Amba and Bheeshma

7/22/2019 Amba and Bheeshma

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Arcane story of Amba & Bheeshma

Ganga

King Shantanu, a descendant of Bharata of Bharatavarsha of Kuru tribe (and ancestor of

Pandavas), was hunting for deer in the jungle when he separated from his group. His horse wasthirsty and so was he. He led the horse to the river for a drink. He saw a beautiful damsel by thebanks of the river Ganga. “Are you thirsty?” she asked the King. She then offered him somewater. Shantanu was taken in by her beauty and decided right there that she would be his queen.“Marry me”, the King said simply. “You do not know anything about me and yet you want to marryme? I have one condition. You should not question what I do or stop me from doing what I wantto do. You should love me no less. If you can give me your word on it, I will marry you. However,if you ever break your vow, I will go away from your life for ever,” said the girl. “You have my

word. It is a Kshatriya’s(warrior’s) promise,” said King Shantanu.

King Shantanu and the girl got married and she became the queen. Soon the queen gave birth toa son. The king was very happy at the birth of his first child. The queen, however, took the childand drowned him in the river Ganga. The King was very sad, but because of his vow he did notstop or ask her. The queen gave birth to a second son and promptly drowned him in Ganga. TheKing was very sad, but kept his word for he loved his queen dearly. And so it went on for seventimes, the queen would give birth to a son and promptly drown him. The King grew sadder withthe death of his every child. The queen gave birth to their eighth son. The King foresaw what thequeen would do. He could bear it no longer. As the queen carried the child to the river, KingShantanu stopped her. “O Queen, I love you dearly but please stop. What kind of mother are

you? You have drowned seven children of ours. I know I have broken my vow, but it was the vowthat kept me from saving my other children. I cannot let this child die too.”

“O King Shantanu, you have broken your vow and I will have to go away from your life. Please donot judge me so harsh, hear my story. I am goddess Ganga. The eight sons that I bore were theeight Vasus. Once they were having a picnic when they saw the sacred cow Nandini belonging toRishi Vasishtha. The wife of the youngest of the Vasus, Prabhasa, wanted to have the cow andher husband obliged. When Nandini and her calf did not return from the pastures in the evening,Rishi Vasishtha became concerned about them. Through his divine powers, the Rishi saw whathad happened. He grew very angry and cursed all the eight Vasus that they are born on earth asmere mortals and go through the wheel of life (Chakra) until they attain moksha. The Vasus

pleaded the Rishi to calm down and take back his curse. An arrow that leaves the bow and wordsthat leave the tongue cannot be taken back. The Rishi gave them a way out. If Ganga were to betheir mother on earth and take them into her when they were born, they will be liberated from theircurse. I was doing a service to the Vasus. However, Prabhasa the youngest one has to live onelife and suffer the sorrows of this earth. This eighth child is Prabhasa. I will take him with me, butwill return him to you once he reaches the age of sixteen. You will attain higher regions ofMoksha for your service” And goddess Ganga disappeared along with the little baby.



Years passed by, the King led a very austere life. He missed his wife Ganga and his son. Everytime the sorrow became too much to bear, he would stroll by the river.

One day, while he was walking the banks of Ganga, Shantanu came upon a very handsome boybuilding dams with arrows and altering the flow of the river at his whim. It seemed like a child

playing with his indulgent mother. King Shantanu was impressed by the boy’s skill. Just thengoddess Ganga appeared before him. “Shantanu, this is your son Devavrata. He has learned theVedas and Vendata from Rishi Vasishtha and arts and sciences from Rishi Sukra. He is skilledarcher and well versed in the craft of state. Devavratha this is your father King Shantanu.” Sheblessed the boy and handed him over to his father and disappeared.

