Gandhari was the daughter of Subala, the king of Gandhara. In her bachelorhood, she had worshipped Lord Shiva and won a boon to have hundred sons. When she came to know that she was going to be married to a blind king Dhritarashtra, she too at once blind-folded herself. Her logic behind such an action was 'When my husband can't have the pleasure of seeing, then why should I' and she followed her resolution till her death. Her penance is unique in human history. She always remained faithful to her husband and in the house of her in-laws, she won the favour of the whole family.

Besides being faithful to her husband, Gandhari was very just and fearless speaker also. She felt sorry of Draupadi's humiliation in the court. When the Pandavas were invited to the game of dice again, she raised her voice in protest and cautioned Dhritarashtra saying: "O Lord, Duryodhana had begun to cry like a jackal at the time of his birth. Vidurji had at that time advised us to abandon the child or he would be the cause of destruction of the Kuru (Kauravas) dynasty. But I could not do so due to a mother's love and attachment for her child. But now stop him from doing wrong deeds and do not support him for whatever he does, lest the feeling of vengeance should arise in the minds of the Pandavas leading to the destruction of the Kuru Vansha. Pandavas regard you as their father and you should also act accordnigly and guard their interests. You should frame your policies in consultation with your wise ministers to maintain peace and harmony and not be misguided by Duryodhana". She also used to scold Duryodhana for his rudeness and try to control him from going astray. But no one can save a moth attracted to a flame. Similarly, Duryodhana had a firm belief in fate and had scant regard for the wise talks received from his elders.

From the side of the Pandavas, Shri Krishna himself came to Hastinapur with a treaty proposal. Even he failed to convince Duryodhana. Then, Dhritarashtra called Gandhari and asked her to convince Duryodhana. At that Gandhari said: "O King, you are the biggest culprit in this matter. You are yourself tied down by the affection for your son and handed over the kingdom's reign over to such a stupid, greedy and vicious person who is surrounded by bad company. You are having a dissention in your own home and you are ignoring them". After that, calling Duryodhana, she tried to convince him: "O son, you should agree with your father, Pitamaha Bheeshma, Guru Dronacharya and uncle Vidur and make a treaty with the Pandavas. Look, when you are a slave of lust, anger, greed and other senses, you can't protect the wealth of your kingdom. Even the gods cannot win against Shri Krishna and Arjuna, so go to the refuge of Lord Krishna. If you can please Him, it will be in the interests of both the sides. O son, no one gets the knowledge of Dharma and wealth by war, how can you then get comforts. If you wish to enjoy your rule with the ministers, give up your greed and make a pact with the Pandavas for nobody in the world gets comforts by having greed".

But even these words failed to move Duryodhana and as a result, a fierce battle followed between the two sides. Everyday during the battle Duryodhana used to say: "O mother, I am going to the battlefield, kindly bless me to win. Gandhari was a chaste woman. Had she blessed Duryodhana for victory, it would not have gone in vain. But she knew that Duryodhana was an atrocious ruler and in the hands of such a ruler, the kingdom's wealth could not remain safe. Hence she used to say: "O son, where Dharma exists, victory also exists there. If you like to win, follow the path of Dharma and give up the path of Adharma". Thus, she was not in favour of Duryodhana's victory. But when she heard about the death of her hundred sons, she was filled with anguish and was urged to pour down curses on the Pandavas. But reading the thoughts of Gandhari, Sage Vedavyasa consoled her and stopped her from cursing the Pandavas. But when she visited Kurukshetra and saw that heart-rending scene herself, she could not contain herself and cursed Lord Krishna: "O Krishna, with your capacity and wit, you could have averted the war, but you deliberately let the battle take place. Thus you have caused the death of the Kauravas. Hence, I curse you that as during the battle, you had neglected the Kauravas, you will yourself kill your near and dear ones and will yourself be killed like an orphan". Hearing Gandhari's harsh words, Lord Krishna laughed and said: "I knew how I am going to meet my end. So, cursing me, you have said those words which are bound to happen".

After the battle, Gandhari stayed with Yudhishthir for a few years in his kingdom. Ultimately, she decided to go on an exile with her husband and her sister-in-law, Kunti. During their exile, a huge forest fire burnt them to death and they attained their heavenly abode.