And, here I was under the impression that comparisons with BRC MB in any form was strictly frowned upon in this forum (some users on this forum apparently seem to get extremely worked up whenever the old MB is mentioned, for whatever reason).
Anyway, here is my take -
Dhritarashtra always held his blindness responsible for his persistent inaction. Since old MB has been mentioned by other users, I'll also make a reference to the old MB -
Dhritarashtra's two favourite dialogues in old MB were "Mein kya karoon?" (what can I do?) and "Yeh netraheen Dhritarashtra aur kar bhi kya sakta hai?" (what more can this blind Dhritarashtra even do?)
And both these dialogues were uttered with utmost helplessness.
Dhritarashtra also suffered from putramoh (unhealthy attachment) towards Duryodhan. Dhritarashtra was always regarded as Pandu's substitute on the throne - something that he never really accepted. And since Dhritarashtra was denied the throne, he wanted Duryodhan to achieve what he himself couldn't - becoming the king of Hastinapur per se (not just a substitute). And therefore, he NEVER uttered a word against his own son, no matter what the circumstances.
Bharat (NOT Ram's brother, but the king after whom our country "Bhaarat" is named) had started the principle of appointing the "most worthy" person as his successor (even if that "worthy" person was a commoner, and not his own son). Bharat was the king, but he believed in democracy. By the time, Shantanu became king, all these democratic principles were completely forgotten, and the eldest son was automatically assumed to be the "defacto" yuvraj and future king - "worthiness" or not. Also, Satyavati's FATHER's condition of her own sons becoming the future rulers of Hastinapur (& Devavrat's brahmachari oath) worsened this situation even further.
A time came when the eldest son (the "defacto" yuvraj, if you like) was born blind. And his younger brother became the king. Granted, the younger brother himself did not enjoy good health. Then again, anything is better for a king than literally being blind. And, judging from Dhritarashtra's lackadaisical attitude and passivity throughout the story, he wasn't just born blind, he lacked vision in a "figurative sense" as well...
What Dhritarashtra (and his sons) NEVER realized was that becoming the king (or the yuvraj) is a huge responsibility as well - and not just a right. The Pandavas learnt this the hard way during their vanvaas and agyatvaas. Whereas the Kauravas lacked foresight completely, nicely enjoying themselves in Hastinapura during the vanvaas and agyaatvaas of the Pandavas. And, they must've never imagined in their wildest dreams how hard the Pandavas would come at them post-vanvaas and agyaatvaas, resulting in the Kurukshetra war.
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