BHISHMA BHARAT Part 4

BHISHMA BHARAT Part 4

PHISHMA PRATIGYA

Let us look into what were those  vows that came to be known BHMSHA PRATIGYA and under what circumstances they were taken.-

BHISHMA was named DEVVRATA at his birth. The BHISHMA is a title conferred upon him by his father  pleased by the vows taken by him.Literally it means  something Terrific He describes them as [ na bhuto na bhavishyati] some thing never done before  nor will be done after in future. what wee those vows ?  There were two of them 1] GIVE UP THE CLAIM TO THE THRONE OF FATHER AS ELDEST SON AND  2 ]  NOT  TO MARRY FOR  THE REST OF LIFE . They were given for the sake of father SHANTANU who was sad and returned without marrying SATYAVATI due to condition of making her son to inherit  his throne. Not able to bear the grief of his father in love, he voluntarily came forward and approached SATYAVATI and her father too declare these two vows and pave way for their marriage  Pleased with the act of his son DEVAVRAT   Not only he comferred the title BHISJMA but also gave him the boon of  ICHHAMARAN. [ choosing the time f death ]..

Ironically SHANTANU was not the eldest son of his father PRATEEP and yet crowned as the king.  It is not isolated case . There are many who did not.. The BHISHMA himself has chosen other eldest to succeed when things were in his control. Yet he took the vows and adhered them for life. His age at the time of taking the Vows is estimated to be 32 years and his age at the time ofdeath is estimated to be 186 years..That makes over 150 years of adhering to the Vows. Is it not superhuman or BHISHMA as he was
called. He is also called as BHISHMA PITAMAH or Great grand father of Kaurava and Pandwa fighting the war.

MAHABHARAT is told in flash back form to JANAMEJAYA who was gret grandson of  ARJUNA who was great grandson of BHISHMA whom he killed in the war. That covers seven generations. It was narrated to him during SARPYA-YGNA first in short and then un detail..The heritage line runs like this SHANTANU -  VICHITRVEEERYA [ step brother of BHISHMA ] - PANDU - ARJUNA - ABHIMANYU - PARIKSHIT - JANAMEJAYA . all decendats of KURU VANSH named after the King KURU who himself was descendant of BHARAT VANSH . which can be traced to BRAHMAJI as per Puranas. Like KURU , King YADU started YADAY ANSH in which SJRIKRISHNA was born.
The estimated age of ARJUNA was 88 years when he killed his great grand father double of his age. People of MAHABHARAT sure knew how to stay young and keep fighting !!!

BHISHMA BHARAT - 3

BHISHMA BHARAT  Part 3

DUSHYANT  SHANKUNTALA Two point of views

As seen in part 2 , the name MAHA BHARAT  is derived from The Version presented by MAHARSHI VYAS, The Emperor Bharat, the son of King DUSHYANT AND SHANKUNTALA .. This comes in the frrst Chappter ADIPARVA of  it by MAHARSHI VYAS .

The story is also immortalized by MAHAKAVI KALIDAS in his most famous play ABHGYAN SHANKUTALAM...KALIDAS has presented it as a love story introducing MUNI DURVAS and his curse , waiver at the request of friends of SHANKUNTALA of using some ornament [Ring } being given by DUSHYANT to remind him of  his GANDHARV marriage with SHAKUNTALA., rhe ring given by DUSHYANT beiing dropped in water and eaten by  fish, She being turned away by the King , eventual  discovery from Fish belly and shown the KING and his memory revival, reunion and happy end.. The play has all NAVRASA's like love, pain etc. included and presented in the most poetic way earning him acceptance of the greatest Poet in any language any time. like Shakespeare or Wordswortpoint.

Unfortunately his version is different than the version presented by MAHARSHI VYAS. He does not present per as Love Lorn Demure Damsel but as a woman of wit and intelligence, capable of arguing and winning the argument. Both agree that she is adopted daughter of MINI KANV, seen by the king DUSHYANT while on a hunting spree, falling in love and asking her for GANDHATV style of marriage. This style  of marriage accepts a girl  as a wife but does not need the bride to be taken home immediately . SHANKUTLA as per MAHABHARAT put condition of making her son king after DUSHYANT to agree to GANDHARV marriage which is accepted and paved way to her son BHARAT. to inherit the  Kingdom as son of him.  Almost like a contract marriage in stark contrast to the love story  projected by KALIDAS..

In all probability, VYAS version is to be accepted on two grounds A] It is dated much earlier than the period of KALIDAS and B] The same contract type marriage takes place when SATYAVATI agrees to marry SHANTANU putting the same condition that her Son to become King after him. The hesitation of SHANTANU prompted for the greatest Vows ever taken by his son from earlier marriage with  GANGA named BHISHMA.. His vows and adherance to it for over hundred years has coined the word BHISHMA PARTIGYA..

BHISMA BHARAT oart 2

BHISMA BHARAT

Why Bhishma Bharat ? It could have been Krishna Bharat or Arjun Bharat or even Karn Bharat , The scope of Maha Bharat is so great and big that many charactters and their lives have become legendary for thousands of years. But there is no denying that all of them are but a part of Maha bharat.
Inersetingly enough The epic has over hundred thousand verse as known now. Many vsersions are available with minor differences . All of them Give Credit to Maharshi Vyas as teh author of it. Interestingly he was witness of the of the historical Mahayudhha. Yes it was a hostory. The war story and was written as reporting of it some three year after. It was called by name JAI then and had only half of the verses of Today Mahabharat. It was re written by his desciple Vaishmpayan and renamed as Bharat. ,amt add ons found there way into it. Many subjects were covered like Arthshastr, Niti shastr, Dharmshastr and so on. The Bhagvad Geeta which is as acceptable as BUBIBLE as religious book comes at the begining of the Bharatiy Mahayudhha as told by Shri Krishna to Arjun. Many stories javing no oennection with main story aslo to be found as AKHYAN of Nal Damayanti.

The PANINI who is the iirst known editor if SANSKRIT gramer recors it as story of the war between the descendants of the family of Bharat Vansh and over rule of the land called as Bharat Varsha over 3500 years back.
The name is derived from The Emperor Bharat, the son of Dishyant Shankutla.  The clan was already subvidied into KURU family, Uadav Family and so on. Their origin can be traced tp Bharat vansh and throight it to Ishwaku vanash of the SUN.

BHISMA BHARAT

BHISMA BHARAT
As the name suggest it is about Bhisma character from Mahabharat.
Two epics have come from India i.e. Bharat. The Ramayana and Mahabharat. There is no doubt as to who is the hero of Ramayan. He is Lord Ram and Ram and Ram alone. He was also the eldest amongst four siblings. and was gone into exile for forteen tears . So is the case of Dhrmaraj of Mahbhaart. the comparison stops there. Nobody calls Dharmraj as teh Hero of Mahabharat.
Then who is the hero of Mahabharat ? Shrikrishna ? Arjun ? No single person can be named as the Hero of Mahabharat. Whose story is it then ?
It is story of the Land called as BHARAT a name which is adopted by the Indian Constitution INDIA i.e. BHARAT. It was known as Jambudweep earlier and came to be known as Bharat after era of Mahabhharat.
This blog is an attempt to find what is Bharat and why the story of a family feud of several generations pertinent to it and what is the role of BHISMA in it.

To be continued.