Question

Identify the character from the Mahabharata with the help of the following information and choose the correct option :
• He was the elder brother of Pandu.
• He was the king of Hastipur.
• He was the husband of Gandhari.

• A. Dushasa
• B. Duryodha
• C. Dhritarashtra
• D. Dushkar

Hint:

Dhritarashtra was the blind Kuru king whose biological blindness symbolically mirrored his blind attachment to his eldest son, Duryodha, triggering the Kurukshetra war.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The Mahabharata presents a dense lineage of the Kuru dysty. Understanding the genealogical connections between the characters is essential for alyzing the core structural rrative of the text.

Step 1: Reviewing the clues provided in the image
• Elder brother of Pandu: King Vichitravirya’s queens gave birth to Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Dhritarashtra was born blind, making him the older brother, while Pandu was the younger brother.
• King of Hastipur: Due to Dhritarashtra's blindness, Pandu initially assumed the throne. However, after Pandu's early demise, Dhritarashtra took charge as the ruling king of Hastipur.
• Husband of Gandhari: Dhritarashtra married Princess Gandhari of Gandhara, who chose to blindfold herself for life to share her husband's fate. They became the parents of the hundred Kauravas.

Step 2: Elimiting incorrect choices
• Duryodha and Dushasa were the sons of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, not the elders of Pandu.
• Dushkar was also one of the minor Kaurava brothers. Thus, the clues unmistakably identify Dhritarashtra.