Jayadratha was the king of the Sindhu Kingdom and the husband of Dushala, the sister of Kauravas. He was evil in nature and tried to abduct Draupadi during Pandava’s exile. Arjuna killed him on the 14th day of the Mahabharata war with the help of Lord Krishna.
Meaning of the Name Jayadratha:
The name Jayadratha consists of two Sanskrit words, viz. Jayat and Ratha. Jayat means the victorious, and Ratha means a chariot. Therefore, the name Jayadratha means “a victorious chariot” or “the one who has a victorious chariot”.
Other Names of Jayadratha:
The following names are used in the Mahabharata to address Jayadratha.
1. Saindhavaka.
2. Saindhava.
3. Sauvīra.
4. Sauvīraja.
5. Sauvīrarāja.
6. Sindhupati.
7. Sindhurāja.
8. Sindhurāṭ.
9. Sindhusauvīrabhartā.
10. Suvīra.
11. Suvīrarāṣṭrapa.
12. Vārdhakṣatri
Jayadratha Receives a Boon after the Birth:
Jayadratha was born after severe fasts and vows taken by his father. Vridhakshatra. There are two stories about the boon he got.
1. When he was born, there was an Akashvani: “This child would become a very famous king. The head of him, who puts down the head of this child on the Earth, would break into a hundred pieces within a moment.”
2. Per the second story, his father heard a prophecy that he would be killed. Therefore, he went to the forest and started severe penance. Vridhakshatra wanted his son to be immortal but could manage to get the above-mentioned boon only after the successful completion of the penance.
(The second story is more acceptable because it was narrated at the time of Jayadratha’s death to Arjuna by Lord Krishna per the Vyasa Mahabharata.)
Jayadratha and Dushala’s Marriage:
Duryodhana knew that sooner or later, there would be a full-fledged war between Kauravas and Pandavas. Therefore, to have powerful kings on his side, he had planned to marry Dushala to Jayadratha, who was a mighty king at that time. There is not much detail available about their marriage, but Jayadratha seemed to have accepted the proposal and married Dushala.
It is believed that other than Dushala, he had two other wives. He also tried to abduct Draupadi out of lust when she was in exile. Therefore, it is possible that his attitude toward women was not good in general.
Jayadratha Abducts Draupadi:
Jayadratha was present during Draupadi Svayamvara; hence, it is possible that he was yearning for her since the moment he saw her. When Pandavas went into exile, he sensed an opportunity to get her. Therefore, one day, when Pandavas had gone into the forest for some chores, he approached Draupadi and tried to lure her to go with him by offering her wealth and other blissful things. But when Draupadi rejected his offer and told him to go from there, he seized her by her upper garment and forced her into his chariot. The frightened Draupadi called the Sage Dhaumya for help. The sage tried to convince him to leave her. but he did not listen and left the place. The sage ran behind his chariot in a futile attempt to save Draupadi.
This act of Jayadratha caused a disturbance in the forest and the birds and animals started shrieking. Pandavas understood that something was wrong and returned immediately to their home. The maid Dhatreyika told them about the abduction of Draupadi by Jayadratha. Pandavas saw the tracks of chariots and observed a cloud of dust raised by the hoofs of the horses of Jayadratha’s army and saw Sage Dhaumya amid the infantry. Infuriated Pandavas followed them in their chariot and soon went near them. Seeing the five furious Pandavas, Jayadratha and his army were scared to death. Pandavas attacked them and started killing them.
Insult by Pandavas:
Terrified Jayadratha left the chariot and ran away into the forest. Pandavas stopped killing the soldiers and followed Jayadratha. Soon Bhima found him and started beating him severely. He wanted to kill him, but Arjuna stopped him and reminded him that he was the husband of their sister, Dushala. But Bhima was very angry and wanted to avenge Draupadi’s insult, so he shaved his head with an arrow. Then he tied him with ropes and returned to the hermitage along with Pandavas.
