"Did you fight Abhimanyu one by one?" Yudhishthira said to Duryodhana. "No, you attacked like a pack of wolves. But we respect dharma. We agree to single combat. If you die, you'll have heaven; if you live, you'll have your kingdom."
Duryodhana challenged Bhima first, and they fought. As he had vowed, Bhima smashed Duryodhana's thigh and then danced in joy around his fallen victim.
"Enough!" said Yudhishthira. "He's still our cousin, and a prince."
"But he'll die soon," said Krishna. "It's time to go."
"I shall attain heaven," groaned Duryodhana. "Take the earth, if that is what you want."
Inspired by: The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version by R. K. Narayan
Notes: This story is from Chapter 15: Delirium of Destruction. In Pattanaik's Jaya (p. 282), he tells how Krishna slapped his thigh while Bhima dueled with Duryodhana, alerting Bhima to the fact that it was only there that Duryodhana could be killed; the rest of his body had been protected by his mother's gaze.
Notes: This story is from Chapter 15: Delirium of Destruction. In Pattanaik's Jaya (p. 282), he tells how Krishna slapped his thigh while Bhima dueled with Duryodhana, alerting Bhima to the fact that it was only there that Duryodhana could be killed; the rest of his body had been protected by his mother's gaze.
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