Who all heard the Gita – why were Sanjaya and Dhritarashtra able to hear?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Question.
How many people were able to hear the Bhagavad Gita? Why did Krishna allow Sanjaya and Dhritarashtra to listen to it specifically? Answer. Yes, the Bhagavad Gita was spoken in public. That means it was in public view.
Prabhupada explains in one of the chapters of the first, one of the purports of the first two chapters that the fact the Bhagavad Gita was spoken in public, it means that it was meant for everyone. However, at the same time, on the war field, senayor ubhayor madhyaratham sthapane achyuta, in 1.21 Krishna, Arjuna tells Krishna, bring the chariot in between the two armies. So they were at a substantial distance, the two armies.
And when Arjuna came in between, they had conversation at a normal voice. So the remaining soldiers and warriors, they could see that some serious discussion is happening between these two people and Bhishma signalled, Bhishma was the commander of the Kauravas and Bhishma signalled, stop, don’t attack right now. And they all stopped out of respect.
And as per the war codes, when the commander told them to stop, they stopped. And now specifically, so only on the war field, it was only Arjuna who was able to hear Krishna’s message. And before the start of the war, Dhritarashtra, Vyasadev had come to meet Dhritarashtra to try to give him good counsel.
And when Dhritarashtra felt that I cannot do anything to change Duryodhana’s mind, then Vyasadev told him, then war is inevitable. And Vyasadev asked him, if you want to see the war, I will give you the eyes to see it. And at that time, Dhritarashtra said that no.
He had this stinking fear, he had this stifling fear, chilling fear that actually his sons will die. So he said, I was never able to see my sons alive. I don’t want to see them die.
But I want to know what is happening in the war. Then at that time, his assistant Sanjay was there. And Vyasadev told him, I will give him the mystic vision by which he will be able to see and he will be able to hear and he will be able to tell you.
So, it was Krishna who arranged through Vyasadev for Dhritarashtra to hear through Sanjay. Now this arrangement was made because Dhritarashtra, although he was attached to someone who was evil, Dhritarashtra himself was not as evil as was Duryodhana. And Krishna wanted to give a chance to Dhritarashtra to recover.
And that recovery, that freedom from attachment of Dhritarashtra eventually happened when Vidura came and instructed him. So this opportunity for Sanjay and Dhritarashtra to hear