The crown prince of Hastinapur, much revered by the subjects; the son of river Goddess Ganga, as pure from heart as his mother; the able disciple of Parashuram and the most valiant warrior of his time- Devabrata gave up his throne and vowed to be a...
The tenth day of the most vicious battle in the history of human civilization ended. The sun set with one of the most valiant warriors lying on his deathbed- the man who was the upholder of Dharma for the Kuru dynasty since ages. The man, who was the pillar of the Kuru dynasty; who protected the throne which was rightfully his but which he could never claim.
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On his death bed, I asked him- "Do you repent how your life turned out- how everything changed after that one terrible vow of yours? Did you ever think while taking the vow what it will lead to? How it would impact not only your life, but change the flow of the entire Kuru dynasty?"
He smiled. "No Vasudev! How could I have known? I wished to forsake my happiness for the sake of my father; my father, who was separated from my mother Ganga just after my birth. Somehow, I always felt that I was responsible for their separation. Had my father not stopped my mother from drowning me, I would have died like my seven brothers- the seven Vasus. But he tried to save my life and was separated forever from his wife. He lived a life of despondency and when he found love again, it was again me who was the hindrance. I was in despair. What kind of a son am I? One who always causes agony to his father?"
He paused. His breathing became heavy as he tried to suppress his sob.
"Cry O Pitamah! Cry Mahamahim Bhishma! Today let your tears flow uninhibited. Today you are free! Free from the bondings of your oath, free from your duties towards Hastinapur, free from your family which always burdened you in one way or the other, which always took advantage of your oath and your heart which always adored them- you are as free as your mother Ganga who flows in her own rhythm."
Pitamah sighed. Yes, finally he was going to be reunited with his mother- that brought a smile to his face. Finally his curse was going to be over. The curse he earned as Prabhas- the eighth Vasu, the God of the Sky who attempted to steal Maharishi Vashishtha's Kamdhenu. Cursed he was to be born as a mortal and endure the pain of human life. But his oath magnified the effects of the curse manifold. No man ever did what he did for his father! Even his ancestor Puru gave up his youth for his father Yayati temporarily. But Pitamah renounced his throne when he was the Yuvraj and was about to be coronated the king; he took a vow of celibacy when he was about to be married to Vatsala, the princess of Kashi; he swore to serve the throne of Hastinapur- the throne which was his.
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