| Dhritarashtra | |
|---|---|
 The blind king Dhritarashtra listens as the visionary narrator Sanjaya relates the events of the battle between the Kaurava and the Pandava clans. | |
| Personal Information | |
| Affiliation | Kuru dynasty |
| Weapon | Gada (mace) |
| Family | Parents:
|
| Spouse | Gandhari |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | Half-brother see Niyoga
|
Dhritarashtra (Sanskrit: धृतराष्ट्र, romanized: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is also attested in the Yajurveda, where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya.
According to the Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra’s birth was the result of the ancient practice of Niyoga. After Vichitravirya died childless, his half-brother Vyasa fathered children with Vichitravirya’s widows to continue the Kuru lineage. Dhritarashtra was born blind to Vichitravirya’s elder queen, Ambika. Despite being the eldest, his blindness disqualified him from inheriting the throne, which passed to his younger half-brother, Pandu. However, after Pandu renounced the throne and retired to the forest, Dhritarashtra assumed kingship of the Kuru kingdom, albeit as a nominal ruler heavily influenced by his grandsire, Bhishma, and his eldest son, Duryodhana.
Dhritarashtra married Gandhari, a devoted wife who, in a gesture of solidarity, blindfolded herself for life to share in her husband's blindness. Together, they had one hundred sons, known as the Kauravas, and a daughter, Dushala. Throughout his reign, Dhritarashtra struggled with the conflicting roles of father and king. His deep affection for Duryodhana, often clouded his judgment, leading him to overlook his son's misdeeds and fail to curb the injustices inflicted upon their cousins, the Pandavas. His hundred sons, led by Duryodhana, became the antagonists in the Mahabharata, opposing the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. Dhritarashtra also fathered a son, Yuyutsu, through a maid, who later sided with the Pandavas during the war.
During the Kurukshetra War, Dhritarashtra depended on his charioteer Sanjaya, who had divine vision, to learn about the entire details of the war, the deaths of the prominent warriors, and the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. After the war, which resulted in the fall of the Kauravas, a grief-stricken Dhritarashtra withdrew to the forest with Gandhari, Kunti, and Vidura. He spent his final years in asceticism and meditation, ultimately passing away in a forest fire, attaining liberation.