1.1 — Before the teaching, a question
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Production preview: AI-assisted narration and devotional illustration. Independent Sanskrit pronunciation and iconography review is pending. Faces, clothing and staging are artistic reconstructions, not certified historical likenesses. English meanings and everyday reflections are our own editorial wording.
Speaker: Dhritarashtra, addressing Sanjaya. Reference: Bhagavad Gita 1.1.
The Sanskrit
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय॥१॥
Roman transliteration
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya
Brief meaning, in our own words
Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya what his sons and the Pandavas did after assembling, ready for battle, on the sacred field of Kurukshetra.
Our everyday reflection
When a disagreement concerns people we love, we may find it difficult to listen fairly. Before deciding who is right, try to describe what happened without adding a judgement.
What do I know, and what am I assuming?
This reflection is an invitation from Dharma In You, not a literal translation of the verse.
Read the complete narration transcript
Before Krishna teaches Arjuna, the Bhagavad Gita opens with a question from King Dhritarashtra to Sanjaya. Two armies have gathered at Kurukshetra. The king asks what happened there.
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच।
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय॥
Brief meaning, in our own words. Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya what his sons and the Pandavas did after assembling, ready for battle, on the sacred field of Kurukshetra.
Notice the setting before searching for a lesson. These are people within a family conflict, facing a terrible decision. The Gita will unfold through questions, responses, and a change in understanding.
Here is our everyday reflection. When a disagreement concerns people we love, we may find it difficult to listen fairly. Before deciding who is right, try to describe what happened without adding a judgement.
Today, ask yourself: what do I know, and what am I assuming?
This reflection is an invitation from Dharma in You. It is not a literal translation of the verse. In the next passage, Sanjaya begins his reply.
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Version 1 · 8 October 2026. Corrections are welcome at connect@dharmainyou.com.