Thus was he born
The complexities that we have been speaking about in the story of Mahabharata (See: Between the two) start with the birth of Bhishma. Known as the grandsire – pihtamaha – of the family, he remained a bachelor until he died of his own will on the bed of arrows. Describing the Kaurava forces as a river of blood, which the Pandavas crossed with Krishna as the boatman, the dhyana sloka of Bhagavad-Gita speaks of Bhishma as one of the banks of that river. ‘bhishma drona tataa’ it says. Bhishma and Drona were the banks of that rana-nadhi, river of blood.
He sacrificed his entire lifetime, did his all to remain protecting the throne of Hastinapur, brought the brides for his brother while remaining a bachelor himself, saw to the continuation of the race of Kuru, lived to see more than three generations, was torn between the issues of duty and righteousness and stuck to duty more than anything and was considered as the best of bowmen of his age. ‘I cannot be killed as long as I hold the bow in hand,’ he would tell Yudhisthira later when the war advances, and impelled by the desire to contribute what he can to uphold justice, would reveal the most vital of secrets of how to kill him in battle.
Two different incidents that resulted in two different curses caused the birth of Bhishma, one of the ‘ashta vasus’ in the family of Kuru. Mahabishak, of the lineage of Ikshvaku, attained Brahmaloka, as a result of his penance. Ganga came to Brahmaloka to pay her obeisance to Brahma. Mahabishak cast his glance on Ganga and was lost to her charms. Ganga was attracted by the handsome person that Mahabishak was. This exchange of amorous glances in the presence of sages, violating the atmosphere, greatly annoyed Brahma and He cursed them to be born on earth, live as couple and return to their state of elation after thus atoning for their behaviour that bordered on indecency. Mahabishak was born as Shantanu, son of king Pratheeba. Pratheeba was the son of Kuru, and the grandson of Bharata, who was born to Dushyanta and Shakuntala.
On the other side, the Vasus, eight in number, known as ashtavasus, were frolicking with their wives in the vicinity of the hermitage of sage Vasistha. The divine cow, sabala, also known as Nandini, belonged to sage Vasistha. As is well-known, Nandini is known to materialise and bestow anything that is wished from her. The wife of Prabhasa, one of the eight Vasus, wished to own Nandini and asked Prabhasa to steal it from the sage.
Prabhasa was against the very idea of taking the cow away from the sage. He knew what happened to Viswamitra when he attempted a similar thing. But he could not say no, when his wife insisted on what she wished and pestered him for it. He, along with the other Vasus, attempted to steal Nandini. However, the sage came to know what they were doing and he cursed them to be born on earth as a punishment for their act of misdemeanour.
The Vasus repented. They came to know of the curse on Ganga. They went to her and expressed their wish to be born as her children. ‘We do not wish to live for long on earth. Therefore, mother, do us a favour. Please immerse us in water and kill us as soon as we are born,’ they begged.
Ganga agreed to their request. ‘But the king Shantanu should be left with at least one son. Therefore, it is only appropriate that one of you should remain on earth to guard his kingdom,’ she said. Prabhasa, who was actually responsible for stealing the divine cow that resulted in this curse, came forward to play that role. Prabhasa was born as Bhishma.
Mahabishak – king Shantanu – was however not aware of this arrangement for a very long time until Ganga revealed it to him much later.
Devavrata
Mahabishak, who was born as King Shantanu, as the son of King Pratheeba in the lineage of Kuru, as was predestined by the curse of Lord Brahma, met Ganga one day when he went for hunting. The two were attracted to each other and Shantanu expressed his love for that comely maiden and wanted to marry her. The effect of the curse was such that while Ganga retained the memories of the past, Shantanu did not remember any.
Ganga, who had earlier promised the ashta-vasus, who were cursed by sage Vasistha to be born on earth for their misdeed (See: Thus was he born) recalled the past events and to be able to liberate the seven Vasus, Anala, Anila, Aabha, Soma, Dhara, Dhruva and Prathiyusha – with the exception of Prabhasa, who was supposed to serve his term on earth as Bhishma – laid down two conditions to Shantanu, in order that they may marry. By condition number one, she wanted an assurance from Shantanu that neither he nor his relatives should ever try to probe into her past in order to find out who she was. By the second condition, she secured his concurrence to remain silent at whatever she did and not to question any of her acts, however heinous he may consider them. ‘I will live happily with you till such time you do not violate any of these two conditions,’ she said. ‘The moment you try to find out my origin or you question my acts, I would leave you.’
King Pratheeba had earlier told Shantanu that he had been visited by a celestial maiden once, who had expressed her desire to become his daughter-in-law. He had advised Shantanu not to question the maiden when they happened to meet and to accept her conditions, without protests.