Jayadratha Does Penance:
When they reached the hermitage, Yudhishthira freed and let Jayadratha go along with his army. Jayadratha wanting to avenge his insult went to the place where the Ganga debouches on the plains. There he started severe penance and propitiated Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva told him to ask for a boon. Jayadratha said, “May I be able to defeat in battle all the five sons of Pandu on their chariots!”
But Lord Shiva said that it was not possible to give that boon because Arjuna was invincible because his friend was Narayana himself. Also, Lord Shiva had given him Pashupatastra. Therefore, Lord Shiva gave him the boon of defeating the remaining four Pandavas for a single day.
Jayadratha in the Mahabharata War:
In the Kurukshetra War, Jayadratha fought from the side of the Kauravas. He fought with Arjuna, Bhima, Drupada, Kshatravarman, Abhimanyu, and Virata on different occasions.
Death of Abhimanyu:
Jayadratha played an important role in the death of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. After the death of Bhishma, Dronacharya was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, but he also could not produce any significant results. Therefore, Duryodhana spoke some harsh words to him. Hence, Dronacharya decided to use the Chakravyuha strategy to capture Yudhishthira.
Only Arjuna knew how to break this formation successfully. Therefore, the Samsaptakas challenged Arjuna, taking him to the southern side of the battlefield. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, knew how to penetrate Chakravyuha but not how to come out of it. When he entered the Chakravyuha and was trapped inside, Pandavas tried to help him, but they could not because Jayadratha made sure they could not enter the Chakravyuha. This was the day of fulfillment of his boon by Lord Shiva.
Jayadratha defeated the sons of Pandu. Jayadratha rode on a beautiful chariot drawn by Sindhu horses. His royal banner bore the device of a large silver boar. Drawing his bow to a full stretch, he released death-dealing arrows obstructing the Pandava army from advancing further. He pierced Satyaki with three arrows and Bhima with eight. Then, he struck Dhristadyumna with 60 shafts, Shikhandi with ten, and Drupada with five. He pierced Yudhisthira with 70 and covered the Pandava army with his celestial weapons. Yudhisthira quickly cut Jayadratha’s bow, but the Sindhu King quickly took up another and pierced Yudhisthira with ten arrows.
Bhima then shattered Jayadratha’s bow and cut off his royal standard as well as the beautiful umbrella that adorned his car. The mighty Jayadratha took up another bow and destroyed Bhima’s chariot and horses. Bhima quickly got down from his chariot and ascended Satyaki’s. With this action, the Kaurava army cheered and rushed forward to fill up the gap made by Abhimanyu. Although the Pandavas and their divisions tried desperately to follow Abhimanyu, they were halted by the Sindhu King on account of Lord Shiva’s benediction.
Abhimanyu displayed extraordinary skills in the battle and killed many elite warriors from the Kaurava’s side, but he could not make it to the end and died because he could not fight with multiple warriors at a time, which was against the rule of war.
(Per some stories, Jayadratha kicked the dead body of Abhimanyu, but it is not mentioned in the Vyasa Mahabharata.)
Arjuna Pledges to Kill Jayadratha:
When Arjuna came to know about Abhimanyu’s death and the role Jayadratha played, he was infuriated and pledged to either kill him on the battleground before the sunset of the next day or immolate himself. When Kauravas heard about this, they sensed an opportunity to get rid of Arjuna and win the war if they protect Jayadratha from Arjuna for the next day. Therefore, they designed a plan to protect him. Lord Krishna scolded Arjuna for taking such a difficult vow without consulting him because he knew Kaurava warriors would make every effort to protect Jayadratha.
Death of Jaydratha:
After the night had passed away and the dawn had arrived, Dronacharya arrayed the massive divisions in three formations. The first formation was in the form of a cart known as Shakata. The second array was the formation known as Chakravyuha. Within the Chakravyuha was the formation known as Suchimukha or the needle-point formation, in which Jayadratha was protected by many soldiers and maharathis. From the front line of the battle to the point where Jayadratha was stationed was a full 12 miles.
