Ganga-1 

In Mahabharat the Ganga had imposed a condition before agreeing to marry Shantanu would never question Ganga for whatever she did. The king had promised to observe this condition.

Ganga was a very beautiful. In short she was an ideal queen; Shantanu and Ganga were very much in love with each other. Time passed very quickly. Days and months passed. Ganga was blessed with a son and the king joy knew no bounds. When the king visited the chamber of the queen, the servants informed him that the queen had gone to the banks of the river Ganga with the newborn child. When he reached the river bank, he was horrified to see that the child had been thrown in Ganga by the queen. Bound by his promise, he could not question Ganga, why had she acted in such a ghastly manner. Grief stricken, he returned to his palace with the queen and the life began as usual.

During the years to come, Ganga bore six more sons and threw them all in the river Ganga. The king became much aggrieved and lost his peace of mind. Ganga became pregnant again, with the eighth child and the kings desire to get a successor became too powerful. He kept a close watch on the queen. When the child was born, the queen again left for the river bank. The king caught her and begged her to spare the child. Ganga reminded the king of his promise to her that he would never question her actions. But this time the grief stricken king could not restrain him and he had stopped Ganga while she was going to throw the eighth child in the river Ganga. Ganga said that she could no longer live with the king. To all the entreaties of the king, the queen said, “My Lord, I am Ganga, the river. Now the time has come for me to go, the heavens and the gods ordain so. I must go." The king overwhelmed with grief made one more appeal to her and vended her of all the love that they bore for each other. He once again asked her to stay back. Then Ganga with tears in her eyes narrated her strange story.

She said, "I am Ganga and I belong to the heavens. In your previous birth you were a great king named Mahabhisakh. Once in the court of Indra you saw and fell in love with me. I also desired you to be my husband. The gods were angry and they cursed me to be born on earth and become your wife. The sons born to me are Vasus. They also were cursed, to be born on earth. They begged me to be their mother here and requested that I should kill them at their birth so that they could be free of their earthly life at the earliest. Seven of our sons were killed and became free of their curse. But the eighth Vasu would have to spend a long time on earth according to the curse. Therefore, he has been allowed to live. Do not grieve my Lord; the gods ordain cannot be undone."

She said again, “My Lord allow me to take this son, I shall take all possible care of him and at the appropriate time I shall return him to you. He shall become a worthy successor to the great throne of the Pauravas. He shall be the greatest among all the Pauravas who have adorned the throne of the kings of the lunar race. Saying this Ganga left the king and went away with the child. King Shantanu was left lonely, sad, deject and heart-broken."

Sixteen years passed. King Shantanu was very fond of going to the forest for hunting, once, there he saw an awesome sight. A Youth had made a dam of his arrows and the flow of Ganga had been stemmed. While the king was marvelling at the extra ordinary skill of the youth, Ganga emerged from the waters and spoke to the king, "My Lord, this youth is our son. He has received the best possible education and is now a worthy prince to the successor of the throne of Hastinapura. He has learnt Political science from Brhiaspati, Bhargava (also called Parashurama) taught him archery." Then she told the young man to touch the feet of his father, Shantanu. The king happily returned to his palace and proclaimed the good news to all his people. He declared that his son, whose name was Devavrata would be the crown prince.

Satyavati- One day, again king went hunting in a forest on the banks of the river Yamuna. Their divine fragrance assailed his senses. Following the ascent he reached on the riverbank and saw an extremely beautiful woman who was tying up her boat. The king became smitten by love at first sight. After inquiring about her name and her father’s name, he approached her father, a head of the fishermen. The woman’s name was Satyavati. The king asked her hand in marriage from her father. The fisherman replied that his daughter could marry the king only if he agreed that the son born of her daughter would inherit the throne. The king could not agree to this condition. He was unable to do such a great injustice to his son Devavrata. He quietly came to the palace. He became very dejected and sullen and lost all interest in the administration of the kingdom.

The change in the behaviour of the king was noticed by all and Devavrata became very concerned. He came to know from the king charioteer, what had happened. He went to the fisherman and asked him to agree to his daughter’s marriage to his father. The fisherman repeated his condition; he at once said that he would ensure that the son born of Satyavati became the king after his father. The fisherman was not yet convinced. He said, "I have full faith in you and in what you say. But I cannot be so sure of your sons, who may stake their claim to the throne." Devavrata made a terrible vow that he would never marry so that such a situation would never arise. The earth and the heavens resounded with this terrible vow and the sound of "Bhishma". "Bhishma" echoed throughout the heavens and the earth. After this Devavrata became famous as "Bhishma". The fisherman agreed for the marriage proposal. Bhishma, along with his new mother Satyavati returned to the palace and narrated these things to his father. Shantanu became over whelmed with joy and also became terribly sad, realising the extent of Bhishma sacrifice. With trembling voice and eyes full of tears he gave Bhishma a boon that he would die only when he wished. The death shall have to wait on him. The king used up all his accumulated penance to grant this boon to his son.

