BHARAT CULTURE

Chapter 1: Bhishma's Oath Before he was called Bhishma, he was known as Devrath. The son of Ganga and Hastinapur’s king Shantanu. One day, he unselfishly took a grave oath to neither marry nor become a king. The newly declared successor to the throne swore to give up the throne and remain a loyal servant to whosoever sits on the throne of Hastinapur. In return, he received the boon of iccha mrityu (to die at his will). The oaths he took that day led to dreadful consequences. Buy why someone as righteous, wise, and well-educated as Devrath would do something that will bring misery to the whole kingdom. His father Shantanu fell in love with a woman named Satyavati. She was the daughter of a fisherman and had received a boon of becoming a queen. As things unfolded, Shantanu proposed to her for marriage. But to Shantanu’s surprise, she refused. Marrying him would have fulfilled her wish to become a king’s wife but her firstborn wouldn’t have inherited the throne. Shantanu had already d...