Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 1, Verse 1

In Chapter 1, Verse 1 of the Bhagavad Gita, the blind King Dhritarashtra asks his charioteer, Sanjaya, about the happenings on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the armies of the Pandavas and the Kauravas are assembled for battle.

Here’s the verse:

“धृतराष्ट्र उवाच।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय।।” (Bhagavad Gita 1.1)

Translation:
“Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, assembled in the holy land of Kurukshetra and desiring to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?”

In this verse, Dhritarashtra, who is unable to witness the events himself due to his blindness, asks Sanjaya about the situation on the battlefield. He refers to Kurukshetra as “Dharmakshetra” (the field of righteousness) and “Kurukshetra” (the field of the Kurus), indicating the significance of the battlefield both in terms of its sacredness and its association with the Kurus, his own lineage.

This verse sets the stage for the dialogue that follows in the Bhagavad Gita and introduces the central theme of the epic, which is the struggle between righteousness and unrighteousness, duty and desire, as embodied by the conflict between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.