धृतराष्ट्र उवाच ।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सव: । ।
मामका: पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ।। १.१ ।।

Dhṛtrāṣṭra-uvāca ।
dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsava: | ।
māmakā: pāṇḍavāścaiva kimakurvata sañjaya ।। 1.1 ।।

 King Dhritarashtra said:

O Sanjaya, having assembled in Kurukshetra,
an abode of austerity and righteousness, what
did my sons and those of Pandu, ambitious
as they were to fight, do?

Note : When the unprecedented Mahabharata war was in the offing, Sage Vyasa, went to the palace of his biological son Dhritarashtra, born blind, to tell him: “If you wish to see the great war directly, I shall gift you with a divine vision for the purpose. Dhritarashtra replied: “Which father would like to see his sons fall one after another in the warfield. So I do not want any divine vision.”

Then Vyasadeva shovered Sanjaya with a divine power to move freely anywhere in the warfield and war camps unseen and unhurt to see what all transpire in detail, and then report it all to the King.

Kurukshetra had the reputation of being Dharmakshetra, meaning it was a place where Kuru, Dhritarashtra’s predecessor, did prolonged austerity. The holy effect filled Kurukshetra. The war fought there could not be unrighteous or improper.

Sanjaya, the trusted minister, accordingly began to narrate to the King the greatness and glory of India, the huge mountains and holy rivers, pilgrim centres and other legendary details. The war suddenly began, and he rushed to Kurukshetra. He remained there involved in witnessing the developments in detail. Nine days passed. 10th day, the great invincible grandfather Bheeshma, hit by Arjuna’s darts, fell from the chariot. It was unbearable to Sanjaya. He ran to the King to report the event. Hearing the news, Dhritarashtra lost all mental balance. He had a number of doubts, questions and enquiries.

How could Arjuna, moral and ethical as the Pandava brothers were, think of doing such a heinous act? Did he not have any doubts or resistance in the matter? Can mere war inspiration perpetrate such cruelty on the benign gransfather? How could the great-willed grandfather welcome the assault meekly? How did Arjuna resolve the crisis? Of course, Krishna, the Master Knower is there by his side. And he is quite capable of dealing with any situation and instruct Arjuna. Did anything like that transpire before the actual battling? If it did, Sanjaya, let me know all about it, so that my heart will also find consolation and resolve, to hear your further war narrations.

It was in this strain that Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya the way the first verse of BG presents.

Of the 700 verses of BG, this is the only one the blind king speaks. The enquiry is pregnant and profound. It sets the tone and content of the dialogue.

Kurukshetra had the reputation of being Dharma kshetra, the land and abode of Dharma, the science of ethics and propriety in life. Dhritarashtra’s predecessor Kuru had done prolonged austerity (tapasya) there, the sublime spiritual effects of which were still lingering in the place. As the war was fought in such a holy and austere place, it could not be in violation of dharma and ethics. Surely there was something beyond the visible factors about the war. The blind King wishes to hear the ethical relevance of Arjuna hitting his Grandfather, who had no enmity towards him, and who instead was blessing his team for victory. Everything takes place in such an abode as Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra can only be in ethical order and harmony.