The great saga of Mahabharata speaks about one of the terrifying wars in centuries, the Kurukshetra War. It brings forward the tales of enmity between Kaurava and Pandav brothers. So engulfed in these tales, the one character that remains lost in the crowd is of their sister, Duhsala. Yes, not all of us know that along with the 100 Kaurava sons was one Kaurva daughter who was named as Duhsala. When was she born? Who was she married to, and What life did she lead? All answers are given below, so read further!
Her Birth and Childhood
Once Sage Vyasa visited Gandhari in Hastinapur. She made sure that he had a pleasant stay in their kingdom. Hence she took great care of his comforts. Pleased by Gandhari’s hospitality, he granted her a boon of having one hundred sons. She got pregnant but two years passed, and no baby was born. Finally, the day came when everyone was expecting the birth of a child but what came was nothing but a hard lump of dead flesh. All devastated Gandhari decided to threw that away when Rishi Vyasa appeared and asked her to arrange one hundred jars, all filled with ghee. He told her that the piece of flesh was to be cut into hundred pieces and placed into jars. Before the process could start, Gandhari expressed her desire for having a daughter. To this, he agreed and cut the flesh into one hundred one pieces after which these pieces were stored in separate jars so that these can be grown into children. After two more years of waiting the pots were ready to be opened. As they were opened, the Kaurava brothers and their one sister, Duhsala was born.
As a princess and the only daughter of King Dhritarashtra, Duhsala had a childhood full of pleasures and happiness. She grew up under the teachings and guidance of Bhishma Pitamaha.
Her Marriage
The beautiful Duhsala although had a childhood full of love, her later years of life were full of misery. Her suffering began from the very day she was married to the King of Sindhu, King Jayadratha. Jayadratha was a powerful king, who had received a boon from Lord Shiva. According to the blessing bestowed on him, he could stop all the Pandavas for a day in the battle except for Arjuna. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a man with split personality because of which he often got uncivil with the women near him. Not only did he troubled his wife but also Draupadi. Jayadratha abducted Draupadi, and as a result, he was left bald headed by the Pandavas. A minor character otherwise, Duhsala undoubtedly had a painful married life.
Her life as a Widow
Duhsala was widowed when Arjuna decapitated Jayadratha during the Kurukshetra war as he had killed Abhimanyu. After a few laps of time, she even lost her son Suradha who was ruling the kingdom left behind his father. During the Ashwamedha Sacrifice, the horse of the Pandavas came to Sindhu, which was being ruled by Suradha. To this, he died of fright and this shattered Arjuna. He then made the grandson of Duhsala, the king of Sindhu.
From the account mentioned above, one can conclude that she as a woman had suffered throughout her life. Always wanting happiness, it was just her cup of tea when she was living with her maternal family because after this what came to her part was solely sadness.