What is dhritrashtra?

Dhritrashtra was a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata. He was the son of Vichitravirya and Ambika, and the half-brother of Pandu. He became the king of Hastinapur after the death of his brother Pandu, who had no children. Dhritrashtra was born blind, and as a result, he was not eligible to become the king under the laws of the time. He agreed to let his younger brother Pandu become the king, and he became the regent of Hastinapur instead.

Dhritrashtra was married to Gandhari, who voluntarily blinded herself to share his condition. They had one hundred sons together, known as the Kauravas, who became the main antagonists in the Mahabharata. Dhritrashtra was deeply attached to his sons, despite their evil deeds, and he refused to see reason even when his advisors and family members urged him to do so.

After the death of his sons in the Kurukshetra war, Dhritrashtra renounced his kingdom and retired to the forest with his wife Gandhari. Eventually, he died in a forest fire caused by his son Duryodhana's curse.