King Shantanu found that it was easy to accept the conditions laid down by Ganga. Her charms on him had left him dumb-founded. Days went by happily and Ganga conceived for the first time. In due course of time, she delivered the first child, a baby boy. But the mother took the child to a secluded place, immersed it in water, and killed it. King Shantanu, who had followed her without her coming to know of it, was shocked beyond words. He was not able to believe that such a thing could take place at all. But the promise that he had made and the words of his father, not to question any of her act, prevented him from asking for explanations.
He returned to his palace with a heavy heart. Nevertheless, the couple lived happily and Ganga conceived for the second time. She killed the second child as well and Shantanu could not speak a word against it, though he saw what happened. This happened seven times. On the eighth occasion, King Shantanu, who had by then got used to the routine, followed her as usual. But this time he could not bear it any more. He appeared before Ganga and stopped her from throwing the child in the river.
He held her arms and with tears rolling down his cheeks, asked her the reason for killing her own children. He could not tolerate the gruesome act. Ganga smiled. ‘I am bound to explain everything to you O king,’ she said and narrated the story of Vasus. ‘This eighth child is the incarnation of Prabhasa, the eighth Vasu, who had actually stolen the divine cow from sage Vasistha. He would live a very long life on earth. He would be an unparalleled bowman and a warrior. He would lead a life of purity and continence.’
‘I am now going, my dear King. Our togetherness comes to an end now, with your questioning me and violating the promise that you had made. I am taking this child with me for now. He will grow up under my care and will receive all his kingly and warrior’s training. He would come back to you at an appropriate time.’
The child was named Devavrata by the parents. He would grow up to be Satya-vrata, a person with an extraordinary penchant for Truth and would make supreme sacrifices for his father and for his race. He would soon be known as Bhishma.
For the sake of his father
King Shantanu was walking by the banks of Ganges one day, his mind absorbed in thoughts of his wife Ganga and his son Devavrata, who was taken away by her with a promise to send him back at an appropriate time, after training him in the royal arts. Shantanu became curious to see that river swelled in one particular place, since the flow of water seemed to have been stopped abruptly. He walked up to the point where the water flow slowed down and stopped.
It was a young boy, who has acquired the finest of skills in archery, who was shooting his arrows across the river and constructing a barricade with his divine arrows, playfully. Shantanu was taken aback by this super-human feat. The handsome and lustrous boy disappeared from the place. The king could not recognise the boy as his own son, because he was taken away by Ganga when he was a baby and he had not seen him after that.
Ganga then appeared there, holding the boy in her hand and told him, ‘Here is your son, my dear king. He is the eighth son who survived and he is the one that we named Devavrata. He has been trained in the Vedas by sage Vasistha. He is unparalleled in archery. He is the equal of Indra in warfare.’ Shantanu, needless to say, was so happy and took him to the palace. Devavrata was made the Prince Regent soon.
Time went by. Shantanu was dull and disappointed one day and his countenance had lost its usual lustre. Devavrata could not ascertain the reason why his father appeared disappointed and worried. ‘I am worried about our lineage, dear son,’ said Shantanu. ‘You are my only son. Life is fraught with too many dangers. Many are the royal houses that had just one son whose line could not continue simply because of the premature death of that only son. It is necessary that our family is blessed with a few more children and that you have brothers who would support you.’
Devavrata understood that his father intended to marry and that it was only natural since the King remained alone and spent his days in loneliness after the departure of Ganga. He also understood that the king must have fallen in love with someone. He deduced that there must be some problem, which prevents the fruition of that love into conjugal happiness.
What problem a king could face! How is that this problem seems to be insurmountable, which is why the king appears disappointed! Devavrata could not get information on this. He approached the king’s charioteer and understood that the king had actually fallen in love with Satyavati, the foster-daughter of a fisherman-king. Satyavati was the daughter of King Vasu. How she became the foster-daughter of the fisherman is another story. Devavrata understood that the fisherman was ready to give Satyavati in marriage to Shantanu. It appeared that the fisherman insisted on certain conditions in order that the king could marry Satyavati. Shantanu had no heart to accept the demands of the fisherman.
Devavrata approached the foster-father of Satyavati and asked him the reason why he could not give his daughter in marriage to the king. ‘I desire, young prince,’ said the fisherman, ‘that the son born to Satyavati should become the successor of Shantanu.’ ‘Then let it be so. What is the problem,’ asked Devavrata. ‘You,’ replied the fisherman. ‘You are an unparalleled warrior and the eldest son. You have the natural right to become the king after Shantanu.’ Devavrata smiled. ‘I am a person who has been treading the path of truth, right from my childhood. I give my word to you today. I know that there is no other person in the world who would come forward to give you this word. Listen. I renounce all my claims to the throne. I will not dispute your grandson becoming the king. I haven’t gone back from my word and I will never, ever.’
