The Forgotten Kauravas: Some Unknown Contributors in Kurukshetra War

Whenever we think of Mahabharata, we think about the heroes of the war, absolutely, Pandavas. Shri Krishna guidance to Arjuna and the ultimate victory of Pandavas in the war. Also, humiliation of Draupadi by Kauravas who were the villains of the epic. But how many of them can you name? Duryodhana and Dushasana, besides these two we rarely name any other Kaurava, even though we knew they were over a hundred brothers and one sister. Let’s know about some of the forgotten Kauravas with their name and contribution:

1. Vikarna

Vikarna was also a brother of Dhuryodhana and Dushasana, but his thinking were entirely different from them. It was only Vikarna who opposed his brothers when Yudhisthira lost Draupadi in the game of dice even though kuru elders couldn’t have the courage to stand against Dhuryodhana. He felt the pain of his sister-in-law though, his voice was not valued at the time. Vikarna died in the Kurukshetra war and his death also saddened Pandavas alongside Kauravas.

2. Yuyutsu

Yuyutsu was the only surviving Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war. He was also Dhritarashtra’s son but belong to a different mother. His mother Sughada was a maid of other Kaurav’s mother Gandhari. He was not liked by his half brothers for the reason he developed friendship with Pandavas. Also, he once warned Pandavas about the Duryodhana’s conspiracy against them which saved Bheema’s life.

3. Dushala

Most of us knew about 100 sons of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra but very few people know that they were also blessed with one daughter which was their 101 st child. Growing up, she got the love from both Kauravas and Pandavas as their only sister, but her adult life was full of sorrow and frustration. She was married to the arrogant king Jayadratha, who was the main cause of Abhimanyu’s death. Eventually, Jayadratha was killed by Arjuna in the war. She came to Pandavas for help following the death of her son Suratha and her grandson was crowned as king of Sindhu. So, next time whenever you read Mahabharata, also read about these Kauravas who were not villains. Not only remember those who followed the wrong path and ultimately led to the outcome of their sin. The epic gave many life lessons and also tells about the result if anyone doesn’t follow dharma. It shows that if a person takes pleasure in exploiting the weak, they will meet the horrible results at the end.