Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

Duryodhana

दुर्योधन · duryodhana

Eldest of the hundred Kauravas; the prince who would not share the kingdom

He refused his cousins five villages, and lost everything.

Duryodhana is Dhritarashtra's eldest son and the real power on the Kaurava side. He grew up certain that the throne was his and that the Pandavas were intruders. He tried to poison Bhima and to burn the brothers alive, and finally took their kingdom in a rigged dice game. He is also brave, generous to his friends, and a superb fighter with the mace. In the Gita he speaks first, reviewing both armies for his teacher Drona.