The story of Sanjaya
Characters/Persons from Mahabharata

Mahabharata Characters Index

Sanjaya is a character from the ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata. In this story of warring families, the father of the principals of the Kaurava side is the blind king Dhritarashtra. His advisor and hence also his charioteer Sanjaya (who has the gift of seeing events at a distance granted by the rishi Vyasa) narrates to Dhritarshtra the action in the climactic battle of Kurukshetra, which includes the Bhagavad Gita. He had the unpleasant duty of breaking the news of the death of Dhritarashtra's hundred sons at the hands of Bhima at different points of time in the battle and offers the sorrowing king solace in his darkest hours. Sanjaya is known to be brutally frank in his recital of the day's battle events and his own opinions, (which usually would predict the utter destruction of the Kauravas at the hands of Arjuna and Krishna).

In the Bhagavad Gita, passages often start with the Sanskrit words "Sanjaya uvaacha:" ("Sanjaya said:"). The entire Bhagavad Gita (translates as The Song of God or God's song) is a recital of Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra of the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna.

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