Duśśalā

Duśśalā was the only daughter of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī. She was the only sister among the Kauravas, born as the one hundred and first child from Gāndhārī’s womb. She was given in marriage to Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu, who is also called Saindhava.

She appears in three places in the Mahābhārata. In the Vana Parva, her name is the reason Yudhiṣṭhira orders mercy for Jayadratha after he abducts Draupadī. In the Strī Parva, she weeps over Jayadratha’s body. In the Aśvamedhika Parva, she asks Arjuna to spare a child of the Saindhava family.

Birth and family

Duśśalā was born to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī as the only daughter among their hundred sons. The Ādi Parva records that she came from the extra, one hundred and first, portion of the mass from which all the Kaurava brothers were born. She was the only sister of the Kauravas. Through her marriage to Jayadratha she was also tied by marriage to the Pāṇḍavas.

Marriage to Jayadratha

Duśśalā was given in marriage to Jayadratha, the powerful king of the Sindhu kingdom. This marriage joined the Kaurava house to one of the strong kingdoms of the west.

The mercy of Yudhiṣṭhira

Jayadratha abducted Draupadī. The Pāṇḍavas caught him and defeated him in battle. Bhīmasena meant to kill him, but Yudhiṣṭhira stopped him and ordered that Jayadratha be spared. He said:

“O Bhīmasena! This Saindhava is the husband of our sister Duśśalā. For her sake, and for the sake of Gāndhārī, do not slay him even though he is a vile transgressor. Whatever evil this man did, he has already been punished. Bhīma has shaved his head in five places. That is humiliation enough.”

Draupadī was furious with Yudhiṣṭhira for showing mercy to the man who had disgraced her. She demanded Jayadratha’s death. Duśśalā herself is not present in this scene. Only her name is spoken, and it decides how the matter ends.

Jayadratha in the war

In the Kurukṣetra war, Jayadratha held the opening of the cakravyūha (the circular battle formation) against the Pāṇḍavas in the battle in which Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed. This made him one of the most hated men on the Kaurava side. The grief of Duśśalā’s widowhood became part of the aftermath of the war.

Grief at Jayadratha’s body

In Chapter 22 of the Strī Parva, in the Strī Vilāpa section, Duśśalā is found weeping beside the body of her husband Jayadratha on the field of Kurukṣetra. Gāndhārī found her daughter there, a young widow mourning her husband. His death was the fulfilment of Arjuna’s great oath to avenge the killing of Abhimanyu. Gāndhārī mourned for both of them: for her daughter’s widowhood and for the son-in-law who lay before them.

Her plea for her grandson

Years after Jayadratha’s death, the Aśvamedha horse passed through the land of Sindhu. The Saindhava princes, kinsmen of Jayadratha, attacked Arjuna and were overwhelmed by him. Duśśalā came onto the battlefield herself. In her arms she carried the infant son of Sūratha, whom she called her own grandson. She went straight to Arjuna and, in tears, said to him:

“Bharataśreṣṭha! This is your nephew’s son, a mere child. He offers you praṇāma (a bow of respect). Look upon my child, this grandson of mine. O dharmātma, uplifter of the Kuru line, show compassion. Forget Duryodhana and the foolish Jayadratha. This boy has done no wrong of his own.”

Arjuna remembered Gāndhārī and Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He thought with grief on the whole cost of the war that he had helped bring about. At her plea he put aside his bow. He granted peace and safety to the child and to all the tired Saindhava warriors. Duśśalā, her purpose achieved, turned the warriors back from the fight. She honoured Arjuna with every courtesy and went home with a joyful face.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 271
• Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapter 22
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 78