3. BHISHMA'S VOW :

3. BHISHMA'S VOW :

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WITH joy the king received to his heart

and his kingdom the resplendent and

youthful prince Devavrata and crowned

him as the Yuvaraja, the heir apparent.

Four years went by. One day as the king

was wandering on the banks of the

Yamuna, the air was suddenly filled with

a fragrance so divinely sweet that the king

sought for its cause, and he traced it to a

maiden so lovely that she seemed a

goddess. A sage had conferred on her the

boon that a divine perfume should

emanate from her, and this was now

pervading the whole forest.

From the moment the goddess Ganga left

him, the king had kept his senses under

control, but the sight of this divinely

beautiful maiden burst the bonds of

restraint and filled him with an

overmastering desire. He asked her to be

his wife.

The maiden said: "I am a fisherwoman,

the daughter of the chief of the fishermen.

May it please you to ask him and get his

consent." Her voice was sweet as her

form.

The father was an astute man.

He said: "O king, there is no doubt that

this maiden, like every other, has to be

married to someone and you are indeed

worthy of her. Still you have to make a

promise to me before you can have her."

Santanu replied: "If it is a just promise I

shall make it."

The chief of the fisherfolk said: "The child

born of this maiden should be the king

after you."

Though almost mad with passion, the king

could not make this promise, as it meant

setting aside the godlike Devavrata, the

son of Ganga, who was entitled to the

crown.

It was a price that could not be thought of

without shame. He therefore returned to

his capital, Hastinapura, sick with baffled

desire. He did not reveal the matter to

anyone and languished in silence.

One day Devavrata asked his father: "My

father, you have all that your heart could

wish. Why then are you so unhappy? How

is it that you are like one pining away with

a secret sorrow?"

The king replied: "Dear son, what you say

is true. I am indeed tortured with mental

pain and anxiety. You are my only son

and you are always preoccupied with

military ambitions. Life in the world is

uncertain and wars are incessant. If

anything untoward befalls you our family

will become extinct. Of course, you are

equal to a hundred sons. Still, those who

are well read in the scriptures say that in

this transitory world having but one son is

the same as having no son at all. It is, not

proper that the perpetuation of our family

should depends on a single life, and above

all things I desire the perpetuation of our

family. This is the cause of my anguish."

The father prevaricated, being ashamed to

reveal the whole story to his son.

The wise Devavrata realised that there

must be a secret cause for the mental

condition of his father, and questioning

the king's charioteer came to know of his

meeting with the fishermaiden on the

banks of the Yamuna. He went to the

chief of the fishermen and besought his

daughter's hand on his father's behalf.

The fisherman was respectful, but firm:

"My daughter is indeed fit to be the king's

spouse. Then should not her son become

king? But you have been crowned as the

heir apparent and will naturally succeed

your father. It is this that stands in the

way."

Devavrata replied: "I give you my word

that the son born of this maiden shall be

king. And I renounce in his favor my right

as heir apparent," and he took a vow to

that effect.

The chief of the fishermen said: "O best of

the Bharata race, you have done what no

one else born of royal blood has you have

done till now. You are indeed a hero. You

can yourself conduct my daughter to the

king, your father. Still, hear with patience

these words of mine which I say as the

father of the girl.

"I have no doubt you will keep your word,

but how can I hope that the children born

of you will renounce their birthright?

Your sons will naturally be mighty heroes

like you, and will be hard to resist if they

seek to seize the kingdom by force. This is

the doubt that torments me."

When he heard this knotty question posed

by the girl's father, Devavrata, who was

bent on fulfilling the king's desire, made

his supreme renunciation. He vowed with

upraised arm to the father of the maiden:

"I shall never marry and I dedicate myself

to a life of unbroken chastity."

And as he uttered these words of

renunciation the gods showered flowers

on his head, and cries of "Bhishma,"

"Bhishma" resounded in the air.

"Bhishma" means one who undertakes a

terrible vow and fulfils it. That name

became the celebrated epithet of

Devavrata from that time. Then the son of

Ganga led the maiden Satyavati to his

father.

Two sons were born of Satyavati to

Santanu, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya,

who ascended the throne one after the

other. Vichitravirya had two sons,

Dhritarashtra and Pandu, born

respectively of his two queens, Ambika

and Ambalika.

The sons of Dhritarashtra, a hundred in

number, were known as the Kauravas.

Pandu had five sons who became famous

as the Pandavas. Bhishma lived long,

honored by all as the grandsire until the

end of the famous battle of Kurukshetra.