Now Arjuna had to cross these 12 miles full of the great warriors, like Karna, Drona, etc., and lacs of soldiers. But it seemed, they were not enough against the Arjuna’s fury because of his beloved son’s death. Arjuna killed thousands of warriors and elephants and horses that came in his way. He defeated and killed many celebrated warriors that stood in his way. The sun and the horizon were meeting together in the distance and that combination caused the sky to turn red. Krishna was driving Arjuna’s chariot with greater speed, and finally, Arjuna caught sight of Jayadratha. His flagstaff was marked with the sign of a boar. Arjuna quickly pierced him with 64 arrows and sent up a loud shout. Not tolerating that action, Jayadratha flamed up with anger and pierced Arjuna with six arrows that resembled venomous serpents.
He also pierced Lord Krishna with three arrows. The whole Kaurava army surrounded Arjuna and began to shower their weapons. Lord Krishna found that it was difficult driving the chariot through the mass of dead soldiers. All the great Kaurava warriors attacked Arjuna at once, but not minding them, he quickly severed the head of Jayadratha’s charioteer and felled his standard with a single arrow.
Knowing that it would be impossible to kill Jayadratha with so much protection, Lord Krishna covered the sun with his powers (per some stories, he covered the sun with his Sudarshana Chakra). As the sun was about to set, no one doubted that they are being tricked. Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to cut off the head of Jayadratha with Pashupatastra and guide the arrow and the head to the lap of Jayadratha’s father because of the boon mentioned previously.
All the Kaurava warriors, including Jayadratha, turned their heads in excitement toward the sun’s path. They now thought that Arjuna would now have to enter the fire. Lord Krishna then drove the chariot with great speed toward Jayadratha. Arjuna began to lacerate each of the great warriors and drove them away from protecting Jayadratha. They were all extremely puzzled about Arjuna’s actions. Although they tried to impede his progress, they were driven away by the force of his weapons. The battlefield was thick with soldiers, and Arjuna had to carve his way closer to Jayadratha.
Arjuna drew the string of his bow to full length and released that mighty Pashupatastra. It pierced the air like a lightning bolt and snatched the head of Jayadratha from his body. It continued toward the Samanta-Panchaka pilgrimage site. King Vriddhakshetra was engaged in offering his evening prayers, and suddenly he saw a severed head in his lap, a head with black hair and glittering earrings. He at once threw the head to the ground causing his own head to crack into many pieces.
(Per some stories, after Lord Krishna covered the sun with his Sudarshana Chakra, Jayadratha came out of the protection and started celebrating his victory. Then suddenly, Lord Krishna made the sun appear again, and Arjuna killed him.)
When Jayadratha had been slain, the darkness that had been created by Lord Krishna was removed, and again the sun was seen on the horizon. The Kauravas then realized that the darkness had been created by Lord Krishna’s mystic power, but it was too late by then. Dronacharya and his army could not accept the defeat by Arjuna and continued to fight even after the sunset, which was against the rule of the war.
Other Details:
Jayadratha took part as a tributary king in the sacrifice of Rajasuya Yajna by Yudhishthira. He was present at the game of dice between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira and also at the time of Draupadi Swayamwara. When he tried to abduct Draupadi, he was going to the kingdom of Shalva to marry a damsel.
Son of Jayadratha:
Suratha was the son of Jayadratha and Dushala, who became the king of the Sindhu region after his death. He did not participate in the Mahabharata War. After the war, when Yudhishthira performed Ashvamedha Yajna, Arjuna along with his army, marched toward the Sindhu Kingdom. Suratha knew that he would not be able to face Arjuna; hence, he committed suicide before Arjuna could reach there. Arjuna felt bad for him and declared Suratha’s infant son the king of the Sindhu Kingdom.
Summary:
Evilness in the nature of Jayadratha could be due to the boon he got. He might have thought that it was nearly impossible to kill him. Therefore, he became such an arrogant person and did so many atrocities. But in the end, he met his destiny.