Carvaka - Bibliography

Read more here: » Carvaka: Encyclopedia - Carvaka

In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Ashwatthama (Sanskrit: अश्वत्थाम्, ashvatthām) or Ashwatthaman (Sanskrit: अश्वत्थमन्, ashvatthaman) was the son of guru Dronacharya. He is one of the seven Chiranjeevins. Dronacharya loved him dearly. False rumours about his death in the Kurukshetra war led to the death of his father in the hands of Prince Dhrishtadyumna. A vengeful Ashwatthama obtained permission from the dying Duryodhana to brutally murder Dhrishtadhyumna after the war had o ...

Read more here: » Ashwatthama: Encyclopedia - Ashwatthama