Dhritarashtra (Sanskrit: धृतराष्ट्र, romanized: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is also attested in the Yajurveda, where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya.

According to the Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra’s birth was the result of the ancient practice of Niyoga. After Vichitravirya died childless, his half-brother Vyasa fathered children with Vichitravirya’s widows to continue the Kuru lineage. Dhritarashtra was born blind to Vichitravirya’s elder queen, Ambika. Despite being the eldest, his blindness disqualified him from inheriting the throne, which passed to his younger half-brother, Pandu. However, after Pandu renounced the throne and retired to the forest, Dhritarashtra assumed kingship of the Kuru kingdom, albeit as a nominal ruler heavily influenced by his grandsire, Bhishma, and his eldest son, Duryodhana.

Dhritarashtra married Gandhari, a devoted wife who, in a gesture of solidarity, blindfolded herself for life to share in her husband's blindness. Together, they had one hundred sons, known as the Kauravas, and a daughter, Dushala. Throughout his reign, Dhritarashtra struggled with the conflicting roles of father and king. His deep affection for Duryodhana, often clouded his judgment, leading him to overlook his son's misdeeds and fail to curb the injustices inflicted upon their cousins, the Pandavas. His hundred sons, led by Duryodhana, became the antagonists in the Mahabharata, opposing the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. Dhritarashtra also fathered a son, Yuyutsu, through a maid, who later sided with the Pandavas during the war.

During the Kurukshetra War, Dhritarashtra depended on his charioteer Sanjaya, who had divine vision, to learn about the entire details of the war, the deaths of the prominent warriors, and the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. After the war, which resulted in the fall of the Kauravas, a grief-stricken Dhritarashtra withdrew to the forest with Gandhari, Kunti, and Vidura. He spent his final years in asceticism and meditation, ultimately passing away in a forest fire, attaining liberation.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra means "He who supports/bears the nation".

A historical Kuru King named Dhr̥tarāṣṭra Vaicitravīrya is mentioned in the Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā of the Yajurveda (c. 1200–900 BCE) as a descendant of the Rigvedic-era King Sudas of the Bharatas. His cattle was reportedly destroyed as a result of the conflict with the vrātya ascetics; however, this Vedic mention does not provide corroboration for the accuracy of the Mahabharata's account of his reign. Dhritarashtra did not accept the vratyas into his territory, and with the aid of rituals, the vratyas destroyed his cattle. The group of vratyas were led by Vaka Dālbhi of Panchala.

With Vichitravirya having died of sickness, Bhishma unable to take the throne because of his vow, and Bahlika's line unwilling to leave the Bahlika Kingdom, there was a succession crisis in Hastinapura. Satyavati invites her son Vyasa to impregnate the queens Ambika and Ambalika under the Niyoga practice. When Vyasa went to impregnate Ambika, his appearance was scary and frightened her, so she closed her eyes during their union; hence her son was born blind.

Dhritarashtra, along with his younger half-brother Pandu, was trained in the military arts by Bhishma and Kripacharya. Hindered by his handicap, Dhritarashtra was unable to wield weapons, but had the strength of one hundred thousand elephants due to a boon given by Vyasa, and was said to be so strong that he could crush iron with his bare hands. When it came time to nominate an heir, Vidura suggested that Pandu would be a better fit because he was not blind. Though bitter about losing his birthright, Dhritarashtra willingly conceded the crown, though this act would seep into the obsession he would have over his crown later in life. Dhritarashtra married Gandhari of Hastinapura's weakened and lowly vassal Gandhara; After their marriage, Gandhari covered her eyes with a blindfold in order to truly experience her husband's blindness. Gandhari and he had one hundred sons, called the Kauravas, and one daughter Dushala. He also had a son named Yuyutsu mothered by a maid.