Gandhari (character)
| Gandhari | |
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| Mahabharata character | |
Gandhari receiving boon from Vyasa
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| Personal Information | |
| Spouse(s) | Dhritarashtra |
| Children | Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna, 97 other sons and Duhsala (daughter) |
| Parent(s) |
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Gandhari (Sanskrit: गांधारी) is a prominent character in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. She was the wife of Dhritrashtra, the blind king of Hastinapura, and the mother of a hundred sons, the Kauravas.
As a pativratha (devoted wife) without parallel, Gandhari is regarded as an epitome of virtue, and is among the most respected moral forces in the epic. She was not only married to a blind man, but at the time of her wedding, she resolved to spend the remainder of her life as a blind woman herself, in order to share the debility and pain of her husband. For the rest of her life, she kept a cloth tied to her eyes and thus deprived herself of the power of sight. At certain critical junctures, she gave advice to her husband which was impeccable from a moral standpoint; she never wavered in her adherence to dharma (righteousness), even to a very bitter end. She was fated to witness the death of all her hundred sons within the space of 18 days, during the Great War between them and their cousins; she then retired with her husband to spend her last days in a forest hermitage.
As a maiden, Gandhari was noted for her piety and virtuous nature. Gandhari is regarded as an incarnation of Mati, the goddess of wisdom. She was born on earth as the daughter of Subala, king of Gandhara (the Kandahar region, which spans present-day northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan), and was named 'Gandhari' by her father in honour of his land. She is also referred to in various places in the epic as Gandhara-raja-duhita (daughter of the Gandhara king), Saubaleyi, Saubali, Subalaja, Subala-putri and Subalatmaja (all meaning 'daughter of Subala'). She was sister of Shakuni.
Gandhari's marriage was arranged to Dhritarashtra, the eldest prince of the Kuru kingdom, a region in Delhi and Haryana region. The Mahabharata depicted her as a beautiful and virtuous woman and a very dedicated wife. Gandhari was married with Dhritarashtra, king of Hastinapur. Their marriage was arranged by Bhishma. When she found it out that her would-be husband was born blind, she decided to blindfold herself in order to be like her husband. What was going through the young girl's mind when she found it out that she was going to marry a blind man is not depicted in the epic. Popular narration said that the act of blindfolding herself was a sign of dedication and love. On the other hand, Irawati Karve and many modern scholars debated that the act of blindfolding was an act of protest against Bhishma, as he forced her father to give away her hand in marriage with the blind prince of Hastinapur.
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