Dhritarashtra Character Analysis in Mahabharata

Dhritarashtra is the head of the Kauravas, and he has 100 sons with his wife Gandhari, with Duryodhana being the eldest and most notable. Dhritarashtra is born blind, which seems to be a symbol for his lack of judgement, as he allows himself to be swayed by the hot-headed Duryodhana rather than listening to wise advisers like Vidura. One of the central questions of the poem is whether Dhritarashtra caused the Kurukshetra war with his bad leadership or whether the war was always destined to happen. Although Dhritarashtra is not necessarily a malicious character, he nevertheless represents how weak leaders can be convinced into supporting unjust causes.

Dhritarashtra Quotes in Mahabharata

The Mahabharata quotes below are all either spoken by Dhritarashtra or refer to Dhritarashtra . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Once, in the middle of the hall, Dhritarashtra’s royal son came upon a crystal floor; fooled into thinking it water, King Duryodhana drew up his garments. After this he walked about the hall with angry heart and averted gaze. Next, seeing a pond of crystalline water adorned with crystal lotuses, he thought it was a floor, and fell, fully clothed, headlong into the water; when the servants saw that he had fallen in the pond, they laughed uproariously, before giving him clean clothes at the king’s command. Then mighty Bhima and Arjuna and the twins saw him in this state, and they too all burst out laughing.

Related Characters: Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Duryodhana , Dhritarashtra , Bhima , Arjuna , Yudhishthira , Nakula and Sahadeva

Page Number and Citation: 121

Explanation and Analysis:

‘Do not grieve, Dhritarashtra. You have not slain Bhima. This was an iron effigy, king that you laid low.’

Related Characters: Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Krishna (speaker), Bhima , Dhritarashtra , Duryodhana , Yudhishthira

Page Number and Citation: 584

Explanation and Analysis:

Thus Yudhishthira lord of dharma lamented again and again; then, weeping softly, O king, the lord of men made an offering of water to his brother.

Related Characters: Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Yudhishthira , Karna, Arjuna , Kunti , Dhritarashtra , Bhima

Page Number and Citation: 596

Explanation and Analysis:

So, like a cloud sating the earth with rain, King Dhritarashtra sated those priests with the torrents of wealth he showered upon them; and when all was done, that lord of the earth then deluged his guests of every class with downpours of food and drink.

Related Characters: Ugraśravas (speaker), Vaiśampayana (speaker), Vyasa (speaker), Dhritarashtra , Duryodhana , Krishna , Yudhishthira

Page Number and Citation: 738

Explanation and Analysis:

Dhritarashtra Character Timeline in Mahabharata

The timeline below shows where the character Dhritarashtra appears in Mahabharata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a son as strong as 10,000 elephants, but because Ambika closed her eyes, their son (Dhritarashtra) will also be blind. Satyavati feels that a blind man can’t be a proper king,... (full context)

After the birth of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura, the kingdom enters the Krita Age, where everything is prosperous and peaceful.... (full context)

When Bhishma arranges for Dhritarashtra to marry the princess Gandhari, her parents worry about their daughter marrying a blind man.... (full context)

As ruler, Pandu sets out on many successful military campaigns, while Dhritarashtra uses some of Pandu’s new wealth for sacrifices to the gods. Bhishma also finds a... (full context)

...the five, Bhima in particular forms a rivalry with his cousins, the many sons of Dhritarashtra. Duryodhana, who is one of Dhritarashtra’s sons and full of evil energy, begins plotting ways... (full context)

...Pandavas, while Karna goes to the other side with Duryodhana and the other sons of Dhritarashtra. When Karna’s adoptive Suta father enters the arena, Bhima laughs at Karna, saying that as... (full context)

THE GAINING OF THE KINGDOM. The five Pandavas return home with Draupadi, where Dhritarashtra greets them. The five brothers settle with Dhritarashtra in the city of Bhogavati. ARJUNA’S EXILE... (full context)

...and Kshatriyas from across the land, then gives them lavish accommodations. Nakula invites Bhishma and Dhritarashtra, who come gladly. Noble guests keep coming and offering Yudhishthira gifts, believing he is full... (full context)

...approves of this plan but says they need to seek permission from his (Duryodhana’s) father, Dhritarashtra. They present their plan to Dhritarashtra who is skeptical at first but slowly becomes convinced.... (full context)

Vidura disapproves of anything involving gambling, believing it causes discord. Nevertheless, Dhritarashtra ignores his advice and gives Duryodhana permission to proceed with the gambling scheme. Against his... (full context)

Yudhishthira arrives at Dhritarashtra’s palace. He meets with Śakuni, who invites him to throw dice with him. Yudhishthira has... (full context)

...and gambling. Śakuni racks up an enormous amount of wealth before Vidura intervenes to warn Dhritarashtra about Duryodhana’s grudge against the Pandavas. He suggests that the king disavow the evil Duryodhana... (full context)