‘But that doesn’t solve the problem,’ smiled the fisherman. ‘There is no guarantee that your children would be as good as you. They would naturally stake a claim tomorrow. That would come in the way of the progeny of Satyavati ruling the kingdom.’
Devavrata’s countenance dazzled with determination. ‘If that is the problem, let me make it very clear now. Here, listen to me everyone! I give my word now! I undertake a vow of celibacy from this moment. I will not marry until the day of my death. I will not beget children in any manner whatsoever. I will adhere to my word forever. Now, give your daughter in marriage to my father.’
The readiness with which Devavrata came forward to undertake such a vow at such a very young age, the ease with which he announced his determination and undertook the vow of celibacy, the way he willingly paved the way for the happiness of his father by his supreme-sacrifice astounded the gathering. The sages and saints who were gathered around blessed Devavrata for his strength of character. ‘Bhishma! Bhishma!’ they cried aloud and rejoiced. The heavenly denizens showered flowers and echoed it.
Bhishma is the word that stands for (a person who has performed) astounding, amazing deeds, or one who has undertaken an impossible vow. That made him incomparable in determination. That brought joy in the life of his father. And that also brought the first of all complexities – in the nature of ‘had it not been this way’ – in the epic, which are to come.
He seeds his death
Countless are the peculiar twists and turns that Mahabharata takes. We were contemplating the simple question of ‘what would have happened had Devavrata not undertaken that impossible vow that day for the sake of his father?’ (See: For the sake of his father) That was a crucial moment in the course of the epic. Had he married, the excellent archer and the unparalleled administrator that he was, had children were born to him, the course of the epic would have been something else. His vow was an important turning point in the course of events of Mahabharata.
It was he who paved the way for the second important turning point in the story, namely, the wedding of his stepbrother, son of Satyavati, Vichitravirya. Vichitravirya was the second son of Shantanu and Satyavati. Their first son was named Chitrangada, who was a great warrior and was challenged by a Gandharva king, also by name Chitrangada, simply because his slighted his pride to see a human being walking around, bearing his name! Chitrangada was killed in that battle, which lasted three years, and his death moves the course of the epic to an extent, in that Vichitravirya would not have been enthroned had he not died simply because he was christened as Chitrangada!
With the death of the elder brother, Vichitravirya was crowned as the king. Since he was too young at that time, Bhishma looked after the administrative matters on his behalf until such time he grew up into a man. Then, the responsibility of finding a bride for Vichitravirya fell on Bhishma. It was at that time did the king of Kashi announce the Swayamvara of his daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. It was Swayamvara, the selection of bridegrooms by the brides themselves. But Bhishma decided otherwise. He wanted to get at least one daughter of Kashi Raja wedded to his stepbrother, Vichitravirya and went in person, duly securing the permission of Satyavati.
The presence of this ageing lion of Hastinapur amused the kings who had assembled in the hall. ‘This fellow undertook a vow of celibacy and why would he come here, seeking the hand of these maidens?’ they giggled among themselves, not having the courage to speak those words loudly. Bhishma, however, understood the reason for the mockery that is going on behind his back. Added to this, the brides, while walking past him shrugged and acted as though they were afraid of this old man.
That pricked the pride of Bhishma. He walked like a lion, took all the three princess by force on his chariot, and announced to the gathering: ‘I came here with the intention of securing a bride for my brother. There are eight different kinds of marriage that the Books sanction. The eighth one is the one by which the bride is taken by force, facing adversity. I am now taking all the three brides to Hastinapur by force. I challenge anyone to stop me.’ So saying he sent his horses flying in the direction of Hastinapur. Many kings were afraid of coming in his way.
Salwa Raja however did not relent and he pursued Bhishma, since he had already lost his heart to princess Amba. Amba was in love with him too; but she was afraid of saying anything to this ageing lion that had taken them in one sweep into his chariot and was challenging all the kings. Though driven by the impulse of his love for Amba, king Salwa could not match the swiftness of Bhishma, which was a bit too much for even Parasurama, the terror of Kshatriyas.
The three brides were taken to Hastinapur. Ambika and Ambalika had no difficulty in accepting Vichitravirya as their husband. ‘I am in love with King Saalwa,’ Amba blabbered hesitantly. ‘We are in love and I had already decided to garland him as my husband.’ Vichitravirya was not prepared to break the heart of this maiden and marry her against her will. She was therefore sent back to seek the hand of King Salwa.
