Gandhari: The ideal chaste lady in the history of the world. She was the daughter of Maharaja Subala, the King of Gandhara (now Kandahar in Kabul), and in her maiden state she worshiped Lord Siva. Lord Siva is generally worshiped by Hindu maidens to get a good husband. Gandhari satisfied Lord Siva, and by his benediction to obtain one hundred sons, she was betrothed to Dhrutarastra, despite his being blind forever. When Gandhari came to know that her would-be husband was a blind man, to follow her life companion she decided to become voluntarily blind. So she wrapped up her eyes with many silk linens, and she was married to Dhrutarastra under the guidance of her elder brother Sakuni. She was the most beautiful girl of her time, and she was equally qualified by her womanly qualities, which endeared every member of the Kaurava court. But despite all her good qualities, she had the natural frailties of a woman, and she was envious of Kunti when the latter gave birth to a male child. Both the queens were pregnant, but Kunti first gave birth to a male child. Thus Gandhari became angry and gave a blow to her own abdomen. As a result, she gave birth to a lump of flesh only, but since she was a devotee of Vyasadeva, by the instruction of Vyasadeva the lump was divided into one hundred parts, and each part gradually developed to become a male child. Thus her ambition to become the mother of one hundred sons was fulfilled, and she began to nourish all the children according to her exalted position. When the intrigue of the Battle of Kuruksetra was going on, she was not in favor of fighting with the Pandavas; rather, she blamed Dhrutarastra, her husband, for such a fratricidal war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of Pandu and her own. She was very affected when all her sons died in the Battle of Kuruksetra, and she wanted to curse Bhimasena and Yudhisthira, but she was checked by Vyasadeva. Her mourning over the death of Duryodhana and Duhsasana before Lord Krishna was very pitiful, and Lord Krishna pacified her by transcendental messages. She was equally aggrieved on the death of Karna, and she described to Lord Krishna the lamentation of Karna’s wife. She was pacified by Srila Vyasadeva when he showed her dead sons, then promoted to the heavenly kingdoms. She died along with her husband in the jungles of the Himalayas near the mouth of the Ganges; she burned in a forest fire. Maharaja Yudhisthira performed the death ceremony of his uncle and aunt.
Ref >> Srila Prabhupada Vani
Jagannath Puri Hare Krishna Movement 