Ganga Putra Bheeshma

PERSONALITY, LEGACY AND SKILLS

Bheeshma is often considered as a great example of devotion and sacrifice. His name itself is an honour to him, Bheeshma which means severe because he took a severe vow to remain celibate for life and Pitamaha which means Grandfather which combined means Great Grandsire. Bheeshma was one of the greatest Bramhacharis of all time. Accumulation of Ojas due to his Bramhacharyam made him the strongest warrior of the era. He had stature and personality that in those times were fit for kings. He was a true Kshatriya as well as a disciplined ascetic - a rare combination. Like a true Kshatriya, he never unnecessarily exhibited passion and anger. A symbol of truth and duty, the benevolent Bhishma was in all senses a true human .

It is unfortunate that a person as noble as Bheeshma saw a life full of loneliness, frustration and sadness. But that was how Vashishta's curse was supposed to unfold.
Bhishma's human birth was destined to be marked with suffering, and that was how his life transpired right till the last moment; even his death was very painful . But the strong as steel character which he possessed ensured that he never shied away from his duty, and never stopped loving those dear to him.

Despite being an erudite scholar, a disciplined ascetic and a powerful warrior, Bheeshma wasn't without his flaws. He rashly kidnapped the three princesses of Kashi against their will, on behalf of his half brother. Bheeshma failed to correct Duryodhan from his wicked ways, and he also failed to save Draupadi from being disrobed in public.

Bheeshma was an invincible warrior. He was also a highly skilled in political science. He had all the qualities and abilities for an excellent king. His goodness and sacrifice made him one of the greatest devotees of Lord Krishna himself. He tried his best to bring reconciliation between the Pandavas and Kauravas to prevent the war. Even in the Kurukshetra war, while he was the general, he tried his best to keep the war low key by minimizing confrontation between the two camps. Even as he fell he tried to use the opportunity to persuade both camps to put an end to the war.

After the war, while on his deathbed he gave deep and meaningful instructions to Yudhishthir on statesmanship and the duties of a king. Bheeshma always gave priority toDharma. He always walked in path of Dharma, even though his circumstances because of his promise, he was supposed to forcefully follow the orders of his king Dhritharashtra, which were mostly Adharma, he was totally upset. In between the Kurukshetra War Lord Krishna advised Bheeshma that, when duties are to be followed you have to follow them without looking for the promises, if those promises are making path for sadness to the society it has to be broken at that point itself and should be given priority to the moral duty only. Bheeshma was a complete human. a complete warrior and a complete teacher(aacharya), hence he was known as Bheeshmacharya.