All the efforts went in vain from all the scholars and elders to reconcile the animosity between Kauravas and Pandavas. Even the effort of Lord Krishna, the embodiment of the Godhead, was not fructified. Instead of reducing the fire of hostility, its flames took an inextinguishable form. At last, an unprecedented war took place between Kauravas and Pandavas over the distribution of the family property. And the great fortune of the Kuru dynasty and prestigious lineage of emperor Bharat became SWAHA in the pit of the fire of hostility.
Once, the land of Kurukshetra was irrigated by the blood of King Kuru for continuing the incessant supply of food to his subjects. The same bloodline, for quenching their lust and safeguarding their arrogance, converted Kurukshetra into the crematorium. Lust is like the water of an ocean. The way, the ocean is never filled with the water of all the rivers, the lust is never filled.
At the time of the foundation of the war, the king of Hastinapur was Dhritarashtra. He was a blind king. This blindness is metaphoric. He was blinded by his extra attachment to his sons and the throne. Without knowing what is good for Hastinapur, who would be the ideal king of Hastinapur after him, he was supporting all the activities of his sons blindly. He could not see the difference between the righteous and unrighteous act, the Dharma and Adharma. He did not care for the welfare of his subjects. He did not have a vision. That is the reason, he is depicted as a blind king.
There is no difference between a blind man and a king without a vision. Whatever is explained to a blind man, he accepts it, because, he does not have any other way to verify it, his belief of the explainer becomes his reality, the same is true for a king without a vision. Without proper guidance, both fall miserably.
Dhritarashtra was always emotionally misguided by his elder son Duryodhan. In the presence of such king, the annihilation of the kingdom is certain. A war took place, 100 sons of Dhrishtrashtra were killed. Pandavas won the battle. The eldest of Pandavas, Yudhishthira was made a king of Hastinapur. Dhritarashtra was dethroned. But, what happened to Dhritarashtra after that? Where did he go? And how did he die?
King Yudhisthira respectfully invited the parents of Kauravas in his palace. All the Pandavas were respectful to his uncle Dhritarashtra except Bhima. Bhima used to keep reminding him the death of his sons. And explaining how callously he killed his sons in the war of Kurukshetra. Even at the time of food, whenever Dhritarashtra used to eat meat and cracking the bones of meat between his teeth, Bhima used to mock Dhritarashtra – “the same sound I got when I broke the bones of your favorite son Duryodhan”.
That become unbearable for Dhritarashtra, who had lost his kingdom, his sons, his grandsons, his son-in-law, everything. He was a Kshatriya. And for a Kshatriya, dishonor is worse than death. One day, he decided to leave the palace of King Yudhisthira and dwell in the forest. At least, he could die peacefully there. He was accompanied by his wife Gandhari, Sanjay and Pandava`s mother Kunti to the forest.
One day, the same forest was caught by the fire. Sanjay tried to save them by showing the way out of the forest. But Dhritarashtra showed his reluctant to come out of the forest. Instead, he chose to die there in the forest fire. All four sat in a meditative posture in the middle of the forest and their mortal bodies were engulfed by the forest fire.
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