So here it is said, yadā mṛdhe kaurava-sṛñjayānām. In the fight, all the parties who died, they all obtained vīra-gatim. And most of them, they achieved svarūpa. That is described in a different place. Svarūpa means his original, spiritual form. All the soldiers or the kings who died, and at the time of death who were seeing Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa was there in the battlefield—all of them achieved their original, spiritual form, svarūpam. And those who did not see Kṛṣṇa, they got promoted vīra-gatim, in the heavenly planet. So fight is not always bad. If it is dharma-yuddha, according to the prescribed rules, not whimsical fight, dharma-yuddha, then there is gain. This science is lost. There is no such thing. Now fighting means hooliganism, vandalism, guṇḍā-ism. That is not fight. Here is fight: vīra-gatim gate. They are all promoted.
Then at last the fighting was between Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Bhīma. This vṛkodara . . . Vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa. Both of them, Duryodhana and Bhīma, they were very expert in fighting with gadā. So when they were fighting, Balarāma . . . Balarāma . . . Kṛṣṇa was neutral, but He was taking the side of Arjuna. He was driving the chariot. That means He was on the side of the Pāṇḍavas. But actually He was not fighting. So Balarāma also did not fight, and in order to avoid any parties, He went to holy places at that time. He was traveling all over India from different holy places, one place to another. So when He returned, He had some sympathy with Duryodhana. Because Duryodhana was His disciple to learn how to fight with this gadā, club, naturally He was sympathetic, Balarāma was sympathetic. So when He came, they were . . ., fighting was going on. So just to show Him respect, they stopped fighting and everyone was silent. Because the Pāṇḍavas knew that Balarāma was sympathetic with Duryodhana, and if He takes the side of Duryodhana, then everything will be spoiled, because He is the Supreme Person. But He did not do so. He advised them, "My dear Duryodhana, I know you are a great fighter. You have got strength. You have learned . . ., you know the art of fighting. But you are not so strong as Bhīma." And He advised Bhīma, "My dear Bhīma, you have got the strength of ten thousand elephants. Naturally you are superiorly stronger. So he knows the art better than you, and you are bodily stronger than him. So there will be no decision. The fighting will go on. Can you not stop? Because there will not be decision. The fighting will go on. Unless one is dead, the fighting will go on. So what is the use? Nobody will be victorious. The fighting will go on. Better stop."
But they remained silent. Silent means they did not like the idea. Because Bhīma had many old grudges against Duryodhana, because when Draupadī was being insulted, they had to sit down silent, no protest. There were so many incidences—rivalry, insult and counter insult. So they took the opportunity of feeding the old grudge by fighting. Everyone was determined, "I must kill." Duryodhana was determined to kill Bhīma, and Bhīma was determined to kill. So when they did not listen to the instruction of Baladeva, then Baladeva left the place. He went to Dvārakā, back. Of course, Kṛṣṇa was there, because Kṛṣṇa was to give hint to Bhīma how to kill Duryodhana. So Duryodhana, by the blessings of his mother, his whole body became iron-like, solid. So by beating by the Bhīma, it was not easy.
So the story is that Gāndhārī, the mother of Duryodhana, she was great chaste woman. Because her husband was blind, she used to remain as blind woman, covering the eyes. But she had some power. Chaste woman, anyone who sticks to the regulative principles, (s)he gets a power, spiritual or material. He gets power. A brahmacārī gets power if he follows brahmacarya. Everyone, if we follow the prescribed rules and regulations, automatically you become powerful. So Gāndhārī had some power. So his (her) eldest son, Duryodhana, was advised to see the mother naked. She advised, "My dear son, tomorrow morning when you come to offer your obeisances to me, you come naked. I shall see you, and you will be solidified just like iron." So she (he) was going naked, and Kṛṣṇa saw. So He asked him, "Where you are going?" And this is the . . . "I am going to see my mother." "How is that? You are going naked? At least you have some laṅgoṭā. This is not good." So he took the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and covered the private part with a laṅgoṭā. And when Gāndhārī saw, she saw that she (he) was not fully naked, so she regretted, "O my dear son, I asked you to come before me naked. Why you have got this . . .?" "No, Kṛṣṇa advised." Then she began to smile, that "My attempt is failure." So Kṛṣṇa knew it, that part which was covered, that was not turned iron. The other parts turned into iron on account of seeing by Gāndhārī. So in this fight Kṛṣṇa hinted Bhīma that "You strike here. That part is not ironized." Although it is against the regulative principle to strike the opponent party below this waist, Kṛṣṇa advised that "Unless you transgress this law, you cannot kill him." So he was stroken below the waist, and he was not killed, but his waist was broken. Therefore it is said, vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa (SB 1.7.13-14). Then he died. This is mentioned here.