Gandhari

On the eve of the battle of Kurukshetra, Gandhari's eldest son, Duryodhana, came to her for her benediction. She did not say, "I pray for your victory!" or "Yours will be the victory!" She said, "Where there is dharma, victory will be there." She knew perfectly well that on the other side, the side of the Pandavas, was Yudhishthira, the son of dharma, dharma incarnate, who would win the victory.

Gandhari was the possessor of such a selfless heart. Something more: the present-day world observes her unique dharma in her unparalleled acceptance of her husband's fate. God gave Dhritarashtra no sight. And Gandhari proved her absolute oneness with her husband by binding her own eyes. She embraced blindness — a sacrifice worthy to be remembered and admired by humanity. She saw not the world without. The choice blessings of the world within showered on Gandhari.