Little did Bhishma realise that he had seeded his own death, with his own hands, by his own deed, on that day. The events that followed were so painful that Amba vowed to kill herself, or to aid the killing of Bhishma. But even if he was aware of that fact, Bhishma would not have in any way been affected. He was above the fear of death.
What would have happened if Chitrangada did not die? What would have happened if Vichitravirya had gone to the Swayamvara himself? What would have happened if Bhishma was not rubbed on the wrong side and was angered? What would have happened if Amba, having reached the distant country of Hastinapur, accepted Vichitravirya as her husband? Questions!
Hundreds are the whirlpools that laugh silently in the course of the majestic river, Mahabharata. These whirlpools suck the very course of events and change the very shape of the epic, an evergreen masterpiece.
Thus can I be killed
The story of Amba branches off from the main stream of Mahabharata paving the way for an irreprehensible anger that remained unquenched, crossed one whole lifetime, continued in the rebirth, and this story of Amba prepares the ground for the decisive turn that the war took with the fall of Bhishma. It was this incident that took place in the very beginning of the story, even before the birth of Pandavas and Kauravas, that was responsible for the way events took shape on the tenth day of the Great War.
Amba was sent to the King of Salwa since she expressed the desire to marry him. However, the King of Saalwa, who with uncontrollable rage followed Bhishma for the sake of love, refused to accept her any more. ‘You were carried off in the presence of so many kings. Despite my attempts, Bhishma could not be stopped and you were carried to the palace of another king. I cannot accept you now, as you were taken to another palace with the intention of being given in marriage to another king. I don’t have any use for you any more,’ said the King of Saalwa bluntly.
Amba came back to Chitrangada but it was too late. Chitrangada had the same kind of reasons for not accepting her. She made many a trip between Hastinapur and the kingdom of Saalwa, not able to find a suitor for herself. Left with no other option, she even pleaded with Bhishma to marry her. ‘I am bound by my vow of celibacy,’ said Bhishma firmly. ‘It is not possible for me to marry you. I won’t give up my vow for your sake.’
Six years rolled off during which time Amba made several trips to the Kingdom of Salwa and Hastinapur, pleading with Saalwa Raja and with Bhishma. Finally, she decided to perform penance, in the Himalayas. She was vexed with her condition and raged in her heart against Bhishma, who was responsible for her pitiable condition. She stood on the big toe and invoked Lord Subramanya. The Lord blessed her with a necklace of golden lotuses. ‘Bhishma would be killed,’ He told her, ‘by the person who wears this necklace.’
Amba took the necklace to almost all the kings and narrated them her story. ‘This necklace is given by Lord Subramanya. He has promised that one who wears this would be able to kill Bhishma. Please accept this and please kill him.’ But none of the kings who knew the invincible prowess of Bhishma came forward to do so. She went to King Dhrupada, (father of Draupadi), and requested him to help her. As he also turned her back, Amba hung the necklace on the outer wall of the fort of King Dhrupada and left the place. That necklace remained there on the wall for a long number of years since people were afraid of even touching it.
Crestfallen and heartbroken, Amba even approached Parasurama, the terror of Kshatriyas, the Brahmin sage who axed twenty-one generations of kings down, and pleaded with him to help her get married to Bhishma. Parasurama came forward to help her and fought a duel with Bhishma for her sake. He could not overpower Bhishma and gave up his effort.
Amba once again undertook a penance. Lord Shiva appeared before her and told her that Bhishma would die because of her, in her next birth. She was very impatient to wait for her next birth and sought her death by performing self-immolation. She was born to King Dhrupada, as his daughter and was named Sikhandini. The divine will had ordained the events in another way. A Yaksha by name Sthunaakarna exchanged his manhood with her and Sikhandini became Sikhandi. That is quite another story, however.
Sikhandi grew up to be an excellent warrior. In fact, Duryodhana, when describing the warriors assembled on the other side to Bhishma rates him as maharathi. The 17th Sloka of Chapter 1 of Bhagavad-Gita, which is a part of the speech of Duryodhana, says as follows: ‘kaasyasca paramesvasah Sikhandii cha maharathah’ The King of Kaasi is an excellent archer and Sikhandi is a maharatha, a commander of eleven thousand bowmen. If it is kept in mind that Bhishma ranked even Karna as ‘ardha-rathi’ a half or semi-charioteer, the prowess of Sikhandi could be understood.
