|
|
|
|
Bhishma
|
| |
|
| |
Bhishma: One of the strongest characters of the Mahabharata. He was the great-uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. An unparalleled archer, he once vanquished the mighty Parasurama.
the eight Vasus ("Ashtavasus") visited the Vashishta's ashram accompanied by their wives. One of the wives took a fancy to Nandini, the wish-bearing cow, and asked her husband Prabhasa to steal it from Vashishta. Prabhasa then stole the cow with the help of the others who were all consequently cursed by Vashishta to be born in the world of men.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Bhishma' Start a new discussion about 'Bhishma' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Bhishma: One of the strongest characters of the Mahabharata. He was the great-uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. An unparalleled archer, he once vanquished the mighty Parasurama.
Birth
Once the eight Vasus ("Ashtavasus") visited the Vashishta's ashram accompanied by their wives. One of the wives took a fancy to Nandini, the wish-bearing cow, and asked her husband Prabhasa to steal it from Vashishta. Prabhasa then stole the cow with the help of the others who were all consequently cursed by Vashishta to be born in the world of men. The seven Vasus who assisted in stealing Nandini have their curse mitigated to be liberated from their human birth as soon as they are born, but Prabhasa, due to his being instrumental in the theft, is cursed to endure a longer life on the earth, though the curse is softened so that he becomes one of the most illustrious men of his times. It was this Prabhasa who took birth as Devavratha (Bhishma).
Early life
Bhishma was born the youngest son of Shantanu by Ganga. Shantanu sees a Ganga on the banks of River Ganga and asks her to marry him. She agreed but with one condition that Shantanu wouldn't say anything whatever she does. Bhishma was their eigth son. The seven siblings born before him was drowned by their mother Ganga in order to break their curse - as they were incarnations of the aforementioned Vasus, who do not like to live the life of Humans. Shantanu Protests against Ganga drowning their eighth child. Ganga too wanted to raise her eight and last child without drowning. Since Shantanu broke his promise given to her at marriage, she leaves Shantanu promising to return the child to him once he is grown up.
Bhishma learnt political science from Brihaspati, the guru of the Devas, Vedas and Vedangas from rishi Vasishta, and archery from Parashurama, also known as Bhargava, thus becoming an exceptionally skilled administrator. His banner in battle was a golden palm tree.
He was known as 'Bhishma Pitamaha' (i.e., Pitamaha, the grandfather or grandsire) among the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Bhishma's vow
'Bhishma' means 'He of the terrible oath', referring to his vow of life-long celibacy. Devavratha became known as Bhishma because he took the bhishan pratijna — the vow of life-long celibacy and of service to whoever sat on the throne of his father (the throne of Hastinapuri). This was because when his father Shantanu wanted to marry a fisherwoman Satyavati, her father refused, on the grounds that his daughter's children would never be rulers as Shantanu already had a son (Devavrata). This made Shantanu despondent. To placate Satyavati's father, Devavrata promised that he would never stake a claim to the throne, implying that the child born to Shantanu and Satyavati would become the ruler after Shantanu. At this, Satyavati's father retorted that even if Devavrata gave up his claim to the throne, his (Devavrata's) children would still claim the throne. At this, Devavrata, to make his father happy, took the terrible vow, thus sacrificing his 'crown-prince' title and denying himself the pleasures of intercourse. This gave him immediate recognition among the gods and his father granted him the boon of swachhanda Mrityu (control over his own death — he could choose the time of his death, but he was not immortal). Bhishma also took another vow shortly after the marriage of Shantanu and Satayavati. Bhishma stated in his vow that whoever sits on the throne of Hastinapur, he will see his father's image in him and serve him without question. This vow ended up being the main cause of his problems later on when Dhritarashtra took the throne and started favoring the Kauravas instead of the Pandavas. As a result Bhishma was forced to comply with all of Dhritarashtra's orders no matter what type of injustice was done to the Pandavas.
Bhishma was a great archer and a warrior. In the process of finding a bride for his half-brother the young king Vichitravirya, Bhishma cleverly abducted princesses Amba, Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi (Varanasi) from the assemblage of suitors at their swayamvara. Salwa, the ruler of Saubala, and Amba (the eldest princess) were in love. Upon reaching Hastinapura, Amba confided in Bhishma that she wished to wed Salwa. Bhishma then sent her back to Salwa who turned her down as it was humiliating for a man to accept a woman so long in the company of another man. She then naturally approached Bhishma who refused her, citing his oath. Amba, who was humiliated and enraged beyond measure, vowed to avenge herself against Bhishma even if it meant being reborn over and over again.
