Introduction, Part II

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Once, Duryodhana, the Chief of the Kauravas, invited

Yudhistira, the eldest of the Pandavas, for a game of

dice. The invitation was accepted by Yudishtira and

in the game he was easily defeated by Duryodhana by

fraudulent means. As a result, Yudhistira lost his

kingdom and all his possessions. Finally it was

settled that the Pandavas should live in the forest

for 12 years in exile and should further remain

incognito for a period of one year, untraced by the

Kauravas. After successfully completing the thirteen

years the Pandavas, as per the terms of the agreement,

approached the Kauravas and claimed their share of the

kingdom. But Duryodhana, intoxicated by power and

greed, flatly refused to give them their kingdom.

With a desire to settle the issue peacefully, the

Pandavas, abandoning their claim for the whole

kingdom, asked for only five villages. But the

arrogant Duryodhana did not even concede to that

request. He refused to part with even an inch of land

without fighting. Finally the Pandavas were forced to

take to arms to regain their lost kingdom. Thus both

the Kauravas and the Pandavas mobilised their troops

and took positions on the battle-field of Kurukshetra

for the final battle.

 

Dhrtarastra knew that Duryodhana, his eldest son was

very wicked and it was only through deceitful means

that the Pandava Kingdom was usuruped by him. But

Dhrtarastra had a weakness. He was so fond of

Duryodhana that he could not stop him from indulging

in nefarious acts aimed at the destruction of the

Pandavas. In fact he blindly allowed his unscrupulous

son to act as he wished. Dhrtarastra's moral

blindness was indeed more terrible than the blindness

of his eyes.

 

When both sides were prepared to commence the battle,

the sage Vyasa approached the blind Dhrtarastra to

offer him the power of sight so that he might see the

events of the war. But as Dhrtarastra was very

certain that in the war only Dharma (righteousness)

would win and his wicked sons would be totally

destroyed, he did not wish to have his eye-sight as he

could not bear to see the slaughter of his own

children. But he wished to hear the developments on

the battle-field. Thereafter, sage Vyasa bestowed on

Sanjaya, Dhrtarastra's trusted minister, the power to

see intuitively all the events of the war, and asked

him to faithfully report them to his blind master.

 

The war began. Sri Krishna, one of the greatest

incarnations of God, was the charioteer of Arjuna, the

mightiest of the Pandavas. After the ten days of

continued war, Bhishma, the Field Marshall of the

Kaurava army, was thrown down from his chariot by

Arjuna. Sanjaya communicated the news of the fall of

Bhishma to Dhrtarastra. Then the blind king in agony

asked Sanjay to tell him full details of the war from

the beginning. Thus commences the Bhagavad Gita.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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