Why Duryodhana attained heaven

Kunal Purandare explores varying perceptions of Duryodhana, and comes away surprised.

As Duryodhana is about to die, he looks at Krishna malevolently. “I have been a good king,” he says. “I have conducted myself as a Kshatriya should and have come by death in battle. I’ll die and attain heaven, but you will live in grief and sorrow.” He fell back and flowers rained from the heavens to drop gently on his pain-wracked body. The Pandavas, wincing with shame, turned away.  —From The Mahabharata by Meera Uberoi, Penguin, 2005.

Legend has it that Yudisthira is angry that Duryodhana, the cause of much evil, has earned a place in heaven. Lord Indra explains that he has served his time in hell, and has also been a good king.

Duryodhana is seen as a villain in Indian mythology. He was jealous of the Pandavas and tried every means to destroy them. He also tried to humiliate Draupadi. Yet, there are Indians who revere and idolise Duryodhana. The biggest Duryodhana temple in Uttaranchal is located in Jakhol in the Tons valley. There are other temples to him in Osla, Gangar and Datmir in the state.

Acharya Ram Mohan, also known as Swami Brahmavidananda Saraswati, however, dismisses such glorification as the perceptions of a  few. The Mumbai-based Vedanta teacher says, “There is always a fringe population that adores such characters. A lot of perceptions are based on folklore alone. Very few have actually gone to the source books — Valmiki’s Ramayana and Ved Vyasa’s  Mahabharata. I don’t see Duryodhana as a hero. I hold the traditional view.”

Samhita Arni, who started writing her version, The Mahabharata: A Child’s View, at age eight, says,  “I have sympathy for Duryodhana. Evil characters also perform good acts; Duryodhana befriending Karna is one such example.” Her book was published in 1996, when she was 11.

“Duryodhana accepted Karna as a friend though he was a charioteer, so  he had good qualities too,” says mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik.

“Duryodhana was intelligent and scholarly. But he tried to compete in an unhealthy manner with people far better than him, like Bhima. He fought for his self-esteem in a negative manner,” says Swami Brahmavidananda Saraswati. 

The Mahabharata is a more nuanced  epic than the Ramayana, where good and evil are not two separate entities.