Legend has it that at her maternal grandfather's suggestion Amba sought refuge with Parasurama who ordered Bhishma to marry Amba. Bhishma politely refused saying that he is ready to leave his life at the command of his teacher but not the promise that he had made. Upon the refusal Parasurama called him for a fight at Kurukshetra. At the battlegrounds, while Bhishma was on a chariot, he saw his guru on the ground. He requested Parasurama to be equal to him by taking a chariot and Kavacham (armor). Parasurama blessed Bhishma with the power of divine vision and asked him to look again. When Bhishma looked at his guru with the divine eye-sight, he saw the Earth as Parasurama's chariot, the four Vedas as the horses, the Upanishads as the reins, Vayu as the sarathy (Charioteer) and the Vedic goddesses Gayatri, Savitri & Saraswati as the armor. Bhishma got down from the chariot and sought the blessings of Parasurama to protect his dharma, alongwith the permission to battle against his teacher. Parasurama was pleased and said to Bhishma that if he had not behaved in this manner, Parasurama would have cursed him, for it is the duty of warriors who fight against elders to not abandon the traditions of humility and respect for elders. Parasurama blessed him and advised him to protect his dharma of bramacharya as Parasurama himself must fight to fulfil his dharma of fighting to uphold his word as given to Amba. They fought for 23 days without conclusion. Parasurama is a chiranjeevi (immortal), and Bhishma had a boon that let him choose the time of his death. Two versions exist about how their battle came to and end.
As per one, On the 22nd night, Bhishma prayed to his ancestors to help him end the battle. His anscestors gave him a weapon which was not known to Parasurama. They told him that it would put Parasurama to sleep in the battlefield. A person who sleeps in the battlefield is considered to be dead as per Vedas. They advised Bhishma to call back the weapon at the end of day after sunset so that Parasurama will come back to his sense and that shall bring the end to war. However the weapon was never used as Bhishma walked out of the war.
As per the other version, on the 23rd day, Bhishma summoned the infallible celestial weapon(astra) Prashvapastra, the method of using which was known to him and him alone. Neither did a counter-attack exist, nor was a defense against it known to Parasurama. As Bhishma mounted the astra on his bow, a divine voice(akashavani) implored Bhishma not to fire the weapon as its use would lead to the humiliation of Bhishma's guru(Parasurama himself). Bhishma refrained from using the weapon that would have brought him certain victory. Upon witnessing this, Parasurama was overcome with adulation for his disciple and proclaimed Bhishma as the victor.
Parasurama thus told Amba that he could not win over Bhishma and gave her the boon of "mahakal shiva". Amba did penance to please Lord Shiva. Shiva gave her the boon that she would be instrumental in the death of Bhishma. Amba would later be reborn as the eunuch prince Shikhandiin the household of king Drupada.
Personality
Bhishma had a stature and personality that in those times were fit for kings. He was a true Kshatriya as well as a disciplined ascetic - a rare combination. He never unnecessarily exhibited the passion and anger that were identified with a Kshatriya. A symbol of truth and duty, the benevolent Bhishma was in all senses a true human.
It is unfortunate that a person as noble as Bhishma saw a life full of loneliness, frustration and grief. But that was how Vashishta's curse was supposed to unfold. Bhishma's human birth was destined to be marked with suffering, and that was how his life transpired right till the last moment; even his death was very painful. But the strong as steel character which he possessed ensured that he never shied away from his duty, and never stopped loving those dear to him.
Skills, Talents & Achievements
Bhishma was not only a good warrior, but also highly skilled in political science. He tried his best to bring reconciliation between Pandavas and Kauravas to prevent the war.
Even in the Kurukshetra war while he was the general he tried his best to keep the war low key by minimising confrontation between the two camps. Even as he fell he tried to use the opportunity to persuade both camps to put an end to the war.
After the war he rectified Yudhishthira's doubts regarding statesmanship.
In the Mahabharata War
Bhishma is the one who witnessed the Mahabharata completely from the beginning since the rule of the Shantanu.
In the great battle at Kurukshetra, Bhishma fought reluctantly on the side of the Kauravas; nevertheless, he gave it his best effort. At one stage Arjuna's disinclination to fight him, made Krishna break His vow of not arming himself in the war. Krishna charged at Bhishma to kill him with his Sudarshan Chakra and was welcomed with folded hands by Bhishma. Arjuna pleaded with Krishna to stop and reminded him of the vow.
