Bhishma Pitamah, the greatest warrior in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was a man of valor, truthfulness, forgiveness, empathy and wisdom. He is known as a great intellectual who had mastered the art of concentration and at the same time he was the supreme warrior who had defeated his guru,Parshurama himself.
Nonetheless, in today’s blog we will share some great values and qualities of the great Bhishma, also known as the Gangaputra.
Devoted Son
Bhishma was the son of King Shantanu and River Goddess Ganga. He was known as Devavrata before getting the title of Bhishma. As Devavrata, was the heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapur, being the only son of Shantanu and due to his great abilities as a warrior, noble, student and an able administrator. He had won many territories fighting for his father’s army and as a result, the kingdom of Hastinapur had extended its boundaries up to the modern day Greece and Russia to the North west and to Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia in the South East. The Bharatvansha was at its prime under the command of the young prince Devavrata. But the fate other plans, as the King Shantanu fell in love with a fisherman’s daughter, Satyavati. But Satyavati’s father had one condition to marry his daughter to Shantanu. He wanted that the children of Satyavati should rule the kingdom of Hastinapur instead of Devavrata. To this condition Shantanu rejected the proposal of Satyavati’s father. But Devavrata couldn’t see his father’s pain and took an oath for lifelong celibacy and also stated that he would never sit on the King’s throne and serve the King as long as he lives. Hence, the marriage of Satyavati with Shantanu took place and from that day, Devavrata was given the title of Bhishma, which means huge, because of his huge oath, the Bhishma Pratigya.
Staunch Student
Bhishma was the student of Parshurama, who was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Parshurama is known as the greatest Brahamana warrior who killed all the evil Kshatriyas ruling the Earth. Moreover, Parshurama had a very short temper and being an ultimate warrior, nobody dared to face his wrath. But Bhishma was devout student of his Guru. He learned every skill and technique related to warfare, administration, education and spirituality from Parshurama. But when, Amba went to Parshurama to force Bhishma to marry her. Bhishma denied his Guru as well, because he had taken the oath of life long celibacy. This enraged Parshurama and he challenged Bhishma in the battlefield. To this Bhishma gently accepted his Guru’s wish and defeated Parshurama and turned him unconscious.
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The Most Generous Warrior
Bhishma had the blessing of Immortality and moreover, he was super skilled in warfare and there was no warrior at the time of Mahabharata, that could defeat the mighty Bhishma. But, he knew that he was fighting for the wrong cause and Pandavas were righteous in their cause. Though, he had pledged that he wouldn’t kill any of the Pandavas in the battle of Mahabharata, but he also knew that as long as he is in the battlefield, Pandavas wouldn’t be able to win the war. That is why, he himself told the Pandavas that if they brought a female into the battlefield, Bhishma wouldn’t attack her. In a way, he gave Pandavas, the clue to defeat him. As a result, Arjuna fought standing behind Shikandi the eunuch, who was Amba in its previous birth. Hence, Bhishma didn’t attack Shikhandi or Arjuna in the battlefield and eventually, collapsed after a thousand arrows had pierced his body. This shows the generousness of this great warrior, such a fine example of empathy and charity is not seen anywhere in the history.
A Loyal Servant of Hastinapur
Bhishma had vowed to protect and serve the King of Hastinapur as long as he lives. He did so, by serving four generations of the kings of Hastinapur. From serving his father Shantanu, to his step brothers Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, to Dhritarashtra and Pandu and finally Duryodhana. Bhishma had selflessly served the king irrespective of the cause and condition. Even when Duryodhana was fighting for an evil reason, Bhishma served as the supreme commander of Duryodhana’s army in theMahabharata war. This shows us the great loyalty and faithfulness of the great Bhishma Pitamah.
All these qualities serve a lesson for all of us, to transform ourselves and become selfless and kind to others. Bhishma’s life is a great source of wisdom for us Indians, to respect our parents and teachers, to love our family, to protect the weak and to help the needy. Bhishma led his life with an example and even after many thousand years of the Mahabharata war, his story is immortal.
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Excellent information.
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