धृतराष्ट्र उवाच ।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥१.१॥
Transliterationdhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya
Word meanings
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ uvācaDhritarashtra said
dharma-kṣetrein the field of dharma
kuru-kṣetreat Kurukshetra
samavetāḥgathered together
yuyutsavaḥeager to fight
māmakāḥmy own (sons)
pāṇḍavāḥthe sons of Pandu
ca evaand also
kimwhat
akurvatadid they do
sañjayaO Sanjaya
Translation
Dhritarashtra said:
"O Sanjaya, tell me—
on the field of dharma, at Kurukshetra,
assembled and ready for battle—
what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?"
Detailed meaning
The Gita opens in the palace at Hastinapura, not on the battlefield. Dhritarashtra, the blind king, cannot see the war for himself. The sage Vyasa has given his minister Sanjaya divine sight, so that he can describe everything as it happens. This is the only verse in the Gita spoken by Dhritarashtra.
Two words reveal his state of mind. He calls Kurukshetra dharma-kṣetra, “the field of dharma”, a sacred place where righteousness is tested. And he separates māmakāḥ, “my sons”, from pāṇḍavāḥ, “the sons of Pandu”, even though the Pandavas are his own nephews, whom he raised. The armies have gathered to fight, yet he asks, “what did they do?” Behind the question is a worried father, hoping that the sacred ground might somehow change the outcome.
Reflection
Before clarity comes, there is always confusion.
When we lose sight of reality, we start looking to others for direction.
The Bhagavad Gita begins not with an answer—but with a question.
In Bhagavad Gita Shloka 1.1, Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya what happened at Kurukshetra.
Standing at the threshold of the battle, he is unable to witness the battlefield himself and depends on Sanjaya to describe what is unfolding.
We experience moments like this too.
Sometimes confusion comes because we do not have enough information.
At other times, our fears or ego make it difficult to see the situation as it truly is.
We may look to other people for direction, reassurance or an explanation—hoping they can show us what we are unable or unwilling to recognise ourselves.
This shloka reminds us
Asking for guidance is not a weakness.
But real clarity begins with an honest admission:
I may not be seeing this clearly.
Before answers can arrive, we must first be honest about what we cannot see.
Ask yourself
What part of your life are you not seeing clearly?
The first step toward clarity is recognising that you cannot see clearly.
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