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92. DURYODHANA
Sakuni led the attack on Sahadeva's
division. After a while, Sahadeva
discharged a sharp-edged sword-arrow
saying: "Fool, here is the reward for your
great sin." It went straight and cut through
Sakuni's neck like a sword. And the head,
which was at the root of all the wicked
deeds of the Kauravas, rolled on the
ground.
Left leaderless, the wreck of the broken
army scattered and fled in all directions,
pursued and slaughtered to a man by the
exulting victors.
"' Thus utterly was destroyed thine army of
eleven Akshauhinis, O! Bharata, out of
the thousands of kings, who espoused thy
cause in their pride and might, only
Duryodhana could be seen on that
battlefield, fainting and sore wounded,"
said Sanjaya, describing the debacle to the
blind king.
After doing, in vain, all he could to rally
his defeated army, Duryodhana, left
almost alone, took up his mace and
walked towards a pool of water. His
whole frame was burning like fire, and
water attracted him. "The wise Vidura
knew what would happen and he told us,"
he said to himself, as he entered the water.
Of what avail is wisdom that comes too
late? What has been done must produce its
result that has to be suffered. That is the
law. Yudhishthira and his brothers arrived
there in relentless, pursuit of their great
enemy.
"Duryodhana!" exclaimed Yudhishthira,
"after destroying family and tribe, would
you yourself escape death by concealing
yourself in this pond? Where is your pride
now? Have you no shame? Come up and
fight. A kshatriya by birth, do you shrink
battle and death?"
Stung to the quick by these words,
Duryodhana replied with dignity: "I have
not come here, Dharmaputra, a fugitive
for my life. It was not fear that brought
me here. I stepped into the water to cool
the fire that is raging within me. I neither
fear death nor wish to live, but why
should I fight? The earth has now nothing
left that I came to fight for! All those who
stood by me have been slain. My desire
for kingdom is gone. I leave the world to
you without a rival. Enjoy it in undisputed
sovereignty."
Yudhishthira replied: "Now, that is really
generous, especially after you said you
would not allow us even a needle-point of
land. When we begged for peace and
entreated you to give us a portion, you
spurned our proposal. Now, you say we
may take it all. It is not for kingdom or
land that we fight. Must I recount all your
sins? The wrongs you did us, and the
outrage you perpetrated on Draupadi,
cannot be expiated except with your life."
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