Fleeing the battlefield of Kurukshetra with his life hanging by a thread, Duryodhana raced through time and space to the banks of the Yamuna in 21st-century Delhi. He reached Nigam Bodh Ghat gasping for breath and exhaled in relief: “I’ve survived this far. Now Bhima, Krishna, and the Pandavas can do nothing to find me in these waters.”
When Duryodhana prepared to leap into the river, Bhima’s roar cut through the air: “Coward! If you are truly the son of King Dhritarashtra, face me! Fight me here and now. Win, and the kingdom is yours; lose, and you’ll earn heaven. Don’t stain the Kuru lineage any further.”
Duryodhana merely sneered and replied, “Fool, your threats are empty. I’ll plunge into the Yamuna—if you’re brave enough, follow me. Fulfil your vow to slay me.” Mocking Bhima, he declared a duel at the riverbed and dove in.
Beneath the surface, Duryodhana relied on his mystical mastery of underwater respiration, which draws oxygen from the water to sustain life. But centuries of industrial runoff had rendered the Yamuna’s waters toxic and oxygen-depleted. No creature could live here, not even one with a supernatural gift.
As he reached the riverbed and attempted to breathe, the poisoned, oxygen-starved water filled his nostrils and lungs. Struggling for air, he realized it would be more honourable to return above and die in battle. He strove to swim upward, but the contaminated current crushed his strength. Duryodhana’s valiant heart finally broke under the weight of the river’s poison, and he met his end beneath the toxic waves.
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