Gandhari

Gandhari (Sanskrit: गान्धारी, lit. 'of Gandhara', IAST: Gāndhārī) is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is introduced as a princess of the Gandhara Kingdom, the daughter of King Subala, and later becomes the queen of the Kuru Kingdom. Gandhari is married to Dhritarashtra, the blind king of Kuru, and in a symbolic gesture of solidarity, she voluntarily blindfolds herself for life. Blessed by the god Shiva and the sage Vyasa, she gives birth to one hundred sons through Vyasa's mystical intervention, collectively known as the Kauravas, with her eldest son, Duryodhana, emerging as a principal antagonist in the epic.

Besides her hundred sons, Gandhari also has a daughter, Dushala. Her brother, Shakuni, becomes a central figure in aiding Duryodhana's schemes against his cousins, the Pandavas. Gandhari is portrayed as a woman of great virtue and moral strength, who nonetheless struggles to dissuade her sons from their destructive path. She speaks out at pivotal moments in the narrative, including during the humiliation of Draupadi and peace talks before the Kurukshetra War. Despite condemning the actions of Duryodhana, the longstanding rivalry between the Kauravas and the Pandavas ultimately leads to the catastrophic Kurukshetra War, where all of Gandhari's sons perish.

After the war, she becomes the voice of women who suffer due to the devastation caused by the conflict. While she refrains from cursing the Pandavas, recognising the righteousness of their victory, her overwhelming grief drives her to curse Krishna, the Pandavas' counselor, whom she holds accountable for the war's devastation despite his divine ability to prevent it. She foretells the downfall of his Yadava dynasty. In the aftermath, Gandhari retires to the forest with other Kuru elders—Dhritarashtra, Vidura and Kunti—living her final days in austerity until she perishes in a forest fire.

Gandhari epitomizes the ideal of pativrata (devoted wife) in Hindu tradition, her intense asceticism believed to have granted her great spiritual power. Though initially a silent presence, she transforms into a powerful symbol of the anguish endured by women in times of war. Beyond the epic, she features in various adaptations and retellings. Her legacy endures as a testament to maternal love, conjugal fidelity, and selfless sacrifice.