Bhima and Duryodhana: The Mace Fight

Some hunters revealed where Duryodhana was hiding. The Pandavas reached the lake with Krishna. Yudhishthira called out, 'Duryodhana, a kshatriya hiding? Come out and fight.' Duryodhana said, 'All my people are dead. Take this earth; I will go to the forest.' Yudhishthira replied, 'I cannot accept as a gift what is no longer yours to give.'

Then Yudhishthira made a bold offer: 'Fight any one of us five, with the weapon of your choice. Win, and the kingdom is yours.' Krishna scolded Yudhishthira, because no one equalled Duryodhana with the mace. Duryodhana rose from the water and chose Bhima for a mace fight.

Just then Balarama returned from pilgrimage: the mace teacher of both Bhima and Duryodhana. A terrible fight followed. Duryodhana was more skilled; Bhima was stronger. As it dragged on, Krishna reminded Arjuna that in the gambling hall Bhima had vowed to break Duryodhana's thigh. Arjuna slapped his own thigh as a signal to Bhima.

Bhima smashed Duryodhana's thighs with his mace and he fell. Striking below the navel was against the rules of mace fighting, so Balarama raised his plough in anger and rushed at Bhima. Krishna held him back, reminding him of Bhima's vow and Duryodhana's many wrongs. Sad at heart, Balarama went back to Dwarka.

Lying on the ground, Duryodhana kept accusing Krishna of trickery. Krishna listed his deeds: poisoning Bhima, the house of lac, the insult to Draupadi, the killing of Abhimanyu. Still Duryodhana said, 'I lived like a king and I die like a hero.' It is said flowers rained down on him. His stubbornness and his courage were both real.