GANGAPUTRA BHISHMA: A son who gave up his natural right to be king just for his father's sake

In the Mahabharata, each character's life is marked by struggle and sacrifice. One such central character of Mahabharata is BHISHMA. He is a model of loyalty, unselfish service, and paropakara (self-sacrifice for the benefit of others). He is regarded as a sign of mature wisdom by the Indian people.

Ganga takes her son Devavrata with her. source: dollsofindia.com

King Shantanu of Hastinapur found himself back on the Ganga's banks sixteen years after his wife left him. He was heartbroken for his wife and the child she had taken with her.

The noises of fighting disturbed Shantanu's melancholy. He saw a teenage archer who had used a barrage of arrows to tame the powerful Ganga. He had never seen such skill or such daring, he was amazed and impressed meanwhile Ganga, his wife appeared to him.

When Shantanu learned that this brilliant young man was none other than his precious son, Devavrata, his joy knew no boundaries.

Before leaving her boy, Ganga told Shantanu that Devavrata had been taught the skill of fighting by the warrior sage Parshuram himself and that mastery of the Shastras had been taught to him by Guru Vashishtha.

Shantanu gladly returned to his kingdom with his new prince. The people of Hastinapur were overjoyed; they adored their future monarch, but as we all know, things change over time.

Time had a different plan for Devavrata's life.

Time passed as it always does Shantanu had fallen in love once more. Satyavati, the daughter of a fisherman, stole his heart and he wanted her to marry him. Even though Shantanu was a king, Satyavati declined him because her father believed that even if Satyavati became queen, her offspring would never be king. After all, Devavrata will be the eldest and, according to the regulations, will be put to the throne.

Pained by the prospect of being separated from Satyavati, Poor Shantanu came home alone, knowing that there was nothing he could do to prevent his son from inheriting the throne.

Shantanu's unhappiness was all too obvious back at the palace, where he was immersed in despair. He stopped meeting people and attending to his kingly duties. Devavrata, his son, had noticed this and could not stand by and watch his father suffer. He took the matter into his own hands and proceeded to meet Satyavati, his father's lover.

He pleaded with Satyavati's father to let his daughter marry King Shantanu, but he was refused. Even though Devavrata consented to relinquish his birthright throne, the fisherman stated that there is no guarantee that Devavrata's offspring will not assert their claim to Hastinapur's crown.

The young prince then took an oath that shook the earth and the heavens. It was an oath that would echo down the corridors of history and eventually bring about a war that would reshape Bharatvarsha.

For the sake of his father's happiness, Devavrata vowed (Bhishma pratigya) not to marry any lady during his life and to die childless before all the gods.

He promised that he would be loyal to the monarchs who would rule Hastinapur throughout his lifetime and that he would serve as the kingdom's guardian until he died.

Devavrata became known as Bhishma because he swore such a harsh pledge without thinking about the consequences or the effects on himself.

Satyavati, Bhishma's future mother, accompanied him to Hastinapur.  Bhishma thought his father to be overjoyed when the prince joined king Shantanu with his love, but instead, the king felt as if his feeble heart had brought devastation upon his kingdom. His heart was filled with dread.

He did, however, accept his son's sacrifice and bestow a blessing on him. He proclaimed that his righteous kid would be able to choose the time of his death and that heath would be unable to touch him without his consent.

He maintained his word and stood as a silent guardian above Hastinapur's throne, ensuring that the kingdom remained strong. No foe dares to cross paths with Ganga's legendary son.

His step-brother Vichitravirya, who was in poor health at the time, was later enthroned as the ruler of Hastinapura. Bhisma was worried about what would happen if his brother, the heir to the throne, died. So, because his brother was in poor health, Bhishma went to Kashi's court on the day of swayamwara and gained three princesses for his brother, Amba, Ambalika, and Ambika.

Everyone in the court was pleased until Bhishma learned that Amba was in love with King Salva and pleaded with him to let her see him. However, King Salva didn't accept her nor did Bhishma accept her because of his oath.

Amba was enraged by Bhishma's interference, which she saw as the source of her problems.

To please Shiva, Amba performed penance. Shiva promised her that she would play a key role in Bhishma's demise. Amba would be born as a princess in King Drupada's household, but would be changed into Shikhandi (a boy) as a result of another boon, and would be the cause of Bhishma's death.

Bhishma fought on the side of the Kauravas in the epic war of Kurukshetra, despite his other commitment to serve the ruler of Hastinapura, and despite his reluctance, he gave it his all.

Bhishma was the one who witnessed the Mahabharata completely from the beginning.

On the tenth day of the battle, Bhishma was mortally wounded by Arjuna, who hid behind fellow warrior Shikhandi and showered arrows on the grandsire. Bhishma was aware that Shikhandi was born a woman, and he felt it was unbecoming of the chivalrous to hit her. For ten days, he was the supreme leader of the Kaurava army. The Pandava prince Arjuna, with the help of Shikhandi, pierced Bhishma with several arrows and paralyzed him on a bed of arrows on the ninth day of the war. After fifty-one nights on the arrow bed, Bhishma only abandoned his body on the Uttarayana after learning that the Pandavas had won since he was now confident that Hastinapura's throne was in safe hands.

Bhishma is on his arrow bed. source: potoast.com