Dear future me,
I am taking up this quest of reading Mahabharata as I find time and after each chapter, I would be posting my progress chapter-wise for future reference and for me to skim through and revisit the legend if some time I miss on something. Hope to complete this by the end of next year. Bonne chance, monsieur Vinayak.
Chapter 1. The Beginning.
This ancient tale of Mahabharata was witnessed by sage Vyasa and he, being mortal, wanted to pass on this legendary tale to his successors. But he needed someone to write down as an amanuensis. So, Vyasa meditated and pleases the creator of world and this made him come to Vyasa and he asked him what's the matter. Vyasa explained that he needed an amanuensis. So, Bramha asked him to use Lord Ganpati as his amanuensis. Vyasa meditated upon him and Ganpati appeared before him. Later, they both had a pact before Ganpati agreed to accept Vyasa's plea. Lord Ganesh asked Vyasa to speak incessantly and he would stop writing the moment he paused. To this Vyasa replied in affirmative but on one condition, that Ganesh would not blindly take down his diction but comprehend it thoroughly as he spoke. This way, Vyasa bought himself some time by deliberately introducing some intricacies when he was tired of speech so that Lord Ganesh would take some time in getting its meaning understood. This was how the epic came into existence for us mortals to read and seek guidance from.
Chapter 2. Devavrata.
The sage Vasishtha was indeed a powerful sage. He had a beautiful cow with a special boon; the one who drank its milk would become immortal. Once, on a walk through the Jungle, the eight vasus, accompanied with the wife of the eldest vasu named Prabhasa came across the cow. The wife pleaded her husband to have the cow for themselves. But Prabhasa explained his wife the futility in such an action as they could incur the curse of the sage and the cow was of no significance as they all were immortals already. Still, his wife managed to persuade him by saying that it was a dear companion of hers in the land of mortals who wanted the cow. They agreed upon and took away the cow and when Vasishtha came to know of this he was mad at the vasus. He cursed them that they would be born in the land of mortals and that the form of the eldest vasu would have a long and painful stay in the land of mortals.
The eight vasus then approached goddess Ganga and asked her to be their mother. After hearing the painful story of the vasus, Ganga affirmed their plea. She found King Santanu and he was so infatuated by her love, he was ready to do anything to marry her. They did marry but before marriage Ganga took a word from him. That he shall not question her at any point of time and the moment he does, he would loose her. He accepted her and vowed to do so. Then she bore 7 children to him and immediately drowned them after they were born. Out of great despair the King finally asked her the reason for her actions when she is about to drown the 8th child. She breaks up with him by telling the story so as not to misjudge her and handles the eighth child to the king after a few years after making him well-versed with the vedantas, the Upanishads and other literature and also making him au fait with archery. This child goes on to become the great grandsire Devavrata aka Bhishma.
Chapter 3. Devavrata vows celibacy.
Santanu is glad with his child and after his experience with Ganga makes a resolve to never fall for anyone again. He successfully follows it for several years until he finds a fisherman's daughter charming and all the emotions in him, unsurmountable come back and he wants to re-marry. But her father puts forth a condition: that the child she bore Santanu shall become the king after his demise/ dethronement. Santanu can't stand that idea and let her go. But a feeling of sadness constantly penetrates his mind which Devavrata notices and asks him the reason. Santanu recites the story to him.
Devavrata then personally goes to the fisherman's place and promises the father that it would be Satyavati's child who would be bestowed with the empire and not him. The girl's father, shrewd enough asks Devavrata that if he married and had children, they would naturally stand in the contest for the kingdom. It is then that Devavrata vows that he will never marry and be a celibate. It is then that he is named Bhishma meaning the one who takes a terrible vow and fulfils it
Chapter 4 Bhishma and Sikhandin.
Santanu and Satyavati have two children Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada is slayed in a battle with the Gandharvas and Vichitravirya ascends the throne after Santanu.
Bhishma fetches three princesses Amba, Ambalika and Ambika after winning them in a battle against the other contenders in a duel with all the other Kshatriyas who covet these princesses. But Amba is already in love with the king of saubala country Salya and asks Bhishma to let her go. But he rightfully defeats Salya in a duel and obtains her possession.
Vichitravirya marries Ambika and Ambalika but refuses to marry a woman whose heart craves for someone else. Then she pleads Bhishma to let go and he does so. Then, on approaching Salya, she asks him to marry her but he refuses to do so as he had lost her to Bhishma and marrying her would make him fall in his own eyes. She returns to Hastinapur and tries to persuade every warrior in the country to fight Bhishma and defeat him, all out of vindictiveness to Bhishma but everyone refuses to do so.
King Parsurama agrees but he looses. Lord Subhramanya grants her a garland after her austerities to him.The wearer of the Garland will become Bhishma's enemy. She goes to King Drupada with the garland but he refuses too. She lets the garland on his gate and goes to Himalayas and meditates to please Lord Shiva and after doing so, Lord Shiva gets pleased and grants her the boon that in her next birth she would slay Bhishma.
In her next birth she is born as a daughter to king Drupada. She fetches the garland she left as Amba and wears it. Drupada out of fear of incurring the wrath of Bhishma, exiles her into the forest where she is born anew as Sikhandin, as a male out of her austerities.
Bhishma being aware of her true nature as a female and his tatvas of never attacking a female, he refrains from attacking her in the kurukshetra and seeking sikhandins protection, Arjun slays Bhishma with his arrow.
