| Duhsala | |
|---|---|
An illustration of Duhsala
| |
| Information | |
| Family | Gandhari and Dhritarashtra (parents) Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna and 97 other brothers Yuyutsu (half-brother) |
| Spouse | Jayadratha |
| Children | Suratha (son) |
Dushala (Sanskrit: दुश्शला, romanized: Duśśalā) was the princess of Hastinapura, and the only daughter of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[1] She was born after the birth of her Kaurava brothers and her paternal half-sibling, Yuyutsu. She is married to Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. She had a son named Suratha. She was very beautiful like her mother. Being the only princess of the most mighty Empire, she was very much loved by all the members of the royal family, particularly her elder brother, Duryodhana.[2][3]
When Jayadratha tried to kidnap and molest Draupadi and failed, some of the Pandavas decided to slay him. But on Yudhishthira's plea to prevent Dushala from becoming a widow, they left him alone, just shaving his head. Later, Jayadratha played a vital role in getting Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, killed in the Kurukhsetra war to satiate his vengeance. But Arjuna, with the help of Krishna, decapitated him.[4]
Later, during the Ashvamedha sacrifice, the horse of the Pandavas came to Sindhu, which was then ruled by Suratha, the son of Dushala. Suratha, terrified at the prospect of fighting Arjuna, commits suicide. Dushala came to the battlefield, wailing with the infant son of Suratha, which shattered Arjuna with sorrow. Arjuna proclaimed the infant the king of Sindhu.[5][6]