Satyavathi (The Indian Cleopatra)

Shantanu courting Satyavathi – RajaRavi Varma

King Shantanu was very happy at thearrival of Devavratha who was sooncrowned the yuvaraj (crown prince). TheKing had given up hunting after meetingand loosing goddess Ganga. Four yearspassed by, he still pined for her and wouldoften stroll by the banks of the riverYamuna. One day, on one such trips, theair suddenly filled with wonderful divinefragrance. Shantanu traced the source to abeautiful lady as divinely beautiful as the

fragrance.

Rishi Parasharaa had given her a boonthat emanated the divine fragrance.Satyavathi was the daughter of the Chiefof the fishermen. She often rowed the boattransporting weary travelers from shore toshore. One day Rishi Parashara wassitting in the boat with Satyavathi rowing.The boat soon reached the middle of theriver Ganga. Rishi Parashara consulted

the position of the Sun and the time and deduced that a child born at that moment will go on togive the humanity gems of knowledge. He pleaded Satyavathi to bear him a son.

"I am a daughter of fisherman. I smell like fish all the time. It is day time. And my father is on theshore.” Rishi Parashara told her, he will bring in clouds so that it becomes dark.

“And now if I become unwed mother, who will marry me? What will become of me?" RishiParashara assured her of his powers and said, "the child will be born instantly without going





all my mortal life. I make the severe vow that I will never marry and dedicate my life to unbrokenchastity."

"Bheeshma, Bheeshma, Bheeshma" the word filled the air as the gods from the heaven heard thevow and rained flowers. It was a supreme, sever and formidable vow, and Devavratha came to be

known as Bheeshma.

Amba

King Shantanu married Satyavathi and Devavrata became Bheeshma. Shantanu and Satyavathihad two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada was killed in battle heirless with theGandharvas. Young Vichitravirya was crowned the King and as he was a minor, Bheeshma ruleduntil he came of age.

When Vichitravirya became of marriageable age, Satyavathi entrusted Bheeshma with finding

suitable bride for Vichitravirya. King of Kashi was arranging a swayamvara according to the oldKshatriya practice for his three daughters Amba, Ambika and Ambalika to choose their husband.The daughters of Kashi were famed for their beauty. When Bheeshma heard about it, he decidedto go there for Vichitravirya.

The Kings of Kosala,, Vanga, Pundra, Kalinga and other potential candidates were there in theirbest attires. When Bheeshma reached there, all the assembled Kings and Princes thought he hadcome to witness the Swayamvara as a guest. When he declined his seat as a guest, theassembled suitors began to ridicule him not knowing that he was there for Vichitravirya. “Thewisest of the Bharata clan is not wise enough to realize he is old and has forgotten his vow.” Theprincesses of Kashi turned their eyes away from Bheeshma.

This flamed Bheeshma’s wrath. He challenged all the Kings and Princes and defeated them all.Taking the three princesses in his chariot Bheeshma set out to Hastinapur.

On his way to Hastinapur, Bheeshma was intercepted by Shalva, the King of Saubala. He wasattached to the princess Amba. Shalva was defeated since Bheeshma was an invincible warrior.

Amba pleaded Bheeshma to spare his life and so Bheeshma let Shalva go.

Arriving at Hastinapur with the princesses, the preparations for the marriage began. Everyoneassembled for the wedding, Amba addressed Bheeshma mockingly, “You are the wisest of theBharata clan and have read all the scriptures. I have chosen Shalva as my husband. What do the

scriptures say about it, do what is morally right.”

Bheeshma acknowledged the forced abduction and Amba’s argument. Vichitravirya married Ambika and Ambalika the two younger sisters of Amba. Their sons were Dhritarashtra andPandu. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had 100 sons with Duryodhana being the oldest and 1daughter Dushala. The sons of Dhritarashtra were called the Kauravas. Pandu had 2 wives Kuntiand Madri. They had 5 sons called the Pandavas.



Bheeshma sent Amba with proper escort and respect to King Shalva. Amba was rejoiced at theprospect of marrying Shalva. “I have chosen you as my husband in my mind. I have come here toyou, so we can marry according to the sastras.”Amba said to Shalva. However, Shalva refused

her proposal, “Bheeshma defeated me in front of every one and carried you away. I have beenshamed and I cannot marry you. You have been won by Bheeshma, go back to him and do as hesays. I cannot marry you.”

