The Crimes and Punishment of Duryodhana
by Stephanie Gifford
"Yama, you are going to be late!" I cried.
"I'm leaving right now," responded Yama while harnessing his great buffalo. Within a blink of an eye, he was gone. Today was going to be a break compared to the last seventeen. The Kauravas and the Pandavas have been battling for seventeen straight days and many a soldier has fallen at arms. Yama has judged every last one of them and I've been endlessly reading the deeds of each. My voice has become hoarse and I've resorted to throat lozenges to relieve the irritation! It's a good thing that these two adversaries stop fighting after sunset because I need the sleep to recoup from the busy day. But as I was saying, today will be a little easier because we only have one soul to judge and that is Duryodhana. Yama is no doubt using his noose to wrench the soul out of Duryodhana's body by now. He should be coming back soon. It's a good thing I've planned ahead. Duryodhana's file cabinet is already waiting in the sentencing room. Ah...here's Yama now.
"Chitragupta, are we all ready? Good. I know I should have grown tired of this by now but I just love to watch the souls swim across the river. Come on, grab the popcorn. I can hear the dogs barking at the gate. He must have already started!" yelled Yama.
I just rolled my eyes and followed behind.
Duryodhana was only a quarter of the way across the river by the time the popcorn stopped popping. It's so funny to watch the wicked struggle. Duryodhana is really having a difficult time. I can tell the water is really burning him! He's yelling now! Ha! Ha! As if someone here is going to help him. Every soul must swim the river but it is only the wicked who suffer the agony of the boiling water. Yama is right. This never gets old. Look at Duryodhana cry. The great Lord of Hastinapura crying like a little child with a skinned knee. "Yama, quit hogging all the popcorn!" Duryodhana continues his struggling swim.
"Well, he's made it across the river. It's time to get to work. Back to the sentencing room," said Yama.
We waited for Duryodhana. Yama resided on his throne and I next to him with an extremely large filing cabinet. "Yama, don't forget your wicked soul attire!" I reminded.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Thanks!" And he donned his most fearsome look. His crown was aflame and his teeth were bared. Duryodhana lingered in the doorway looking very apprehensive. With a booming voice Yama yelled, "ENTER." His voice shook the cavernous room and pieces of plaster fell from the ceiling. I made a mental note to take care of the mess later. Yama was going all out for this soul. He must know how wicked Duryodhana's deeds were on earth.
Duryodhana approached the throne very slowly. The look on his face no longer beared the pain of the river but the fear of his judgment. I could tell Yama was growing tired of waiting so he lifted his finger and instantly Duryodhana was standing before us as if someone hit the fast forward button on an invisible remote control.
Yama cleared his throat. "Duryodhana, this is your eternal sentencing. Are you ready to hear deeds of your life?" says Yama.
"No," he replied. And so it had begun. The wicked ones always try to procrastinate. As if it will help postpone what's coming. Yama ignores the response. We hear it all too often.
"Chitragupta, please read the deeds of this soul," Yama ordered.
"Duryodhana, you have caused the death of over a million men. You are selfish, greedy, disrespectful to elders, a traitor to your own blood, hateful, conniving, deceitful, malicious, coveting, you ordered the disrobing of your sister-in-law...Yama must I go on? The list will take all night," I pleaded.
Duryodhana raised his hand like he was in a classroom. "You have no voice here," Yama said dismissively.
"But I want to explain myself. You see in the disrobing of Draupadi, I wasn't the one who did the actual disrobing. I can't be responsible for..."
"SILENCE!!!" yelled Yama. "I have heard enough. Duryodhana, there are four pits in hell. You will endure each pit for 100,000 years. I know that a place in heaven is awarded to you for having died a warrior's death. When you have purged yourself of the sins committed by your most wicked soul, only then can you enter the splendor of heaven. This is my judgment. Chitragupta, record the verdict in the Book of Life."
"So let it be written. So let it be done," I mumble.
"You watch too many movies," Yama whispers.
Author's Note: I wanted the reader to get a feel for the working relationship of Yama and Chitragupta. Their jobs are very serious but like in all jobs, one must have a little fun! I work in retail and even though my job is very important to the clients I serve, there are times where my coworkers and I have to make light of the situation. Yama and Chitragupta sentence souls every day and there has to be humor in their lives as well. I imagine them looking down on Duryodhana swimming the river of boiling water like the two old men in the balcony of the Muppet Show. Those guys own the place and make fun of all the failures that happen throughout the show. In much the same, Yama and Chitragupta make fun of souls as they suffer in agony. Of course, those that suffer are the ones that deserve it because they are wicked, so please don't think my characters to be heartless. They are just enjoying their jobs!
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The Disrobing of Draupadi
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Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. The Mahabharata. (1978). Chicago: The University of Cicago Press.
The Disrobing of Draupadi
No further information given. Image Weblink.
Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. The Mahabharata. (1978). Chicago: The University of Cicago Press.