Kurukshetra yuddh ke athaarahvein aur antim din Kaurav sena nasht padi thi aur uske antim senapati Shalya mrit the. Duryodhan, vah raja jiske liye ek laakh manushya mare the, akela maidaan se bhaaga. Vah Dvaipaayan sarovar par aaya, aur vahaan apni maaya-shakti se usne jal ko thos kiya aur satah ke neeche chhipkar baith gaya, uska abhimaani hriday yah sveekaar karne se inkaar karta hua ki sab kuchh kho gaya hai.
Par mahaakaavya mein chhipne ke sthaan kathin hote hain. Yudhishthir ke baheliyon ne use khoj nikaala, aur sheeghra hi paanchon Paandav Krishna ke saath sarovar ke tat par khade the. Yudhishthir ne jal mein pukaara, aur unke taane nirmam the. "He mahaaveer," ve chillaye, "kya kshatriya aise aacharan karta hai — jal ke neeche dubka hua jabki uski sena mrit padi hai? Baahar aao aur lado. Yadi tum hammein se ek ko bhi hara do, to rajya tumhaara. Kya tum raja ki tarah marne ke bajaay kaayar ki tarah jeena chaahoge?"
Asahaniya roop se aahat Duryodhan sarovar se utha, uske kavach se jal beh raha tha. Vah dvandvayuddh ke liye sahmat hua — aur jab pratidvandvi chunne ka avsar mila, to usne Bheem ko chuna, gada mein apne aajeevan pratidvandvi ko, us vyakti ko jiski jaanghon ko usne dyoot-sabha mein Draupadi ke saamne ughaadkar apni jaanghein dikhaai thin, Draupadi ko un par baithne ka nimantran dete hue. Dono yoddhaon ne ek hi guru Balram se gada seekhi thi, aur dono aachaarya the.
Jo hua vah mahaakaavya ka sabse prasiddh dvandva tha. Swarn kavach pehne dono khule maidaan mein ek-doosre ke chaaron or ghoome jabki devta aakaash mein dekhne ke liye ekatra hue. Gada gada se takraai garjana ke saath; chingaariyaan udeen; prithvi kaanpi. Lambe samay tak koi laabh na pa saka — Duryodhan, yadyapi athaarah dinon ke shok aur yuddh se thaka tha, hataash deepti se lada, aur Bheem, apne samast bal ke baavjood, uski raksha na tod sake.
Krishna ne ranneetigya ki drishti se dekha aur Arjun se dheere se bole. Duryodhan nishpaksh yuddh mein nahin haraaya ja sakta tha, unhone kaha; gada mein uska kaushal sarvochch tha. Iske alaava Bheem ne dyoot-sabha mein bhayankar pratigya ki thi: ki vah unhin jaanghon ko choor karega jinhein Duryodhan ne Draupadi ka apmaan karne ke liye ughaada tha. Arjun samajh gaye. Unhone apni jaangh par zor se thaap maari — sanket. Bheem ne Duryodhan ke sir par kuchalne wale prahaar ka chhal kiya; Kaurav raja usse bachne ke liye ooncha uchhla; aur us vaayumandliya kshan mein Bheem ki gada neeche se seeti bajaati aai aur naabhi ke neeche uski dono jaanghein choor kar deen — sammaanajanak gada-yuddh ke niyamon dwara nishiddh prahaar.
Duryodhan dhool mein gira, uski jaanghein tooteen, maranaasann ghaayal. Paandav sena harsh se goonj uthi, par yuddh ke niyamon ko samajhne wala koi bhi hriday se na harshit hua. Vijay ke unmaad mein Bheem gire raja ke paas badhe, Duryodhan ke sir par apna pair rakha, aur apni poorn pratigyaon se uska uphaas kiya — jaanghein, aur vah puraana apmaan jab Duryodhan ne Paandavon ke vanvaas jaate samay use "gaay" kaha tha.
Usi kshan Balram aaye, apni lambi teerthyaatra se lautte hue, aur drishya dekha. Unka krodh dekhna bhayankar tha. Naabhi ke neeche prahaar adharm tha, ve garje; Bheem ne gada-kala ko kalankit kiya tha jo unhone swayam sikhaai thi. Unhone Bheem ko maarne ke liye apna mahaan hal uthaaya. Krishna unke beech aaye aur sheeghrata se bole — Duryodhan ke apne asankhya chhalon ke baare mein, us pratigya ke baare mein jise dharm swayam poorn karne ki maang karta tha, adharm ke viruddh us brihattar yuddh ke baare mein jismein sammaanit manushyon ke liye bane niyam asammaaniton ko aashray nahin de sakte the. Balram ne suna, asantusht par sanyamit. Ve aisi vijay ko aashirvaad dene ke liye na ruke. Duryodhan ki us yug ke shreshth gadaadhar ke roop mein prashansa karte hue ve mude aur Dwarka chale gaye.
Mrityu ke saath akele rehkar Duryodhan ne pashchaataap se inkaar kiya. Kohniyon par tike maranaasann raja ne bhaashan diya jise mahaakaavya apni samast avagya mein sanjoye hai. Usne kaha ki usne avibhaajit prithvi ka bhog kiya tha; vah mitron ke liye udaar aur shatruon ke liye bhayankar raha tha; vah raja ki tarah jiya tha aur yoddha ki tarah marega, apne bhaaiyon ke saath swarg aarohan karega. Usne vyangya kiya ki chhal se jeete to Paandav the — Bheeshm chhal se gire, Dron jhooth se, Karn jab unka rath dhansa. Krishna ne prahaar dar prahaar uttar diya, Duryodhan ke apne chhal ginaate hue: vishaile pue, laakh ka jalta ghar, chhal ka dyoot, Draupadi ka apmaan.
Raatri ghirne par antim teen Kaurav yoddha — Ashvatthaama, Krip aur Kritavarma — apne raja ko dhool mein paaye. Apne antim shvaas se Duryodhan ne Ashvatthaama ko apna antim senapati niyukt kiya. Andhakaar mein jo hua — sote Paandav shivir ka sanhaar — ne Duryodhan ko marne se pehle antim pratishodh diya. Vah vaise hi gira jaise jiya tha: abhimaani, atoot aur akshamya, mahaakaavya ke patthar mein khudi chetaavni ki abhimaan se byaahi gayi mahaanatam veerta bhi vinaash mein samaapt hoti hai.
Is katha ke paatra
- Duryodhana
- Bhima
- Krishna
- Balarama
- Yudhishthira
- Arjuna
- Ashvatthama
