3. Bhagavad Gita Online Course – Chapter 1, Verse 1 (Why We Go Against Ethics)

The Bhagavad Gita begins with the blind king Dhritarashtra asking his charioteer Sanjaya what his people, the Kauravas, and the Pandavas did as they gathered on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, eager to fight. The text provides context, explaining that the war arose from Duryodhana's jealousy of the Pandavas, leading him to defeat them through a game of dice and exile them, until the Pandavas‘ return sparked an inevitable conflict that Dhritarashtra did not attempt to stop, despite knowing his sons were on the side of unrighteousness. The text examines three possible reasons for Dhritarashtra‘s inaction: his “my family, my self-interests” mentality that blinded him to the larger context; various psychological biases like confirmation bias and status quo bias; and his own unfulfilled desire to be king, leading to a “victim mode” psychology. The text also suggests Dhritarashtra failed to recognize the war as part of Ishvara's (God's) order, and that his emotional connection to his relatives prevented him from seeing the interconnected nature of the world, in contrast with the example of Adi Shankara's debate where his opponent's wife remained impartial. The overview concludes by noting that the next verse will describe Sanjaya's response to Dhritarashtra's question.See notes for this session at: https://www.yesvedanta.com/bg2/