Not even Arjuna was able to defeat Bhishma because in addition to being a peerless warrior he was blessed with choosing the moment of his death. He had also vowed to not to kill any of the Pandavas, as he loved them, being their grandsire. Duryodhan often confronted Bhishma alleging that he was not actually fighting for the Kaurava camp as he wouldn't kill any Pandava but would let them kill Kauravas. But in fact, Bhishma was the strongest barrier that had protected the Kaurava camp from impending defeat.
As the Pandavas mulled over this situation, Krishna advised them to visit Bhishma himself and request him to suggest a way out of this stalemate. Bhishma knew in his heart that the Pandavas were righteous and chaste, and that he stood as the greatest obstacle in their path to victory, so when they visited Bhishma, he told them that if faced by a woman in battle he would cease to fight and not lift weapons against her.
The Pandavas were initially not agreeable to such a ploy, as by bringing a woman to the battleground they would disgrace themselves, but Krishna suggested a clever alternative. And thus, on the next day - the tenth day of battle - Shikhandi accompanied Arjuna on the latter's chariot and they faced Bhishma who put his bow and arrows down. He was then felled in battle by a reluctant, ashamed and tearful Arjuna in a manner unprecedented and never to be seen again - pierced by innumerable arrows shot one after the other with such force that they lodged in his body, protruding out of his back. It was Bhishma's nemesis Amba who was reborn as the eunuch prince Shikhandi, who was technically also a woman - if only half - and raising weapons against a woman was deemed unworthy of the chivalrous. Thus, the great warrior did not offer any resistance but merely remarked to Dushasana who stood close by, "These are certainly Arjuna's arrows, they cannot be Shikhandi's because they tear my flesh as a crab's young tear their mother's body". He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces for ten days compared to Drona's five, Karna's two and Salya's one-the last day. As Bhishma fell, his whole body was held above the ground by the shafts of Arjuna's arrows which protruded from his back, and through his arms and legs. Seeing Bhishma laid on such a bed of arrows humbled even the gods who watched from the heavens in reverence, silently blessing the mighty warrior.
Bhishma was succeeded by Drona as the Commander-in-Chief, and when Drona was slain, Karna replaced him. Karna had been refused a place by Bhishma in the army under his command, and severely criticised for actions and behaviour unbecoming of an honourable warrior. So upon his appointment as the army's commander after Drona's death, Karna approached the grandsire to seek his blessings. Bhishma implored Karna to persuade Duryodhana to end the carnage that had already resulted in much fratricide. Bhishma also disclosed to Karna, the real reason behind disallowing Karna to fight under his command, that he had always known Karna was the eldest son of Kunti, and eldest brother of the Pandavas unknown even to them. Karna politely refused to go against Duryodhana's wishes, insisting that the debt of Duryodhana's benevolence could not be paid unless he remained loyal to him, even in the face of death. He nevertheless received the grandsire's kindest regard and blessings. Bhishma lay on the 'bed of arrows' till the end of the battle, bound by his vows and chose to die only after learning that the Pandavas had won, as he was now assured that the throne and kingdom of Hastinapura was in safe and responsible hands. In his last days before he ascended to heaven, he recited to Yudhisthira the famous hymn, Vishnu sahasranama in praise of Krishna after the war, where Krishna or Vishnu is also called 'Rama', among other names of Vishnu, avatars of Vishnu and the names of Shiva..
Death
It is believed that Bhishma died after the age of 350 years. Considering that he was a true Yogi and lived a chaste, desciplined and honourable life, this age is not unbelievable.
The relation between Bhishma and Pandavas/Kauravas is described as that of a grandsire.
Although their descendence was in the following generations
Maharaja Bharat -> (many generations) -> Shantanu -> Bheeshma, Chitrangada, Vichitraveerya -> Dhritarashtra & Pandu -> Pandavas & Kauravas
but practically, Bhishma and the Pandavas would be 4 generations apart as Bhishma was himself a prince of marriagable age when his father Shantanu married Satyavati, so Chitrangad and Vichitravirya were more like sons than brothers to Bhishma. When both Chitrangad and Vichitravirva died heirless, Maharshi Ved Vyas was called upon to revive the lineage. Then Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were born. The Pandavas and Kauravas were the next generation, so although adressed as grandfather, Bhishma was equivalent to their Great-Grandfather.
When Bhishma died, he was the eldest living ancestor to the equivalent of 5 generations as the Pandavas themselves were grandparents. Their only living heir was Parikshita, Arjuna's grandson, the son of Abhimanyu and Matsya princess Uttara.
External links
|
| |
|
|
