Dhritraashtra was the son of Ambikaa and Vyaas. When Vichitraveerya, the son of Shaantanu died early leaving his widow without any child, Satyavatee had a problem of an heir for Hastinaapur. She requested to Bheeshm but Bheeshm reminded her of his vow. Then she approached her eldest son Ved Vyaas to help her. Ved Vyaas Jee came and he produced three sons from Vichitraveerya's widows - Dhritraashtra from Ambikaa, Paandu from Ambaalikaa, and Vidur from Ambikaa's maid. Since Ambikaa got frightened seeing Ved Vyaas Jee and she closed her eyes, she gave birth to a blind son. Thus Dhritraashtra was born blind. He was educated by Bheeshm himself.

When Bheeshm brought the three brothers - Dhritraashtra, Paandu and Vidur to introduce to their mothers and grandmother, and they had to choose a king among them, he was dropped off because of being blind, Vidur was dropped off because of being a maid's son, and Paandu was declared the King of Hastinaapur. Since that day Dhritraashtra felt that how big Shaap is to be blind. He continued to burn in this fire till he lived.

Satyavatee was worried about his marriage, but Bheeshm had already searched a very good and faithful wife for him - the princess of Gaandhaar Desh, Gaandhaaree. She was so faithful to her husband that she tied a cloth strip on her eyes saying that she has no right to see that world which her husband cannot see.

Paandu was married to Kuntee and then he went to expand his kingdom. After returning from the battles he went to forest to take some rest. At that time he appointed Dhritraashtra as his representative King. Dhritraashra got very happy to wear the crown. Later when Paandu had killed a Rishi and he had to go for Praayashchit, he again appointed Dhritraashtra as his representative King.

Unfortunately, because of Rishi's Shaap, Paandu died in the forest itself and since both children, Paandu's children and his own children, were still very young, he continued to act as the representative King of Paandu. But throughout this period he had developed a kind of attachment with the crown, and he was not feeling easy to remove it from his head, although Bheeshm and Vidur had several times reminded him that the Hastinaapur throne belonged to Paandu and now after Paandu it belonged to his eldest son Yudhishthir, and not to Duryodhan.

So when the children had grown up and the time came to announce for the Crown Prince, he was very hesitant to announce Yudhishthir as the Crown Prince, but he had to.

There are two most important events of his life --
(1) When Duryodhan and Yudhishthir were playing Chausar, he never intervened in Duryodhan's affairs, rather somewhat encouraged them, however wrong were they, like setting the rules of the games, misbehavior with Draupadee, misbehavior with Paandav, cheating in the game etc.

(2) The second one was when the war was over and Krishn and Paandav came to him to meet him and to console him on the death of his sons, he had the feeling of enmity with Bheem. Krishn had already known it, so when they were coming He got an iron statue of Bheem and when all greeted him by touching his feet, he preferred to embrace Bheem saying that he had no bad feeling towards him. Krishn gave him that iron statue to embrace and he embraced him so powerfully that it broke into his arms. He thought he killed Bheem, so he was sorry for Bheem; then he was told that "you did not kill Bhem, it was only his statue" and asked real Bheem to touch his feet.

In the last, when the war was over, he could not leave the attachment with his kingdom. He lived with Yudhishthir for several years. Then Vidur reminded him that he was living with and was dependent on those people who had killed his all sons. Then he decided to leave the kingdom and went to forest where he lived for about seven years. Later he died in a jungle fire. As Gaandhaaree and Kuntee also went with him, they both also died in the same jungle fire.