धृतराष्ट्र उवाच:
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय।।
Meaning
Dhritarashtra, the blind king of Hastinapur, speaks to his charioteer Sanjaya and asks:
“In the sacred land of Kurukshetra, the field of dharma (righteousness), where my sons and the sons of Pandu have gathered, eager to fight, what did they do, O Sanjaya?”
Word to Word Meaning
धृतराष्ट्र – Dhritarashtra, the ruler of Kuru Kingdom
उवाच: – Spoke, said
धर्मक्षेत्रे – Field of Dharma, Place of duty
कुरुक्षेत्रे – Field of Kurukshetra, battlefield, place of battle that was in area that belonged to Kuru Dynasty
समवेता – Assembled
युयुत्सवः – ready for battle
मामकाः – My sons
पाण्डवाश्चैव – And sons of Pandavas
किमकुर्वत- What are they doing?
सञ्जय – Dhritarashtra’s advisor and charioteer, who was blessed with divine vision to narrate the battle to Dhritarashtra.
Widely Accepted Interpretations
- Dhritarashtra’s Perspective: Dhritarashtra fears the outcome of battle as he is still attached to his sons.
- He is also facing a moral and ethical dilemma as he is attached to his sons despite of their wrong actions.
- Dharamkshetra and Inner-battle: Kurukshetra is mentioned as dharamkshetra, it is a symbol to see war not only as a battle for territory but also as a battle between righteousness and unrighteousness.
- It is also seen as a battle between good and evil inside a person which takes form of inner struggle.