The sage Vyasa enquired of Dhritarashtra, the blind father of the Kauravas, if he desired to see the events and have a first-hand knowledge of the forthcoming battle, from the battle’s birth to the battle’s death. The sage was more than willing to grant the blind man vision. But Dhritarashtra did not want his eyes – the eyes that had failed him all his life – to obey his command at this terribly fateful hour for his conscience and his kingdom’s life, especially when his own sons were heading for destruction. He declined Vyasa’s kind offer. His heart was ruthlessly tortured by the imminent peril of his kinsmen. However, he requested the sage to grant the boon to someone else from whom he could get faultless reports of the battle. Vyasa consented. He conferred upon Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra’s charioteer, the miraculous psychic power of vision to see the incidents taking place at a strikingly great distance.

From ‘Tales of the Mahabharata’ by Sri Chinmoy

Published by Citadel Books

More stories from The Mahabharata

1. The source of the Mahabharata’s
2. The Family Tree
3. Arjuna’s choice
4. Ashwatthwama
5. Balarama
6. Dhritarashtra
7. In the Forest
8. Vishma’s Birth
9. Yayati