Minister of धृतराष्ट्र .

Birth

सञ्जय , who was equal to a hermit, was born as the son of सूत from a portion of गवल्गण . [mh-1-68-93 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

The boon of सञ्जय

सञ्जय who was born within the circle of the friends of the कौरवस् , became the minister of धृतराष्ट्र . The great work that सञ्जय did in महाभारत was, telling धृतराष्ट्र every thing that was taking place in the battle-field without leaving even the smallest events in the order of their occurrence. सञ्जय was able to do this because of the boon granted by व्यास .

When the armies of the कौरवस् and the पाण्डवस् pitched their camps on either side of the battlefield, वेदव्यास came to हस्तिनापुर and saw धृतराष्ट्र . धृतराष्ट्र heard about the preparations on either side for the battle. He did not like to go to the battle-field and see for himself the events of the battle. He said so to व्यास . Then व्यास called सञ्जय to him and said "Sañjaya shall see all the events of the battle directly. He shall have such a divine inward eye." Vyāsa continued. "O king! Sañjaya has inward eyes. He will tell you everything about the battle. He will be knowing all. Whenever he thinks of it he will see everything that takes place in the day and in the night in open, and in secret. No weapon will cut him and no weariness will affect him. He is the son of गवल्गण and will come away unhurt from the battle."

Because of this blessing सञ्जय used to inform धृतराष्ट्र of all the events in the battle at the time of the occurrence. सञ्जय informed धृतराष्ट्र of the news up to the death of दुर्योधन . When दुर्योधन was killed the cry of अश्वत्थामा grew louder. सञ्जय who heard this cry early in the morning, ran to the battlefield with a broken heart. With the death of दुर्योधन the boon of inward eye given to सञ्जय by व्यास was lost. [mh-6-2-1 ] Mahābhārata • Bhīṣma parva • [mh-10-9-1 ] Mahābhārata • Sauptika parva .

Other details

सञ्जय stood as the host in the राजसूय sacrifice of युधिष्ठिर , and received the guests and showed them hospitality. [mh-2-35-6 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva .

When the पाण्डवस् were defeated in the game of dice and were sent to the forest सञ्जय came to धृतराष्ट्र and reviled him. [mh-2-81-5 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva .

विदुर got angry because the पाण्डवस् were sent to live in the forest, and leaving the कौरवस् he also went to the forest. Knowing that विदुर was in the काम्यक forest, धृतराष्ट्र sent सञ्जय and brought विदुर back. [mh-3-6-5 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

श्री कृष्ण and the others vowed at the काम्यकवन to kill दुर्योधन . Sañjaya gave धृतराष्ट्र a detailed description of that Vow. [mh-3-51-15 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

धृतराष्ट्र sent सञ्जय to learn about the welfare of the पाण्डवस् who had returned after completing the forest life and Pseudonymity. [mh-5-23-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय went to the court of the पाण्डवस् and gave the message of धृतराष्ट्र to them. [mh-5-25-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय who had returned from the court of the पाण्डवस् , informed धृतराष्ट्र of the news and reproached him much. [mh-5-32-11 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय repeated the message of अर्जुन in the court of the कौरवस् . [mh-5-48-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय told धृतराष्ट्र , who the prominent helpers of युधिष्ठिर , were. [mh-5-50-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva null .

सञ्जय advised धृतराष्ट्र to put दुर्योधन under control. [mh-5-54-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय gave दुर्योधन a description of the horses and the chariots of the पाण्डवस् . [mh-5-56-7 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय repeated the message of अर्जुन to धृतराष्ट्र . [mh-5-66-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

सञ्जय described to धृतराष्ट्र the greatness of श्री कृष्ण . [mh-5-68-1 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva (68-70) .

सञ्जय told धृतराष्ट्र the fact that the पाण्डवस् and the कौरवस् had pitched their tents in the battlefield of कुरुक्षेत्र . [mh-5-159-8 ] Mahābhārata • Udyoga parva .

At this time व्यास came there and gave सञ्जय the boon that he would see directly every thing that took place in the battlefield and would inform धृतराष्ट्र . [mh-6-2-10 ] Mahābhārata • Bhīṣma parva .

सञ्जय informed धृतराष्ट्र of the good qualities of the earth, the island of सुदर्शन , the death of भीष्म , and so on. [mh-6-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Bhīṣma parva • [mh-7-1-1 ] Mahābhārata • Droṇa parva (Both references start from the first chapter and verse) .

सञ्जय gave the names of every one who was killed on the side of the कौरवस् . [mh-8-5-1 ] Mahābhārata • Karṇa parva .

सञ्जय reported to धृतराष्ट्र about those who died on the side of the पाण्डवस् also. [mh-8-6-1 ] Mahābhārata • Karṇa parva .

सञ्जय told धृतराष्ट्र about those who were alive on the side of the कौरवस् . [mh-8-7-1 ] Mahābhārata • Karṇa parva .

सात्यकि took सञ्जय as a captive. [mh-9-25-57 ] Mahābhārata • Śalya parva .

Due to the blessings of व्यास सञ्जय escaped from the captivity of सात्यकि . [mh-9-27-39 ] Mahābhārata • Śalya parva .

सञ्जय consoled धृतराष्ट्र . [mh-11-1-23 ] Mahābhārata • Strī parva .

युधिष्ठिर entrusted सञ्जय with the duty of post-war-reconstructions. [mh-12-41-11 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva .

Towards the close of his life सञ्जय went with धृतराष्ट्र and गान्धारी to the forest. [mh-15-15-8 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva .

On the first day of this journey to the forest, they reached the basin of the river गन्गेस् . On that day सञ्जय made the bed for धृतराष्ट्र . [mh-15-18-19 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva .

सञ्जय introduced the wives of the पाण्डवस् to the hermits. [mh-15-25-1 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva .

On reaching the forest सञ्जय observed complete fast for two days. [mh-15-37-13 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva .

सञ्जय always walked close behind धृतराष्ट्र and in places of ups and downs he led the King by the hand. [mh-15-37-16 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva .

The End

While Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the others were walking along the forest a jungle-fire was seen. Instantly it encircled them. Dhṛtarāṣṭra cried out to Sañjaya to run for his life. But Sañjaya did not like to forsake them in that danger. Dhṛtarāṣṭra said that since they had left home and country there was no wrong in dying by jungle fire. At last yielding to the compulsion of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Sañjaya ran away from the jungle-fire. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, गान्धारी and कुन्ती died in the wild-fire. Sañjaya reached the basin of the Ganges and informed the hermits of the death of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the others, and then went to the हिमालय s. [mh-15-37-19 ] Mahābhārata • Āśramavāsika parva

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A prince of the country called सौवीर . It is stated in महाभारत , वन पर्व , Chapter 265, Verse 10, that it was this prince सञ्जय who carried the flag and walked in front of जयद्रथ , on his journey to carry away पाञ्चाली . In the fight which ensued Arjuna killed this सञ्जय . [mh-3-271-27 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva

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Another prince of the country of सौवीर . विदुला was the mother of this prince. This prince once ran away from the battle-field and by the instigation of his mother went to the battlefield again. This story occurs in महाभारत , उद्योग पर्व , Chapter 16.