Duryodhana's Retreat
“Duryodhana retreats to a hidden lake as the surviving Kauravas plan their next move, setting the stage for the final confrontation.”
Story Summary
With the Kaurava army destroyed and only a few warriors remaining, Duryodhana receives counsel from Kripa, Ashwatthama, and Kritavarma. Wounded and exhausted, he makes a desperate decision: using magic, he hides inside a lake, hoping to escape the Pandavas. But the Pandavas, guided by spies and Yudhishthira's intuition, discover his hiding place. Bhima taunts Duryodhana to emerge, and after tense negotiations, terms are set for a mace duel—the final confrontation that will decide the war. As the terms are finalized, Balarama returns from his pilgrimage along the Sarasvati River, arriving just in time to witness what will become one of the epic's most iconic battles.