Amba came back to Hastinapur and told Bheeshma what had transpired. Bheeshma advisedVichtrvirya to marry Amba. However, Vichitravirya refused to marry Amba saying that she isalready some one else’s wife in her mind. Amba then turned to Bheeshma and asked him tomarry her. Bheeshma was sorry for Amba and the situation she was in, but he could not marryher because of his vow. He appealed again to Vichitravirya to marry Amba and solve the trickyproblem. However, Bheeshma’s attempts went in vain to change Vichitravirya’s mind. Bheeshmathen suggested to Amba to go back Shalva.

Amba was too proud to go back to Shalva and grieved over her situation for four long years inHastinapur. At last out of sheer desperation she went back to Shalva. Shalva however, adamantlyrefused to marry Amba. The lotus eyed Amba spend six years in bitter sorrow. All the beauty andsweetness inside her turned into hatred for Bheeshma. She blamed him for the root of all hersorrows. She then began her quest to find a warrior who would fight and kill Bheeshma. Shesearched long and hard but could not find any one. She then turned to Lord Subramanian andprayed to help find the enemy of Bheeshma. The Lord answered her prayers and gave her agarland of ever-fresh lotus flowers. One who wears the garland will be the enemy of Bheeshma.She took the garland and again sought to find a Kshatriya who will wear the garland. Bheeshmawas an invincible warrior and no one wanted to incur his wrath by wearing the garland. Amba was

once again dejected. Finally, she went to King Drupad and challenged all the Kshatriya’s , whennone came to the front to wear the garland, she hung it by the gates of King Drupad’s palace andwent away to the forest.

In the forest, Amba met some ascetics who advised her to go to Parasuram for help. Amba wentin search of Parsurama. When she met him, she told him all that had transpired. Parasurama wasmoved by her plight and the lack of courage amongst the Kshatriyas to champion Amba’s cause.Due to his abiding hatred towards the Kshatriya race, he challenged and fought Bheeshma. Itwas a long and equally contested battle. When it seemed like no one was winning and the battlewas getting long drawn, the gods intercepted and asked both Bheeshma and Parsuramaa tostop. Parasurama addressed Amba, “Dear child, I have done everything I can with Bheeshma. I

can ask Shalva to marry you.” Amba replied, “I no longer have any desire to marry any one. I amfilled with hatred towards Bheeshma. I want to be avenged.”

Filled with grief and rage, Amba began her penance to please Lord Shiva as all human aid hadfailed. Lord Shiva appeared before her and granted her the boon that she would slay Bheeshmain her next life. Amba was impatient to wait for the rebirth. She lit a pyre and with the hatred in herheart hotter than pyre, she jumped into the fire.



Amba was born again as King Drupad’s daughter. When she grew up and saw the ever-freshlotus garland hanging by the palace gate, all the memories of her past life came flooding back toher. Enraged that no one had yet worn the garland, she went and wore it herself. Drupad wasmortified, at the thought of incurring Bheeshma’s wrath. His own daughter was to be Bheeshma’senemy. He exiled her to the forest. Amba was baffled that she was born again as a girl. How

could she challenge Bheeshma to a fight and slay him. Angry at the cruelty of fate, she began herausterities in the forest to turn into a man. After long tapasya, she transformed into a man andbecame a great warrior Shikhandi.

During the war of Mahabharata, Shikhandi faced Bheeshma. Knowing that Shikhandi was born agirl, Bheeshma refused to raise his arms against a woman as was his code of chivalry. Screenedby Shikhandi, Arjuna was able to fell Bheeshma. Bheeshma as he fell was able to tell the arrowsthat came from Shikhandi and those that came from Arjuna his favorite grand sire.

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Amba and Bheeshma