Duryodhana

2

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to marry someone you've never met?

And that you have no choice in the matter?

It's a done deal, nothing can change it, nada, zip.

It must feel horrible. Imagine going up to your parents in the modern times, as of right now. Imagine this conversation:

Dad: Hon, we have something to talk to you about.

Daughter: 'Kay. But can it wait for a while? I'm about to head up to Riya's house. We're about to go to the Metallica concert and oh. My. God. It's just cray-cray!

Mom: Um... no comment. You mean those hairy men who look like eggs?

Daughter: *Gasps* NO! HOW COULD YOU HAVE EVER SAID THAT?! MOM!

Mom: Okay, fine. But hear us out. This is important. No more of your yo-yo yo-yo music until you listen to us.

Daughter: *Pouts* Fiiiiiiine. But make it quick. I want to be there in time to check out Riya's older bro before we leave.

Mom and Dad: *Gasps* Honey!

Daughter: *Shrugs* What? He's hot!

Dad: *Shaking his head* Okay, enough before my head explodes. So, we've decided... drumroll please!

Daughter: *Anticipated drumroll*

Mom and Dad: You're getting married! To this man who lives across the country! Don't worry, you can meet him at your engagement!

Daughter: Ha, good joke! Okay, bye nerds, Imma go out now! Kisses!

Yeaahhhh, no.

That isn't how things worked back in the old era.

For one, there wasn't any Metallica. Sadly. Also, women can't talk about men like that. It was considered disrespectful. Meanwhile, boys could do that time and time again. Real big equality there, huh, huh, you get it?

But seriously, girls couldn't talk much or voice their opinions at all. I would have killed myself if I were to get married to someone I didn't choose and didn't know.

Women were considered as slaves to men, discreetly, to call to their every bidding. Only a select few men gave any respect at all, and even then, they had their own desires.

Now, I don't know what Gandhari was feeling when she found out Hastinapur sent a marriage proposal, but I'm sure she felt bad when she found out she had to marry a blind man. Now, Dhritarashtra was the king of Hastinapur, and he was very pleasing to the eye, and how could one forget his fists with the strength of iron, but without eyes, he wasn't an ideal husband. At least, back then.

Without eyes, you cannot see anything and appreciate things fully. So how can you enjoy it?

Now, the kingdom of Gandhar refused the proposal, and it was sent back to Hastinapur. After reading the message, Rajmata Satyavati was angry. She told her stepson Bhishma to wage war on their kingdom and bring the princess back forcefully.

One thing I will never understand is, Bhishma vowed to be the protector of Hastinapur and that he vowed to keep the kingdom safe from any sins. But by keeping quiet around sin, isn't that the biggest sin itself? And he should know that, since he was the son of Ganga Devi.

It was a big mistake to bring the princess back forcefully, but Bhishma had no choice. He was ordered, and since he would always be servant to the throne, he would have to obey.

As such, the kingdom of Hastinapur waged war on Gandhar. Oh boy. All the drama begins now.

Bhishma was the most powerful man in the land. Immense knowledge of shashtras and shastras and astras, no one could defeat him. And let's not forget about his boon.

He defeated Gandhar's army with ease, and he brought the royal family to jail. One by one, they all died, of lack of food and water.

They knew that they all would die. So they all gave their meager portions to the youngest, the smartest, the most cunning, Shakuni.

King Subala made him promise to exact revenge and destroy the Kuru Vansh. He promised, because he wanted to wrong all those who had wronged his dear sister.

Meanwhile, while the Gandhar lineage was perishing, one by one, Gandhari felt very sad. These were the people who raised her. And now they were all dying.

She had no choice.

She bravely accepted the marriage proposal, even though this would destroy her entire life.

And by then, the royal family of Gandhar had made a special request to free Shakuni, and Hastinapur, feeling sorry, complied. And Gandhari had accepted the marriage anyhow. I'm sure Queen Satyavati felt she won a great victory. Yeah, right. What a victory. You destroyed a kingdom and ruined a royal lineage. Just so you could keep your pride.

From the day onwards that Gandhari had to marry a blind man and the royal family had perished, Shakuni's mind was poisoned. He vowed that he would exact revenge, by making these dice out of his father's bones that would comply to his every command when used in games. He would avenge his family and sister, like his father told him to.

Now honestly, this is kind of a second chance for Shakuni, too. I feel like anyone would have done the same in his position. I will never stop thinking that he could have used his wits and wiles for the greater good, but I will also never stop thinking that a great injustice had been done to him that created the whole mess in the first place.

To be continued...

Author's Note: Hey, baes! What do you all think of this story so far? I'm sure some of you might disagree with me on some things, but this is my perspective. So please respect others' opinions as well. I believe that nothing is black and white. There are varying shades of gray in everyone. This is why I wrote this story. To show that everyone has bad and good in them, and the reason the gods created us all is so that we can learn from this, however long it will take, and be given a second chance. This is Duryodhan's, and all those who were wronged, second chance. You will see what I mean as I go along further in this story. But until then, I wanna know, who is your favorite character in the Mahabharata?