Chapter 3 Bhisma’s Pledge That Shocked King
Devavrata, a beautiful and young prince, was welcomed into the kingdom of the monarch with enthusiasm, and he was crowned as the Yuvaraja, the heir apparent.
Four years passed. The air was suddenly filled with a gloriously exquisite aroma one day while the king was strolling along the Yamuna River’s banks. The monarch looked for its source and discovered it came from a young woman who was so beautiful that she appeared to be a deity. She had received the blessing from a sage that a beautiful fragrance would flow from her, and this was now filling the entire woodland.
The monarch had kept his senses under control ever since the goddess Ganga had left him, but the sight of this gloriously beautiful girl broke the chains of constraint and filled him with an overwhelming need. He proposed to her as his wife.
The young woman proclaimed, “I am a fisherwoman and the daughter of the fishermen’s leader.
May it suit you to approach him and obtain his permission. Her voice was as lovely as she was.
The dad was a smart man.
There is no denying that this maiden, like all others, must be married to someone, and you are undoubtedly deserving of her. Still, before you can take her, you must promise me something.
If that is a just vow, I’ll keep it, Santanu retorted.
“The kid born of this lady should be the king after you,” the head of the fishermen remarked.
Even though he was nearly insane with emotion, the monarch was unable to keep this pledge since doing so would have meant denying the godlike Devavrata, the son of Ganga, the rightful heir. It was a price that was shameful to even consider. So, ill with confused yearning, he made his way back to Hastinapura, his capital. He remained silent and avoided discussing the situation with anyone.
Devavrata once said to his father, “My father, you have all your heart could want. So why do you seem so unhappy? How come you seem to be moping around with a secret sorrow?
“Dear son, everything you say is accurate,” the monarch said. I do suffer from anxiety and mental agony. You are my only son, and you are always thinking about your military aspirations. The world is filled with uncertainty and perpetual war. If something bad happens to you, our family will disappear. You are undoubtedly equivalent to a hundred sons. However, others who are well-versed in the scriptures maintain that having just one son in this fleeting world is equivalent to having none at all. The continuation of our family should not depend on a single life, as this is improper. I want our family to continue above everything else. My distress is brought on by this. Being embarrassed to tell his kid the entire tale, the father dodged the question.
The discerning Devavrata saw that his father’s mental state must have a covert cause, and via questioning the king’s charioteer, he learned about his encounter with the fishermaiden on the banks of the Yamuna. On behalf of his father, he went to the fishermen’s leader and begged for the hand of his daughter.
The fisherman was polite but adamant: “My daughter is absolutely qualified to wed the king. So why shouldn’t her kid rule as king? But now that you have been named the heir apparent, it is only logical that you will succeed your father. This is what creates a barrier.
“I offer you my word that the boy born of this girl shall be king,” Devavrata retorted. He made a commitment to that effect: “And I resign in his favour my claim as heir apparent.”
“O greatest of the Bharata race, you have done what no one else born of royal blood has done till now,” the leader of the fisherman said. You truly are a hero.
My daughter can be brought to the king, your father, by you. Please be patient while you listen to what I have to say as the girl’s father.
“I am certain that you will honour your promise, but how can I believe that the offspring you have will forego their birthright? Naturally, your boys will be heroic warriors like you, and they’ll be challenging to stop if they try to take the country by force. This is the uncertainty that haunts me.
Devavrata, who was determined to satisfy the king’s wish, made his ultimate surrender when he heard the girl’s father ask this complex question. He promised the father of the young woman, raising his arm, “I will never wed and I commit myself to a life of unbroken virginity.”
The gods poured flowers on his head as he said these words of renunciation, and screams of “Bhishma,” “Bhishma” resounded throughout the atmosphere. “Bhishma” refers to a person who makes a dreadful promise and keeps it. From that point on, that name was known as Devavrata’s epithet. The young Satyavati was then brought to Ganga by his son.
Santanu had two sons from Satyavati, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, who took the kingdom in succession. Dhritarashtra and Pandu, the two sons of Vichitravirya’s two queens Ambika and Ambalika, were born to him.
The Kauravas were the name given to Dhritarashtra’s 100 sons.
Five of Pandu’s sons rose to fame as the Pandavas. Until the conclusion of the renowned Battle of Kurukshetra, Bhishma lived a long life and was revered by everybody as the grandsire.
Keep Mahabharat Book at Home and Read Daily – DO NOT FALL TO FAKE PROPAGANDA and Allow Enemies to Weaken our Dharma and Bharat
This historical epic Mahabharat is known as fifth Veda. It is a common misconception spread by mlecchas; muslims and christian missionaries, and secular Hindus that reading Mahabharat or keeping it at home will likely lead to arguments and fighting. All of this misinformation was spread by illiterate mlecchas and anti-Hindus, and it is completely incorrect. It is done to mentally weaken Hindus so that they avoid reading Mahabharat. Because Mahabharat invokes bravery, pride and sense of confidence in Hindus.
Keep a copy of Mahabharat at home and read it online at the HariBhakt website. Mahabharat is rightly called the fifth Veda for Kaliyuga people because it is a tool and guidance to invoke confidence and bravery in Sanatan Dharmi Hindus.
You can read complete Mahabharat by following Chapter links given below. You can check Glossary of Mahabharat here.
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