‘I cannot be stopped until I have the bow in hand,’ smiled Bhishma on the ninth evening of the war to Yudhishthira, who approached him for vital information on how to kill him. ‘I will resist you all fiercely in the battlefield, because I owe such a duty to the king. But I won’t fight if Sikhandi stands by your side, Arjuna. He was really a she earlier. Bhishma won’t bend and draw his bow against a woman. That is the only way to stop me. That is the only way to kill me.’
It was Bhishma, the great soul, who gave the vital clue on how he could be felled. His heart was with Dharma and was for the success of Pandavas, though he was bound by his vow to the protection of the throne of Hastinapur. He did his duty and at the same time, he was willing to accept death with a smile, for the sake of Dharma. That was the most vital turning point in the war. The Kauravas had an upper hand until the ninth day and their destabilisation started from the tenth day, with the fall of Bhishma.
He stands tall and towering
The course of the majestic river of Time is not that easy of comprehension. It creates situations that are rather strange, ironical, testing and challenging. The situations become tougher and make it difficult for us to stick to a principled stance that we took at one time. A person is judged by the way in which he or she encounters the situation and decides the course of action, and the reason and logic that support that decision. That testifies to the person’s mettle and the metal that he or she is made of.
Bhishma was faced with such a situation. Vichitravirya, the younger half-brother of Bhishma died before children were born to him. It was for his sake that Bhishma brought Amba, Ambika and Ambalika and for whose sake he earned the displeasure of Amba who vowed to avenge her agony by killing him. The early death of Vichitravirya made a fiasco of the dreams of both his grandfathers. Shantanu desired remarriage because Bhishma was his only son. He was afraid that the Kuru dynasty would lose its continuity if Devavrata – Bhishma – died without progeny because he had seen the fall of dynasties that depended on a single son, for their propagation. (See: For the sake of his father) Despite his desires, the Kuru dynasty seemed to come to an end, with Bhishma remaining alive and Vichitravirya, whose birth Shantanu desired, would propagate the dynasty, dying of kshaya roga – tuberculosis. Irony.
On the other hand, the fisherman king – the other grandfather of Vichitravirya – did not agree to the marriage of his foster-daughter Satyavati with Shantanu simply because he wanted only the children born to his daughter to rule. He was afraid that Devavrata might claim a stake in the kingdom. He was not satisfied when Devavrata assured him and vowed to give up all claims to the throne. ‘If not you, your children may do so at a later date. They may quarrel with my grandchildren and take the kingdom away from them by force.’ Devavrata vowed not to marry just for the purpose of the fructification of the desires of his father and to meet the demands of the father of his ‘would be stepmother.’
Time, the great decider, had ordained it otherwise. Both Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, sons of Satyavati, died without progeny. The worst fears of Shantanu had come true. Ironically, Shantanu was indirectly responsible for bringing about this situation, which had left only Bhishma in the lineage remaining; but could not partake in procreation, propagation and continuity of the Kuru dynasty.
Satyavati was left with no option. She was the guardian angel and guiding factor that remained to see that the earnest desire of her husband is realised and the Kuru dynasty is kept alive, to continue and to grow. It was a difficult situation. She called Bhishma and told him that the perpetuation of the Kuru Vamsa depended entirely on him now and it was his duty to partake in procreation and help its continuity. ‘This is an extremely difficult situation, my son,’ she said. ‘The continuance of the Kuru dynasty depends on you entirely. The fate of the country that would otherwise go kingless and witness the consequent turbulent days due to the scuffles, quarrels and battles for power, depends on you. Beget children by Ambika and Ambalika. The scriptures sanction this course when times are extremely bad and when it is a no go situation. This is such a situation. Listen to me. You have to save the country by giving birth to a king as also save our ancestors who would otherwise be left in the hell, with no progeny to take care of the rites. This would not be considered sinful for this is an act done with a purpose behind it and not for pleasure.’
Bhishma smiled. She was the reason for his vow of celibacy. And it is she who is pleading with him to go against the vow. ‘I will not move an inch away from what I had vowed, my mother,’ said he. ‘There may be valid reasons for my violating the vow. I know that the scriptures sanction this and I know that it would not be sinful. But what has already been vowed is more sacred for me than anything else. I have given word to your father that I will not be responsible in any way for the propagation of the Kuru dynasty. I cannot – and will not – go back on it.’
Though he said a firm no to the plea of Satyavati, he stood by her side when she requested Vyasa, her other son, to play that role. He guarded the kingdom when Vichitravirya was young. And, once again, he guarded the kingdom until Dhrtharashtra and Pandu were old enough to shoulder the responsibility. That there were no disputes or claims to the throne during this period testifies to the administrative skills of Bhishma and his honesty, sincerity and loyalty.
Hari Krishnan