Gandhari, the mother of Duryodhana, was a devoted follower of Lord Shiva. Through intense penance, she received a divine boon: whoever she looked at with her uncovered eyes in a naked state would gain a body as strong as vajra (thunderbolt armor).
Before Duryodhana’s final mace fight with Bhima, Gandhari wanted to remove her blindfold and make his body invincible. However, due to Krishna’s clever intervention, Duryodhana ended up covering his private parts with leaves—resulting in only a partial transformation.
How Krishna Prevented Duryodhana From Becoming Fully Invincible
The story unfolds as follows:
Gandhari told Duryodhana that she could not bless him with victory, but she could protect him with a divine shield. She instructed him to bathe in the Ganga river and return exactly as he was born—completely unclothed. Duryodhana hesitated, but Gandhari insisted there was no shame between mother and son.
After Duryodhana left, Krishna visited Gandhari. He reminded her of the great losses on the battlefield—including the death of Karna, whom she didn’t even recognize as Kunti’s eldest son. As Krishna left, he encountered Duryodhana walking naked toward his mother’s tent.
Laughing, Krishna questioned him:
“How can a grown man go before his mother like this? This is not the tradition of the Bharata lineage.”
These words planted doubt in Duryodhana’s mind. Feeling embarrassed, he wrapped banana leaves around his waist before meeting Gandhari.
Gandhari’s Boon Works Partially
When Gandhari removed her blindfold, divine energy radiated from her eyes and struck Duryodhana’s body. But when she noticed he had covered his private parts, she was heartbroken.
She said, “Why did you disobey me, son? The part I could not see has remained weak.”
Duryodhana replied that he could not stand naked before his mother. Gandhari told him that if he had followed her command fully, he would have become unbeatable.
Duryodhana offered to remove the leaves then, but Gandhari explained that she had poured all her spiritual power into that single glance—it could not be repeated.
The Consequence: The Fatal Weakness
Confident, Duryodhana still believed he would defeat Bhima, saying the rules of mace-fighting forbade striking below the waist. But in the final duel, Bhima—guided by Krishna—struck Duryodhana’s thighs and shattered them, leading to his death.
If Duryodhana had followed Gandhari’s instructions completely, his entire body would have been invincible, and the outcome of the war might have been entirely different.
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