I am taking up this quest of reading Mahabharata as I find time and after each chapter, I would be posting my progress chapter-wise for future reference and for me to skim through and revisit the legend if some time I miss on something. Hope to complete this by the end of next year. Bonne chance, monsieur Vinayak.
Chapter 1. The Beginning.
This ancient tale of Mahabharata was witnessed by sage Vyasa and he, being mortal, wanted to pass on this legendary tale to his successors. But he needed someone to write down as an amanuensis. So, Vyasa meditated and pleases the creator of world and this made him come to Vyasa and he asked him what's the matter. Vyasa explained that he needed an amanuensis. So, Bramha asked him to use Lord Ganpati as his amanuensis. Vyasa meditated upon him and Ganpati appeared before him. Later, they both had a pact before Ganpati agreed to accept Vyasa's plea. Lord Ganesh asked Vyasa to speak incessantly and he would stop writing the moment he paused. To this Vyasa replied in affirmative but on one condition, that Ganesh would not blindly take down his diction but comprehend it thoroughly as he spoke. This way, Vyasa bought himself some time by deliberately introducing some intricacies when he was tired of speech so that Lord Ganesh would take some time in getting its meaning understood. This was how the epic came into existence for us mortals to read and seek guidance from.
Chapter 2. Devavrata.
The sage Vasishtha was indeed a powerful sage. He had a beautiful cow with a special boon; the one who drank its milk would become immortal. Once, on a walk through the Jungle, the eight vasus, accompanied with the wife of the eldest vasu named Prabhasa came across the cow. The wife pleaded her husband to have the cow for themselves. But Prabhasa explained his wife the futility in such an action as they could incur the curse of the sage and the cow was of no significance as they all were immortals already. Still, his wife managed to persuade him by saying that it was a dear companion of hers in the land of mortals who wanted the cow. They agreed upon and took away the cow and when Vasishtha came to know of this he was mad at the vasus. He cursed them that they would be born in the land of mortals and that the form of the eldest vasu would have a long and painful stay in the land of mortals.
The eight vasus then approached goddess Ganga and asked her to be their mother. After hearing the painful story of the vasus, Ganga affirmed their plea. She found King Santanu and he was so infatuated by her love, he was ready to do anything to marry her. They did marry but before marriage Ganga took a word from him. That he shall not question her at any point of time and the moment he does, he would loose her. He accepted her and vowed to do so. Then she bore 7 children to him and immediately drowned them after they were born. Out of great despair the King finally asked her the reason for her actions when she is about to drown the 8th child. She breaks up with him by telling the story so as not to misjudge her and handles the eighth child to the king after a few years after making him well-versed with the vedantas, the Upanishads and other literature and also making him au fait with archery. This child goes on to become the great grandsire Devavrata aka Bhishma.
Chapter 3. Devavrata vows celibacy.
Santanu is glad with his child and after his experience with Ganga makes a resolve to never fall for anyone again. He successfully follows it for several years until he finds a fisherman's daughter charming and all the emotions in him, unsurmountable come back and he wants to re-marry. But her father puts forth a condition: that the child she bore Santanu shall become the king after his demise/ dethronement. Santanu can't stand that idea and let her go. But a feeling of sadness constantly penetrates his mind which Devavrata notices and asks him the reason. Santanu recites the story to him.
Devavrata then personally goes to the fisherman's place and promises the father that it would be Satyavati's child who would be bestowed with the empire and not him. The girl's father, shrewd enough asks Devavrata that if he married and had children, they would naturally stand in the contest for the kingdom. It is then that Devavrata vows that he will never marry and be a celibate. It is then that he is named Bhishma meaning the one who takes a terrible vow and fulfils it
Chapter 4 Bhishma and Sikhandin.
Santanu and Satyavati have two children Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada is slayed in a battle with the Gandharvas and Vichitravirya ascends the throne after Santanu.
Bhishma fetches three princesses Amba, Ambalika and Ambika after winning them in a battle against the other contenders in a duel with all the other Kshatriyas who covet these princesses. But Amba is already in love with the king of saubala country Salya and asks Bhishma to let her go. But he rightfully defeats Salya in a duel and obtains her possession.
Vichitravirya marries Ambika and Ambalika but refuses to marry a woman whose heart craves for someone else. Then she pleads Bhishma to let go and he does so. Then, on approaching Salya, she asks him to marry her but he refuses to do so as he had lost her to Bhishma and marrying her would make him fall in his own eyes. She returns to Hastinapur and tries to persuade every warrior in the country to fight Bhishma and defeat him, all out of vindictiveness to Bhishma but everyone refuses to do so.
King Parsurama agrees but he looses. Lord Subhramanya grants her a garland after her austerities to him.The wearer of the Garland will become Bhishma's enemy. She goes to King Drupada with the garland but he refuses too. She lets the garland on his gate and goes to Himalayas and meditates to please Lord Shiva and after doing so, Lord Shiva gets pleased and grants her the boon that in her next birth she would slay Bhishma.
In her next birth she is born as a daughter to king Drupada. She fetches the garland she left as Amba and wears it. Drupada out of fear of incurring the wrath of Bhishma, exiles her into the forest where she is born anew as Sikhandin, as a male out of her austerities.
Bhishma being aware of her true nature as a female and his tatvas of never attacking a female, he refrains from attacking her in the kurukshetra and seeking sikhandins protection, Arjun slays Bhishma with his arrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment