Duryodhana's Last Stand

The Last Survivor in the Lake

कर्णे शल्ये च पतितौ — कौरवसेना विनष्टप्रायः। दुर्योधनः एकाकी — द्वैपायनसरोवरे प्रविष्टः। मायाशक्त्या जलम् स्तम्भयित्वा सः तत्र आस्थितः। पाण्डवाः वार्ताम् श्रुत्वा आगताः। "दुर्योधन! बहिः आगच्छ — युद्धम् कुरु।" दुर्योधनः जलादुत्थाय अवदत् — "युद्धम् करोमि — परन्तु एकैकेन सह। सर्वैः सह एकेन — एतत् धर्मविरुद्धम्।" युधिष्ठिरः — "एकम् जयेत — राज्यम् प्राप्नोतु।" दुर्योधनः गदाम् गृहीत्वा बहिः आगच्छत्।

After Karna and Shalya fell — the Kaurava army was all but destroyed. Duryodhana alone — entered the lake Dvaipayana. Using his power of illusion, he stilled the water and stood within it. The Pandavas learned of this and arrived. "Duryodhana! Come out — fight." Duryodhana rose from the water and said: "I will fight — but one at a time. One man against all of us together — that is against dharma." Yudhishthira: "Let him defeat one of us — and take the kingdom." Duryodhana took up his mace and came out.