Dhritarashtra, who has sympathy for the Pandavas, offers Draupadi a boon. She asks to rescue Yudhishthira... (full context)

...saved by a woman and wants to fight with Duryodhana’s people. But Yudhishthira advises moderation. Dhritarashtra praises Yudhishthira’s peaceful attitude and tells him this whole gambling competition was a test and... (full context)

THE SECOND GAMBLING MATCH. Disappointed at Dhritarashtra’s decision to let Yudhishthira go, Duryodhana devises more plots against the Pandavas, hoping to use... (full context)

Gandhari warns her husband Dhritarashtra about a prophecy that a chamberlain (officer of a royal household) gave them when Duryodhana... (full context)

...the new challenge and can’t reject it, so he and his brothers head back to Dhritarashtra’s hall, even though Yudhishthira fears the worst. At the hall, Śakuni explains the new competition... (full context)

One of Dhritarashtra’s other sons insults the Pandavas after their loss and gloats about their impending exile. Bhima... (full context)

...the Pandavas, who head into the forest to begin their exile. Vidura continues to advise Dhritarashtra to end the exile of the Pandavas, so Dhritarashtra eventually dismisses him, and Vidura goes... (full context)

THE KILLING OF KIRMIRA. Dhritarashtra hears a story about how Bhima killed a Rakshasa called Kirmira. He asks Vidura to... (full context)

...his city for five years. Meanwhile, the other Pandavas live peacefully in the forest, while Dhritarashtra hears of Arjuna’s trip to Indra and fears he’s becoming invincible. Yudhishthira feels that he’s... (full context)

...party, then goes out to inspect his cattle as an excuse to get away from Dhritarashtra. But while he’s out, he gets attacked by a rival army. The Pandavas, led by... (full context)

SAMJAYA’S MISSION. Meanwhile at the Kauravas, Dhritarashtra gives instructions to his aide, Samjaya. Dhritarashtra disagrees with Duryodhana’s warlike attitude, and so he... (full context)

WAKEFULNESS. Dhritarashtra summons Vidura, saying he’s been disturbed ever since Samjaya’s visit to the Pauravas. Vidura tells... (full context)

SANATSUJATA. Dhritarashtra speaks with an immortal seer named Sanatsujata and asks him why Sanatsujata believes there is... (full context)

...are ready to go to war. At the hall, Bhishma also speaks up against Duryodhana. Dhritarashtra believes that it would be a disaster to fight the Pandavas, and yet Samjaya counters... (full context)

Duryodhana and Karna both speak up saying they want to fight anyway. After everyone leaves, Dhritarashtra privately asks for a prediction from Samjaya, who says that he believes the winner will... (full context)

Dhritarashtra plans to receive Krishna lavishly, although Vidura warns him that no amount of opulence will... (full context)

Hearing all this, Dhritarashtra says he definitely wants to make peace with the Pandavas. Krishna appeals to Duryodhana directly... (full context)

...assembly that their best option is to bind Duryodhana and present him to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra sends Vidura to fetch Gandhari for advice. She agrees that Duryodhana is acting foolishly and... (full context)

...planning, so he goes to Vidura with a warning. Krishna hears the news and tells Dhritarashtra that if anyone tries to restrain him, he won’t fight back, even though he could... (full context)

PERSUADING KARNA. Samjaya was riding with Krishna and Karna, and he reports back to Dhritarashtra what they discussed. Kunti (Karna’s biological mother, as well as the biological mother of the... (full context)

...prepare their armies. THE INSTALLATION OF BHISHMA. Duryodhana puts Bhishma in charge of his forces. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to give him an update on Duryodhana’s battle plans. (full context)

ULUKA’S MISSION. Samjaya begins telling Dhritarashtra about battle preparations. Uluka, son of Śakuni, delivers an inflammatory message to the Pandavas. They... (full context)

...story. Each side masses its forces in preparation for conflict. Vyasa comes to speak with Dhritarashtra, offering to give the blind king sight so that he can see the battle. Dhritarashtra... (full context)

THE EARTH. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to tell him more about the earth and the heavens. THE SERMON OF... (full context)

...scripture as well as a portion of the larger Mahabharata narrative. In it, Samjaya tells Dhritarashtra about the moment when the two armies finally clash. As battle begins, Arjuna despairs at... (full context)

THE KILLING OF BHISHMA. Samjaya continues narrating battle events to Dhritarashtra. In the story, Yudhishthira alarms his allies by leaving his chariot and walking right toward... (full context)

...his troops toward Bhima. The day once again ends with an advantage to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra interrupts the story to ask Samjaya why things are going so poorly, and Samjaya simply... (full context)

...killing 25,000 charioteers near the end of the day. The sixth day is similarly destructive. Dhritarashtra wonders why his strong, capable army is failing to make better progress. Samjaya says yet... (full context)