The marriage between Satyavati and Shantanu was a happy one and two son; Chitrangada and Vichitravirya were born to them. In the course of years, the king grew old and passed away and the sons too grew up. Prince Chitrangada was too young to run the administration of the kingdom. So, Bhishma acted as a regent to him. A few years passed thus, uneventfully, and then the tragedy struck. There was a Ghandharva king bearing the same name as Prince Chitrangada. He resented it very much that mere mortal should bear his name. So he challenged the prince for a fight and the Gandharva killed Chitrangada in it. Now Vichitravirya was crowned as the king and Bhishma acting as the regent. People were very happy in Hastinpura under the rule of Bhishma.

Amba, Ambika and Ambalika.- The king of Kashi had three very beautiful daughters, The king of Kashi held a ‘Swayamvar’, (a practice where the bride could choose her husband), from among those participating in the ceremony. Bhishma to the "Swayamvar" and took the princesses by force on his chariot and challenged the assembled princes and kings to stop him. They tried but were defeated by Bhishma. Bhishma went to Hastinpura with three princesses in his chariot. In the palace, he presented the princesses to her mother Satyavati and she embraced them and offered them in marriage to her son Vichitravirya.

Amba, the eldest of the princess protested that she could not marry Vichitravirya. As before Bhishma arrived in the "Swayamvar" She was proceeding to garland the king of Salva, whom she had taken as her husband and therefore had become married to him. Shocked at their revelation, Bhishma sent her to the king of Salva with appropriate escort. But the king Salva refused to accept her as his bride. Salva said that as per the Shastras, she had to marry the one, who had won her in a fight. Thus spurned, she came back to Hastinapura and blamed Bhishma for her plight. Bhishma explained that at the time of Swayamvar she did not tell these things to him. Thus unaware of her resolve to marry Salva, he had brought her to Hastinapura. She had been a victim of a terrible fate. Not content, she asked Bhishma to marry her as it was he who had won her in the fight. Bhishma told her about his vow of celibacy he had taken before the father of Satyavati. He expressed his inability to marry her. After finding Bhishma  unmoved, she left for the forest deeply hurt and feeling insulted.

In the forest Amba met several ascetics Rishis; all were moved to hear about her plight. Even Parashurama on her plea asked Bhishma to marry her. Bhishma refused and a fight between guru and his pupil proceed. Finally nothing came out of Amba’s efforts and spurned from all sides, she became and ascetic and undertook severe penance. Ultimately the Lord of the lords, Shiva became happy and asked her to ask anything she desired. She asked for the death of Bhishma. Lord Shiva said that in the next birth she would be born in the house of Drupada, the king of Panchala, and then she would kill Bhishma. Thereafter burning with the desire for her revenge, Amba lit a fire and threw herself in it. She was born as a daughter to Drapada but through the kindness of Yaksha she became a man named as Shikhandi. Now, Shikhandi grew up with a desire for revenge burning in her heart.

The marriage of prince Vichitravirya was duly celebrated with the two princesses Ambika, and Ambalika. They all were very happy together. Bhishma was running the kingdom. The prince had all the time for his wives. This happy state did not last for long. The prince was found suffering from the dreadful disease. All the cures, attention of the best physicians could not cure him. Suffering from the disease he died very young.

After the last funeral rites were performed for Vichitravirya, Satyavati wept and lamented for her deceased son. Ambika and Ambalika were also greatly overwhelmed at the untimely death of their husband. Upon realizing the possible extinction of the dynasty, Satyavati approached Bhishma requesting him; the perpetuation of the Kuru dynasty now depends on you. The wives of your brother, Ambalika and Ambika, desire progeny, and under my order you should procreate children by them to continue this dynasty. You should duly marry a wife of good character and enthrone yourself as king. Do not plunge our ancestors into hell.

Upon hearing Satyavati's request, the relatives and friends of the Kuru family agreed. However, Bhishma replied to his stepmother, O mother, what you have said is certainly sanctioned according to the code of virtue, but you forget my vow regarding marriage and children. I have taken a vow of lifelong celibacy. I may have to renounce kingship of the three worlds, the kingdom of heaven, and anything greater that exists, but this vow I will never renounce. The earth may lose its scent, water may lose its moisture, the sun may lose its glory, and fire, its heat. The moon may lose its cooling rays, or Indra his prowess, but I will not renounce this vow.

Hearing Bhishma's determination, Satyavati replied, I know the vow that you have taken is on my account, but considering the present emergency you should accept this order as duty to the ancestors. Bhishma again emphasized his duty to truth, O Queen, do not sway from the path of virtue. Renunciation of a vow is never acclaimed in the shastras (Holy Scriptures). Listen to this narration and then decide the right course of action. In a former millennium, Parashurama, killed Kartavirya Arjuna in battle for the sin of slaying his father. Not only did he kill the followers of Kartavirya Arjuna, but he destroyed the entire kshatriya race twenty-one times. When the earth was devoid of great warriors, the queens approached the great Rishis and procreated children by them and thus the kshatriya race was revived. Therefore, a purified brahmana should be invited with an offer of wealth, and let him raise children by the wives of Vicitravirya.