The Bhagavad Gita opens with a question from the blind king Dhritarashtra to his minister Sanjaya: on the sacred field of Kurukshetra, what did his sons and the sons of Pandu do?
Sanskrit Verse
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच · Dhritarashtra said
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे
समवेता युयुत्सवः
मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव
किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ १-१ ॥
dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāścaiva
kimakurvata sañjaya
English transliteration dharmakshetre kurukshetre
samavetaa yuyutsavah
maamakaah paandavaashchaiva
kimakurvata sanjaya ॥ 1.1 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, on the field of dharma, on the field of Kurukshetra, my sons and the sons of Pandu assembled, eager to fight. What did they do?
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| धर्मक्षेत्रे dharmakṣetre | on the field of dharma dharma (righteousness, sacred order) + kṣetre (on the field) |
| कुरुक्षेत्रे kurukṣetre | on the field of Kurukṣetra |
| समवेताः samavetāḥ | assembled |
| युयुत्सवः yuyutsavaḥ | eager to fight |
| मामकाः māmakāḥ | my people, my sons |
| पाण्डवाः pāṇḍavāḥ | the sons of Pāṇḍu |
| च ca | and |
| एव eva | indeed |
| किम् kim | what |
| अकुर्वत akurvata | did they do |
| सञ्जय sañjaya | O Sañjaya |
Word-wise Chanting
- dhar–ma–kṣet–re ku–ru–kṣet–re 8 syllables dhar-ma-kshet-re ku-ru-kshet-re
- sa–ma–ve–tā yu–yut–sa–vaḥ | 8 syllables sa-ma-ve-taa yu-yut-sa-vah
- mā–ma–kāḥ pāṇ–ḍa–vāś–cai–va 8 syllables maa-ma-kaah paan-da-vaash-chai-va
- ki–ma–kur–va–ta sañ–ja–ya || 1-1 8 syllables ki-ma-kur-va-ta san-ja-ya
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 1 Verse 1
Context
This is the first verse of the Gita. The blind king Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya, who has been granted divine sight by the sage Vyasa, to describe what is happening on the battlefield. Everything that follows is Sanjaya’s report of the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna.
Meaning
The first verse of the Gita is a question asked by a man who cannot see. Dhritarashtra is physically blind, but the verse quietly shows a deeper blindness: he speaks of “my sons” and “the sons of Pandu,” dividing one family into his own and the others. The partiality that will drive the war is already present in his grammar. Before a single arrow flies, the conflict exists as a division in the mind.
The field is named twice, as dharmakṣetra and kurukṣetra, the field of dharma and the field of action. Read inwardly, this is the field of every human life, where duty and desire, clarity and attachment meet. The whole teaching that follows is Krishna’s answer to the question hidden here: how can a person act rightly when the heart is divided? The Gita begins with confusion so that it can end with clarity.
In Practice
Before a difficult conversation or decision, notice where your mind divides people into “mine” and “theirs.” Then ask what you would see if you looked at the whole field.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.