Samjaya describes to Dhritarashtra what happened on the battlefield, including the fierce rivalry between Drona and Drupada. Drupada gets... (full context)

THE INSTALLATION OF DRONA. Samjaya narrates to Dhritarashtra how, without Bhishma, the Kauravas struggled against the Pandavas in battle on the eleventh day... (full context)

After hearing of Drona’s death, Dhritarashtra is full of grief. He asks Samjaya to go back and tell him the story... (full context)

...Pandava chief. By the end of the day, Drona manages to slay Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu. Dhritarashtra interrupts the story to ask Samjaya to tell this part in more detail, which he... (full context)

...killing his charioteer. Duryodhana and Drona regroup, devoting all the Kaurava resources to protecting Jayadratha. Dhritarashtra interrupts Samjaya’s story to ask more about Bhima and Karna’s battle, so Samjaya tells it... (full context)

In Samjaya’s retelling, Bhima goes after Karna and manages to kill five of Dhritarashtra’s 100 sons. Karna manages to knock Bhima out of his chariot, but he refuses to... (full context)

...and dragged off the field of battle unconscious. Bhima manages to kill 10 more of Dhritarashtra’s 100 sons, as well as one of Karna’s brothers. (full context)

THE WEAPON OF NARAYANA. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to tell more about when Aśvatthaman heard about Drona’s death, and so Samjaya... (full context)

...his successor in command. But two days later, Karna dies at the hand of Arjuna. Dhritarashtra faints in dismay at this news, then asks Samjaya to tell him the story in... (full context)

...(the five brothers plus Satyaki and Krishna) and three Kauravas survive (Kripa, Kritarvarma and Aśvatthaman). Dhritarashtra is devastated by this report and asks Samjaya to tell him the whole story. (full context)

THE NIGHT-RAID. Samjaya continues telling the story of the war to Dhritarashtra. That night, after Duryodhana’s defeat, Aśvatthaman witnesses an owl hunting, and he gets the idea... (full context)

Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya why Aśvatthaman didn’t just do this earlier. Samjaya explains that the timing was... (full context)

...END OF GRIEF. Vaiśampayana tells Janamejaya what the Kauravas did after the death of Duryodhana. Dhritarashtra is full of grief, but Vidura tells him that the wise don’t grieve for too... (full context)

THE WOMEN. Dhritarashtra has Gandhari and the other women come to him. He tells them about the massacre... (full context)

When Dhritarashtra sees the Pandavas, he greets Yudhishthira with a hug, but Krishna anticipates that Dhritarashtra is... (full context)

THE OFFERINGS TO THE DEAD. Krishna advises Gandhari not to give in to grief. Dhritarashtra asks Yudhishthira to calculate the casualties, and Yudhishthira reports there are 1,660,020,000 dead and 24,165... (full context)

THE WATER OFFERINGS. Dhritarashtra, Yudhishthira, and the others go to the banks of the Ganga. There, the many grieving... (full context)

THE HORSE SACRIFICE. Still at the banks of the Ganga, Yudhishthira grieves, but Dhritarashtra tells him not to grieve since he himself has been even more foolish and suffered... (full context)

...The Pandavas rule over the earth for 15 years. Yudhishthira tries to make sure that Dhritarashtra doesn’t suffer any more grief than he already has. Bhima, however, remains defiant, and Dhritarashtra,... (full context)

After 15 years, Dhritarashtra asks Yudhishthira if he and Gandhari can go retire into the woods and lead a... (full context)

Before he goes, Dhritarashtra gives Yudhishthira advice on running a kingdom, with the biggest piece of advice being to... (full context)

Dhritarashtra sets a date to go live in the forest. Before he goes, he asks the... (full context)

At last, the time comes for Dhritarashtra and Gandhari to leave for the woods, and many residents of Hastinapura come out of... (full context)

...the forest for a visit. They happily reunite with Kunti, then they pay respects to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. There, they also meet up with Vidura, who is very thin and who... (full context)

THE VISION OF THE SONS. Vyasa comes to the hermitage and tells Dhritarashtra he knows the grief he must be suffering still. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari say that what... (full context)

Vaiśampayana continues the story. Although Dhritarashtra remains blind, Vyasa gives him sight of his dead sons’ true forms. Now Ugraśravas, who... (full context)

Honored by Astika’s words, Janamejaya now asks to hear more from Vaiśampayana about Dhritarashtra’s life in the forest. Back at the hermitage, Dhritarashtra sends the Pandavas away. Yudhishthira doesn’t... (full context)

...years later, Narada visits Yudhishthira. He reports on what he saw when he recently visited Dhritarashtra and the others in the forest. They increased their austerities, going without a proper home... (full context)

Mahabharata

Dhritarashtra Character Analysis

Dhritarashtra Quotes in Mahabharata

Chapter 2. The Hall Quotes

Chapter 11. The Women Quotes

Chapter 15. The Hermitage Quotes

Dhritarashtra Character Timeline in Mahabharata