Dhritarashtra: The End of Attachment

Even though he was physically blind, Dhritarashtra was the real spectator of the war of Kurukshetra. He was a mute spectator metaphorically because he watched it happen without doing what he could to prevent it. But, in a literal sense, he was a real spectator because he actually watched it live, day to day. His aide Sanjay was responsible for that.

The story goes that before the war, Ved Vyas visited and offered Dhritarashtra the option of being bestowed with divine vision so that, even though he can’t be physically present, he could watch the war in which his entire clan, and especially, his sons fought. But he rejected that blessing saying that he would rather remain blind than watch quarrels in his own family. The real reason was, like always, he didn’t want to see Duryodhana and his sons being killed, which he feared would happen. At the same time, he didn’t want to give up on the blessing, due to fear of missing out the potential news of victory for them. Like always, he wanted the best of both worlds. Therefore, he asked Ved Vyas to bestow Sanjay with that vision.

Another instructive piece on Dhritarashtra and his mindset is when the Bhagavad-Gita is spoken just before the war starts. It begins with Dhritarashtra asking what his people and the sons of Pandu who have gathered to fight are doing on the battlefield. Firstly he refers to sons of Pandu as different from his people, which leaves no doubts about which side he is backing. Secondly, what would warriors do on a battlefield other than fighting? Then why the question? Scholars have interpreted that to mean that he had a lingering doubt that his sons might be lulled into a truce due to the inherent auspicious nature of the battlefield, namely Kurukshetra. He actually didn’t want that kind of last minute possibility of peace and wanted to confirm that the fight was on.

Nothing of that sort happened. If at all anyone had any urges of renunciation, it was Arjuna, which Dhritarashtra wouldn’t have objected to. It is worth also noting that, in a sense, the Bhagavad-Gita is not just a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna but also between Sanjay and Dhritarashtra as it is being relayed live by Sanjay. While the Song of God changed the mindset of Arjuna and impelled him to fight for dharma, it also convinced Sanjay that victory was sure to be on the side where Arjuna and Krishna fight together. But it didn’t light any fires in Dhritarashtra. Why is that, one may ask, even though he heard the same things? Scholars have again interpreted that to mean that even God’s song will not raise a man’s mind if it is weighed down by his own attachments. The decision to raise yourself has to come from your own free will. Even God cannot force a man with attachments to turn to Him.

As the war progressed, Dhritarashtra followed it closely. Hope against hope, he wished his sons to emerge victorious, but it was merely wishful thinking. All his hopes were dashed as all his sons were killed by the end of the war, most importantly, Duryodhana himself. All of them, as per the vow, were killed by Bhima.

His grief was uncontrollable as he collapsed at the news of what he had been warned of all his life. But in the aftermath of the war, his anger was even greater than his grief. That was because even though he had lost everything, he had not lost his attachment. Krishna knew that when a man’s greatest attachments are still intact, and the objects of his attachment are lost, his mind is filled with anger. And that anger is directed towards those he thinks are responsible for his loss. That is what happened when the Pandavas visited Dhritarashtra after the war to seek his blessings to start their rule of Hastinapur.

While he met and embraced Yudhishthira and Arjuna like usual, when it came to Bhima, his mind was overcome by anger. Knowing fully well what was in his mind, Krishna stopped Bhima and instead pushed a statue of Bhima ahead of Dhritarashtra. The blind king couldn’t make out the difference and crushed the statue in his embrace in the surge of anger. It was only later that Krishna told him that he should have no reason to have anger towards Bhima or any of the Pandavas as his sons were responsible for their own deaths. They had attracted their destiny by their own actions, hence he should forgive the Pandavas.

Gandhari also angry at that time, directed her wrath towards Krishna. She said it was easy for him to say so because he hadn’t lost any of his family. She cursed Krishna that, like her, he would also lose all the members of his dynasty, the Yadus, in infighting and live to see it. The Lord accepted her curse as part of His own arrangement.

Dhritarashtra had lost everything by then, and this was when he finally lost his attachment to his son. But like earlier, even that loss of attachment was temporary remorse which lasted for a few days.

Yudhishthira, being the virtuous man that he was, announced that, even though he was king, all royal privileges would continue for Dhritarashtra. These privileges were accepted and enjoyed by Dhritarashtra, despite being responsible for the war indirectly and losing it. It was because his attachment to royal comforts hadn’t gone away. It took the wisdom of Vidur to pull the right triggers and push the buttons of self respect in Dhritarashtra using harsh words. He held the mirror in front of Dhritarashtra, and told him that he was worse than a dog that lives on the leftovers of his master despite the master beating him with a whip. He urged him to have some self respect and give up his attachment to the kingdom and the throne of Hastinapur, and let Yudhishthira rule in peace.

It was at that time that Dhritarashtra’s eyes finally opened and the blind king along with Gandhari, Vidur and Kunti, retired to the forests.

Dhritarashtra is a classic example of a weak man who is not inherently wicked, but is pushed and pulled at will by his attachments to act in wicked and wily ways. Unless he overcame them, he was bound to them. Even the Lord couldn’t help him despite giving him His vision. He finally lost his attachments, but after he had lost everything.

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