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S'RĪMAD BHAGAVADGĪTĀ
प्रथमोऽध्यायः
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच । धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः। मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत संजय ॥१॥
CHAPTER I. [In the present Mahābhārata, the tradition as to how the Gītā preached to Arjuna by Sri Krsna in the beginning of the Bhārati war, was subsequently promulgated, has been described as follows: In the beginning of the war, Vyāsa went to Dhrtarăstra and said to him, "If you desire to see the war, I will give you your eye-sight”.* But, Dhrtarăstra said that he did not wish to see the destruction of his own clan (kula). Thereupon, Vyāsa gave to a bard (sūta) named Sañjaya such spiritual eye-sight as would enable him to actually see everything that was taking place on the battle-field, while sitting where he as, and made arrangements that he should relate to Dhrtarăstra what was happening in the war, and then went away. (Ma. Bhā. Bhisma. 2). When, according to this arrangement, Sañjaya first went to give to Dhrtarāstra the news of the fall of Bhīsma in the war, Dhrtarăstra lamented the death of Bhisma and commanded Sanjaya to relate to him the entire history of the war. Sañjaya has first described the armies on both sides, and then started to recite the Gitā in answer to the question of Dhrtarăstra. The same history was later on related by Vyāsa to his disciples, and thereafter, by Vaišampāyana, one of those disciples, to Janamejaya, and finally by Sauti to Saunaka; and the Gītā is comprised in all the printed editions of the Mahābhārata, from the 25th to the 42nd chapters of the Bhismaparva. According to this tradition-]
Dhstarāstra said: (1) O Sañjaya, what did my sons * Dhịtarāstra was totally blind, having lost both his eyes-Trans.
