Hrada Praveśa
The Hrada Praveśa (“entry into the pool”) is told in Chapter 29 of the Śalya Parva of the Mahābhārata. On Day 18 of the war the last Kaurava forces were destroyed. Śalya, Śakuni, Ulūka and all the remaining warriors were dead. Duryodhana fled the field alone and hid under the water of Dvaipāyana lake. This episode leads from the war into the Gadā Parva.
Duryodhana’s retreat
With all his allies fallen, Duryodhana was left entirely alone on the field of Kurukshetra. He still carried his great mace. In deep grief and exhaustion he left the field and went to Dvaipāyana lake, a body of water near the battlefield. He had the power of jala-stambhana, the power to make water stand solid. Using it, he entered the lake and stayed still beneath the surface.
Hunters passing through the area saw Duryodhana enter the lake. Some of them knew the Pāṇḍavas, and they carried the news to Yudhishṭhira.
Sañjaya is captured and freed
After the battle, Sātyaki captured Sañjaya on the field. Sañjaya was the charioteer of Dhṛtarāshṭra who had watched and told the whole war through his divine sight. Sātyaki meant to kill him, but Vyāsa himself appeared and spoke for him, and Sañjaya was set free. Sañjaya then went to Hastināpura to tell Dhṛtarāshṭra.
Yuyutsu’s duty
Yuyutsu was the son of Dhṛtarāshṭra by a Vaiśyā woman, and the only son of Dhṛtarāshṭra who remained alive. He was given a duty of kindness. He led the surviving women of the royal house and the remaining dependants of the Kaurava court from the field to Hastināpura. In this way those who could not protect themselves were brought safely back to the city.
Vidura’s counsel
Vidura was present at this turning point and spoke words of dharma when the war had ended on the battlefield. He spoke of what had been lost and of the moral weight of the disaster.
Toward the mace fight
When the Pāṇḍavas learned where Duryodhana was, they went to Dvaipāyana lake and faced him. Yudhishṭhira, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, with Kṛshṇa and the allied kings, called Duryodhana out of the water with taunts and challenges. This scene and what follows make up the Gadā Parva, which ends in the gadāyuddha, the mace fight between Bhīma and Duryodhana.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 29