Story 3: Next Generation

The two brothers.

Satyavati bargained hard, and got the promise of the mighty Hastinapur for her sons. But that was not to be.

King Shantanu died of a grieving heart, and a sense of unfulfilled duty not long after Satyavati gave birth to his two sons. These children were ordained to be the king of Hastinapur. However they died early too, leaving no heirs to the coveted throne of Hastinapur.

For the first time in history, Hastinapur was at crossroads. An impressive kingdom – with no one to rule it. The very capable Bheeshma had vowed to never become the king, and Satyavati’s sons had died an untimely death! The throne of Hastinapur was empty because of one woman’s ambition and greed.

A solution to this problem was soon arrived at. A great sage, Ved Vyas, was called upon. Ved Vyas then obtained grandsons for Satyavati. But as fate would have it, not even one of these grandsons were anywhere close to  great kings of the lunar dynasty.

Dhritrashtra – the eldest one, was born blind.

Pandu – the middle one, was born pale and weak.

Vidur – the youngest one, healthy and wise, was born of a maid.

Bheeshma oversaw the development of these princes with great care. He imagined getting them married to beautiful, intelligent princesses, and eventually hoped for an offspring that would be worthy of the throne of Hastinapur. Little did he know, that the children of Dhritrashtra and Pandu he was wishing so desperately for, will bring down the whole kingdom.

Bheeshma was keen on getting blind Dhritrashtra married to an intelligent princess. He heard about the princess of the kingdom of Gandhaar (now known as Kandahar in modern Afghanistaan).

Keen to get the princess for Dhritraastra, Bheeshma forced the king of Gandhaar to marry his daughter to the blind prince of Hastinapur. Afraid of Bheeshma and Hastinapur wrath, the hapless king agreed.

The princess Gandhaari and her brother, Shakuni were enraged, but couldn’t do much. As a silent protest, Gandhaari took a public vow to blindfold herself for life. “The man I’m getting married to”, she said, “ can not see. As his wife, so won’t I.”

Her brother, Prince Shakuni, had other ideas. “I shall destroy the proud kingdom of Hastinapur , that forced my innocent sister into an unwanted marriage”, he promised to himself.

And so Dhritraastra got married to a blindfolded Gandhaari.

Pandu, meanwhile, was crowned the king the Hastinapur. He got married to two princesses, Kunti and Madri.  Of these, Kunti held a very special boon given to her by a sage named Durvaasa. This special boon resulted in a very special situation..

Story 2: The Arrival Of Bheeshma
Devvrata can not be the king!

As time passed, Shantanu forgot Ganga, and enjoyed the company of his remarkable son. One day, as he walked by a river again, he came across a most strange, and captivating smell. The fragnace was emanating from a beautiful , dark fisherwoman named Satya-vati.  “Will the king care to sit in my humble boat and cross the river?” , asked the fisherwoman with the musky fragnance. King Shanatanu could not say no, and took a ride on her boat. Satyavati was a beautiful and intelligent woman, blessed with a natural fragnance. The king fell in love with her, and asked her hand in marriage.

This was the start of the fall of the mighty kingdom, Hastinapur.

Satyavati and her father, the fisherman, asked Shantanu to promise that Satyavatis children would be crowned king after Shantanu. But then, what will happen to Devavrata?? Wasn’t he supposed to be the next king of Hastinapur? Shantanu could not accept this unfair condition of the fisherman, and broken hearted, returned to his palace.

Devavrata soon came to know of his father’s love for the fisherwoman, Satyavati, and the fisherman’s condition. Like a devoted son, all Devavrata wanted was that his father be happy. And he decided to take matters in his own hands.

Prince Devavrata went to meet the fisherman and his daughter. “I must obtain Satyavati for my father’s happiness”, he thought. But the fisherman wasn’t impressed. “You may be a prince, and Shantanu may be a king”, he said. “But my daughter is a mere fishergirl. You must promise me that her children will be the future kings of Hastinapur- not you or your children. Only then, will people of Hastinapur respect my daughter as their queen.”

Blinded by the love for his father, Devavrata made three great promises that night.

“I promise”, the crown prince Devavrata declared, “to never be the king of Hastinapur. Let Satyavatis children ascend the throne that was supposed to be mine till now.”

“I promise”, Devavrata further continued, “ to never marry, so that none of my children can ever challenge Satyavatis.”

“And”, he promised to the people of Hastinapur, “I’ll always help whoever becomes the king of Hastinapur, and will always take care of Hastinapur as the king’s aide.”

These were huge promises. These promises changed the life of Devavrata, and the fortunes of Hastinapur. People started calling Devavrata by another name – Bheeshma, which means terrible or huge (referring to his promise).

Story 1: How it all started.
King Shantanu.

The people of Hastinapur (has-ti-naa-pur) considered themselves lucky. Their kings- from the Lunar dynasty- had been kind and virtuous. All the previous kings were brave and caring, and the current ruler, King Shantanu, was no different. The only thing people of Hastinapur wished for now was a queen worthy enough for King Shantanu. Their hopes were soon fulfilled.

King Shantanu met a beautiful woman on the banks of a river. The woman, named Ganga, was grace and beauty personified. She walked effortlessly, as if gliding on the land. She spoke with warmth of a winter sun, and had a beauty so effervescent that it seemed divine. King Shantanu fell in love with Ganga the moment he saw her, and asked her to marry him.

However, Ganga wasn’t so sure. “O King! I’ve heard of you and your greatness”, she said. “But I’m afraid to marry you. As your wife, you will put restrictions on me. You will not let me live as freely as I love to. I’m honoured by your proposal, King Shantanu, but I value my freedom greatly.”

To this, the king assured Ganga, that he loves her, and will care for her happiness more than anything else. But Ganga wasn’t satisfied. She agreed to marry Shantanu only after he promised her that he will never question her or stop her from doing anything. “Such a graceful, innocent woman she is”, thought Shantanu. “What harm in promising her complete freedom!” Little did he know of Ganga’s plans…

King Shantanu and Ganga were married in a grand ceremony. The king, and people of Hastinapur, were extremely happy to have Ganga as their queen. Soon after their marriage, Ganga gave birth to a son. But then, she quietly took the son to a river, and drowned him in front of a bewildered Shantanu’s eyes. Bound by his promise, the king could do nothing but wonder and grieve for his lost child. The same events repeated six more times!! Shantanu couldn’t believe his eyes – but could neither stop nor question Ganga about her actions! As Ganga was about to drown their eight child, King Shanatanu could see it no more. He had to stop this madness!!

“Stop Ganga!!”, shouted Shantanu. “Why are you killing our innocent children like this? Please stop! Spare my son!”

Ganga smiled in the most heavenly ways. “I am no ordinary woman, O King, and those children were no ordinary children either. They were sages (learned higher beings) , cursed to appear in the human form on this earth. I married you to help those sages escape a human life. This eight child of yours, however, is different. He will live on, and lead an illustrious life unlike any other human on the Earth.” Saying this, Ganga handed over the infant to King Shantanu, and disappeared in the river herself.

Shantanu named this child Dev-vrata – the promise of Gods. Devavrata was an exceptionally bright child- skilled in every art and science, and devoted to his kingdom and his father. The people of Hastinapur had found a worthy successor to their long line of illustrious kings..