Monday, July 24, 2017

BHISHMA THE KING MAKER PART 3 OF 4

[continued from part 2]

Hi Friends,


Since Dirutharashtran was blind and relinquished his right, Bhishma crowned Pandu as the king. Pandu won many battles and expanded his kingdom. He took his two wives and retired to the forest leaving the responsibility to the brothers. Kanthari was pregnant at that time.

One day Pandu went for hunting. He saw a deer and without noticing that it was in the company of its female, he sent an arrow which killed the male. Actually, a sage was under the guise of the deer with his wife. The sage cursed Pandu that he would also meet with the same fate.


He told his wives what had happened. Kunthi said when she was a girl, sage Durvasar came to her place. The sage was pleased with her services. Knowing what was going to happen later in her life, he blessed her with a mantra with which she could bear a child of any celestial Lord. 


Pandu persuaded his wives to get children with the help of the mantra. Kunthi got three sons viz., Yudishtra, Bheema, and Arjuna through Yama, Vaayu, and Indra respy. Then Mathri got the twins Nakula and Sahadeva through Aswini brothers. Pandu was happy to get the children.


At the same time, Kanthari also delivered not a baby but a big ball made of flesh. She prayed to Vyasar who asked her to bring 100 vessels full of ghee. He then made 100 small pieces from the big ball and put them into each vessel. 


He was finally left with a small piece which he put in another vessel. He told Kanthari that the pieces in 100 vessels would give her 100 sons and the last vessel a girl child. The first piece was Dhuryodana when Kunthi delivered Bheema and the rest one after the other. 


Yudishtra became eldest to all. Pandu advised his wives to take the children to the palace and went to the forest for penance. Pandu's five children were called the Pandavas and the 100 brothers of Dhuryodana were called the Kauravas. 


The two groups were not friendly from the beginning and they were always fighting with each other. Pandavas under the guidance of Yudishtra followed righteousness while the Kauravas on the advice of their uncle Sakuni followed wrong principles. The enmity between them grew day by day.


Meanwhile, with Sathyavathi already dead and Bhishma becoming very old, no one could settle their disputes and there was no end to their fights. Duryodhana claimed his right to the kingdom as the eldest son of the eldest brother. 


Bhishma advised him that as he relinquished his right to the kingdom to his brothers, his father also relinquished his right to his brother Pandu. So naturally Pandu's eldest son Yudishtran should have the right to the kingdom. This was not acceptable to Duryodhana.


to be continued in part  4


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