KRISHNA PRIYA¹

Prologue

Evil was non - existent for it was the concept of reflecting lack or absence of good.

Kali, the personification of Adharma lacked goodness for his soul was as dark as coal which only received light when it burned and left nothing behind but ash. 

When Bhima's daughter, Damayanti, overlooking all the deities, chose Nala as her husband, Kali was enraged. In anger, Kali spoke to his companion Dvapara, the personification of Dvapara Yuga:
"O Dvapara, I am unable to suppress my anger. I will take possession of Nala, deprive him of his kingdom, and he will never again sport with Bhima's daughter. It suits you to help me by entering the dice."

The root cause of evil is desire and illusion. Kali was also under the illusion that Damayanti was meant to be his and it was not love that he felt for her, but desire.

Kali journeyed to Nala's kingdom called Nishadhas and waited for twelve long years for the right moment to strike. By taking advantage of Nala's impurity due to his failure to cleanse his feet before praying, Kali was able to bewitch his soul. Kali subsequently appeared before Pushkara, the younger brother of Nala and extended an invitation to engage in a game of dice against Nala, assuring Pushkara of Nala's inevitable downfall.

Envy is considered evil and Pushkara was envious of Nala. Forgetting one's virtue was also considered evil and Pushkara had wanted Damayanti for himself. He was also under the same illusion and desire for a period of time. Later, the two brothers made peace but the past could not be changed nor it could be forgotten.

Dvapara assumed the guise of the Vrisha die, which was predestined to be used in the rigged game. Kali compelled Nala to experience losses, escalating the stakes with each round, disregarding the objections of Nala's advisors and wife. Eventually, Nala lost his kingdom to Pushkara, and both he and Damayanti were exiled to the forest.

Evil is not part of God's creation, but it comes in to existence through man's free will or bad actions which disobey God's orders.

After being driven to abandon Damayanti during their exile, Nala's wife enacted a curse against those responsible for her husband's downfall. She later returned home after serving as a handmaiden to the Princess of Chedi for a brief period. Meanwhile, Nala saved the Naga named Karkotaka from a fiery situation caused by a curse from the sage Narada. In an attempt to rid himself of the devil's influence, Nala was bitten by the serpent, injecting him with deadly venom that tormented Kali. The venom not only changed Nala's appearance to that of an ugly dwarf named Bahuka but also led him to become the charioteer of King Rituparna of Ayodhya, a skilled mathematician and dice player. Years later, King Rituparna shared his supreme skill of controlling the dice with Bahuka in exchange for horsemanship lessons. This skill awakened Nala from Kali's control and enabled him, with the help of Damayanti's curse and Karkotaka's venom, to drive out the demon within him. Kali was expelled in the form of poison through Nala's mouth and forced into a Vibhitaka tree. Nala counted the fruits of the tree, leaving Kali trapped, and then set out to find his wife, eventually regaining his true form. Kali also returned to his abode.

Unlike Nala, who managed to break free from Kali's grip, Duryodhana was tethered to a destiny shaped by the choices he made.

So, if Nala could get rid of Kali, why Duryodhana could not for he was a part of Kali and not Kali himself?