Ramesh Chunder Dutt’s Poem ‘Night of Slaughter Duryodhan’s Death’
Ramesh Chunder Dutt’s Poem ‘Night of Slaughter: Duryodhan’s Death’ -A Critical Analysis
‘Night of Slaughters: Duryodhan’s Death’ is a mythological poem written by Ramesh Chunder Dutt. The matter of poem has been taken from the ancient Sanskrit epic ‘Mahabharata’ which was originally composed by Dev Bash. The background of the poem is so long to narrate here; but to say in brief that once in ancient India there were two brothers – Pandu and Dhritarashtra. Both were the kings of two independent kingdoms. Pandu had five sons and Dhritarashtra had one hundred sons. The sons of Pandu were called Pandav and the sons of Dhritarashtra were called Kaurav. The Pandavas were very pious and religious. But the Kauravs were impious, ambitious, and envious of the Pandavas. The Kauravs were so much ambitious that they engulfed the kingdom of their own maternal grandfather and killed their all maternal uncles except only Sakuni, their eldest maternal uncle. Sakuni, however, took shelter in the Kauravs and began to make a plot to take vengeance upon the Kauravs. He found no means to perish Kauravs. So, at last, he determined to set a quarrel between the Pandavas and the Kauravs. The Kauravs under the allurement of Sakuni set a bet against the Pandavas through the Dice game (a kind of gambling) under the condition that those who would be defeated in the bet would give up their kingdom and might go to exit for thirteen years. Under this condition, the dice game was arranged and through the foul means of Sakuni, the Pandavas were defeated and sent to exile. After thirteen years of spending in exile, the Pandavas came back to their homeland and asked the Kauravs to return to their kingdom. But the Kauravs did not agree to that. So a battle began between the two sects. Duryodhan was the head of the Kaurav as he was the eldest Kaurav. In this war, many valiant warriors of both parties fell down. The defeat of the Kauravs became sure. Only Duryodhan was alive and was to be defeated. In the last scene of the battle, between the two parties Bhim, the second Pandav, chased Duryodhan. The poet, in this narrative poem, has written what had happened to Duryodhan while he was pursued and chased by Bhim.
The poet writes that Duryodhan being battle-tired retreated from the battlefield but the valiant sons of Pandu chased him with the hunter’s watchful care. Duryodhan was ashamed of his downfall in the battle. Though Duryodhan was crest-fallen yet his arrogance did not diminish. He said proudly to the Pandavas that they would perish in his hand that evening. Hearing so, Bhim recalled the past insults done by the Kauravs to the Pandavas. He recalled and replied to Duryodhan that the insults given by the Kauravs had been endured long but were not forgiven. Bhim alone would fight against Duryodhan and this fight would be witnessed by the gods in heaven. Bhim recalled to his mind the evil design of the Kauravs in which they planned to consume the Pandavas in the fire. He called to mind the conspiracy of Sakuni by means of which he cheated the Pandavas and deprived them of their fame and empire. He remembered the scene in which chaste Draupadi’s wearing robes were carried off by Duryodhan. Even he called to the mind and replied to Duryodhan that it was Duryodhan’s sin that caused Drona, Karna, and others’ death. Replying so to Duryodhan, Bhim was enraged and rushed to Duryodhan and began to fight. Both were great heroes and began to fight in fury with wounds and oozing blood like two bulls. They began to fight as fiercely and heroically yielding thunder as Indra and Yama fought. A spark of fire shot from their maces and their faces ran with blood. For many a time, they fought fiercely, and at last, Duryodhan fell down.
After this, the poet has given a poetic description of Duryodhan’s discomfiture and says that the fall of Duryodhan resounded in the sky. His outcry was re-echoed in the hills and dales. The beasts and birds flew away in fear. Darkness fell upon the battlefield and Duryodhan was lying moribund on the ground.
And then, the poet says that during that age, feuds, and hatred between two families or sects continued from generation to generation. In the battle of Kurukshetra also the same was the case. Drona in the war was on the side of the Kauravs and he met death at the hands of Pandavas. The sons of Drona became determined to take vengeance for their father’s death and so they silently went to the tent of Drupadi, the wife of Pandavas, where she was with her children. The news of the killing of the sons of Drupadi was carried to Duryodhan by Aswa-thama and hearing the news of vengeance Duryodhan’s heart cheered him up with joy and he died a happy death.
Through this poem, the poet shows the custom of revenge in ancient Indian society.
The language of the poem is very simple. The imageries employed in this poem are very charming which have enhanced the beauty of the poem. The following lines may be quoted at random to substantiate how rich the imageries of the poem are:
”Like two bulls that fight in fury blind with wounds and oozing blood,
Like two wild and warring tuskers shaking all their echoing wood.
Like the thunder-wielding INDRA-YAMA monarch of the dead
Dauntless Bhim and fiercely stroke and fought and bled!
Spark of fire shot from their maces and their faces ran with blood.”
Besides these the imagery which the poet invokes to narrate the loud outcry of Duryodhan in his moribund bed is also highly poetic. 0 0 0
Ramesh Chunder Dutt’s Poem ‘Night of Slaughter Duryodhan’s Death’
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N. B. This article entitled ‘Ramesh Chunder Dutt’s Poem ‘Night of Slaughter Duryodhan’s Death’ -A Critical Analysis’ originally belongs to the book ‘Indian English Poetry Criticism‘ by Menonim Menonimus. Ramesh Chunder Dutt’s Poem ‘Night of Slaughter Duryodhan’s Death’
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