Duhshala

Duhshala (Sanskrit: दुःशला, romanized: Duḥśalā) or Dushshala (Sanskrit: दुश्शला, romanized: Duśśalā), also rendered as Dushala, is a minor character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is the princess of Kuru kingdom, being the only daughter of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari as well as the only sister of the hundred Kaurava brothers and cousin-sister of the five Pandava brothers. She is married to Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu kingdom, and is the mothe rof his heir Suratha. Her marriage links the Kuru and Sindhu royal houses, but also draws her into the consequences of the Kuru–Pandava conflict. When Jayadratha attempts to abduct Draupadi, the Pandavas spare his life out of consideration for Dushshala, preventing her from becoming a widow. After the Kurukshetra war, Dushshala is widowed but continues to live as the queen mother of Sindhu. During Pandavas's Ashvamedha campaign, she approaches Arjuna with her young grandson and asks him to spare the boy, who is also his relative. Arjuna agrees, and Dushshala's grandson is later made king of Sindhu.