In one of the most famous passages in Maha*bharata, Dur*yodhana, the heroic but flawed king of the Kauravas, meets his end when he is dishonorably defeated in battle by his arch-enemy, Bhima. Framing a fascinating account of the sacred sites along the river Sarasvati, the duel poignantly portrays the downfall of a once great hero in the face of a new order governed by Krishna, in which the warrior code is brushed aside in order to ensure the predestined triumph of the Pandavas.

Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation

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