Would Duryodhan / Suryodhan have made a good King?

People often ask, would Duryodhan / Suryodhan have made a good king?  Fact is, Duryodhan never 'ruled' as a king while he lived. His father, Dhritarashtra ruled as the king throughout his lifetime.  So it is impossible to know for sure what sort of king Duryodhan would have made.  But based on evidence of how he lived and behaved as a ‘prince’, I believe he would have been a wicked, mean spirited king.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan was never a king and even if he were to become one, he would have been a mean spirited man who had no respect for his elders, advisors or well wishers. He was singularly responsible for the death of every single family member of Kuru kul. Even as he lay dying, his only wish was that Yudhishthir should rue the very kingdom he rules for it will be empty of friends, family and people. He rejoiced that he had enjoyed his life with with his loved ones and Yudhishthir was going to be surrounded by widows of his loved ones. Such a mean spirited man could never have been a good ruler.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan had the benefit of living the life of a spoilt crown prince without any official duties. He could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted and leave the tedious business of day to day running of the state to his father and his ministers. As the heir, he was courted by everyone and had the benefit of promising things to his hangers-on he knew he wont have to deliver till later - much later.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan's oft repeated ‘right to the throne’ was a disputed one.  His father was blind and hence disqualified from inheriting the kingdom.  His father was at best a regent on behalf of his younger brother.  He should have relinquished the kingdom to the rightful heir.  But he didn't.  Possession is 9/10 th of the law.  By that crude measure, Dhritrashtra (litterally - ill-gotten kingdom) continued to rule in place of his brother and nephew.  To keep peace, everyone allowed this.  Duryodhan used this silence as his license to claim that as the eldest son of Dhritrashtra, the throne was his by right.  Sadly, it all ended in tears as the usurper lost everything, not just his kingdom, but also his sons and grandsons.  After the war, Gandhari complained bitterly to Dhritrashtra that he had encouraged the ambition of their son, resulting in his death.  It is a great pity that she did not complain early enough or strongly enough. 

Duryodhan / Suryodhan was not a nice person.  He was not a nice cousin.  He was not a nice nephew.  He was not a nice brother-in-law.  He was not a nice student.  He tried to poison Bhima twice and plotted to assassinate Pandavas with their mother in Varnavat whilst he was a teenager.  If anything, this shows how early he showed his fangs.  He plotted to deprive them of their lives after the swayamvar and took everything at a gambling match he had fixed with a crooked player.  His treatment of Draupadi was atrocious and demeaning to womankind.  Even when Bhima and Arjun rescued him from the Gandharvas and Yudhishthir had granted him his life, the poisonous nature of Duryodhan wouldn't let him return kindness with kindness.  Duryodhan was openly disparaging of his elders (Bhishma and Vidur) even his gurus (Drona and Balarama).  How could such a man have made a good king?

Duryodhan / Suryodhan was not a good warrior.  He lost every war he took part in including the one with Gandharvas and Arjun outside Virata.  Throughout the Mahabharata war, he kept going from general to general, warrior to warrior and asked them to fight hard, while he himself did nothing of note.  On the last day when all was lost, he fought like a man possessed - but it was too little too late.  He fled and hid in the lake - not a sign of a warrior at all.  The only reason he chose to fight Bhima over all others is because of his own childhood hatred for Bhima.  Bhima reminded him of all the bouts of wrestling he had lost and he now wanted to get him back - one last time.  A man that is so singularly bad at winning wars, could not have made a good king.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan was constantly high on his own ego and worked hard to find ways to subvert the laws and rules to his own benefit. He bullied everyone, including his parents and guru to get what he wanted. He did not care what it would cost to get his way. This is summed up at the start of the war, when he proudly points to his 11 divisions of armies and says, 'maad-arthe tyakta jivita' - all these are here to die for me! He was willing to kill 11 division of men, widow countless women and orphan many more just so as to deny the Pandavas their birthright. 5 villages is all he had to give up to save the lives of millions - but he couldn't do that. His ego wouldn't allow him to do that.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan was the cancer of Kuru kul and he caused his parents the greatest of anguish. Like a brat that wants to hold on to every toy in the room and won’t let anyone else play with any toy in the room, Duryodhan could not bear to see Pandavas happy. He kept plotting and planning to deny them everything. Even as he lay dying, his only thought was how to ruin the victory of the Pandavas. He gave his blessing for the murderous plot to kill the Pandavas as they slept.

Duryodhan / Suryodhan's actions are so odious in the annals of our history (itihas) that even now, thousands of years after his death, no father or mother names their child Duryodhan!

© Bhagwat Shah
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