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| World Home » Life Style » | Thu. Nov 20, 2008 |
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Hindus worship Bhishma Pitamah to seek long life MIL, May 2, 2006. Swamy Raj Baldev In olden days of Mahabharat, there used to live Paru's family. After passing great many generations, a powerful emperor by the name of 'Dush Yant' (Dushyant) emerged on the throne of Great Bharat. He had married to Shakuntla, one of the most famous love stories of its time. Dush Yant had happened to see Shakuntla while he was out for hunting. In the jungle there was an ashram of a saint called Rishi Kanv and he was Shakuntla's foster father, who brought her up. Dush Yant fell in love with Shakuntla and so did she. They accepted themselves as husband and wife within their hearts and exchanged garlands with each other in a small temple of Lord Shiva they got married. After their garland wedding ceremony, they stayed in the jungle for about two weeks, where Dush Yant had installed his camp for hunting. Shakuntla used to come over for about a week and they used to enjoy as husband and wife. Time came when Dush Yant was to go back to his kingdom. He explained his helplessness not to her along with him immediately and convinced her to stay with the Rishi Ji's Ashram for some time more. However, he promised to take her back to his hometown with proper honor as may be desired by his relatives, who should give a befitting welcome to their would be queen with all formalities of a royal marriage. Time went on but Dush Yant did not turn up, nor any information came from him. Shakuntla felt that she was pregnant. Her anxieties grew beyond control. She narrated the whole event to Rishi Kanv, who became worried and advised Shakuntla to go to the kingdom of Dush Yant as soon as possible since to hide the news of her pregnancy could complicate the situation, since Dush Yant did not know whether she had conceived. In fact, Shakuntla was once awfully busy in her thoughts of Rishi Kanv immediately after departing from her. On the very day of his departure from her, one saint came there at her door to seek charity, but she did not listen to him. In fact, she was so much absorbed in her thoughts like an absentminded soul that she failed to realize whether any Saint had come at her door to seek for charity. On seeing Shakuntla's stupidity of not caring for his presence, he grew into rage and cursed her: "O lady, the person in whose thoughts you are so much absorbed, will forget about you and you will suffer due to him." The curse of the Rishi proved correct. Shakuntla went to meet Dush Yant's kingdom but due to curse he forgot about the meeting with Shakuntla. She also lost the ring in the river while bathing that the Emperor had given to her as his engagement gesture. When Shakuntla met Dush Yant, he showed his ignorance whether he knew her, it was all due to the saint's curse to her. Cutting short, Shakuntla left the kingdom to an unknown place. A son was born to Shakuntla, who was later named Bharat and India was privileged to get this name after him. After many generations from the Emperor Bharat's family, a boy was born in a royal family, he was Hastnu, who latter became famous a great emperor of his time and who built a new capital at Hastinapur near Khandav Prasth. From Hastnu's family, after a gap of many centuries, another emperor by the name of Kuru was born and Kurukshetr got prominence after his family name. From the Kuru family, an Emperor by the name of Shantnu became famous for justice and facilitating reasonable prosperous life to his subjects. He married to Bhaga Vati Ganga and they got a brave son named Dev Vrat, later became famous by the name of Bheeshma Pitamah or Bhishma Pitamah. Emperor Shantnu fell in love Satyawati at first sight, who was a girl from a very poor family. She was beautiful and Shantnu liked her so much and decided to marry her. He sent a message for marriage to girl's father, but Satyawati's father declined the proposal for various reasons. As a result of this humiliation that a small and poor person could dare refuse to give his daughter in marriage to him, that too Emperor, he felt sad and lost interest in the kingdom. On seeing this, the people became anxious to know the cause of Emperor's deteriorating health and interest in the State, but he did not tell anyone, he was getting weaker and weaker within physically and spiritually. This information reached Satyawati's father, who came to the Emperor's palace to express his sympathies to him. Before he could get the permission to see the Emperor and enter the palace, he happened to meet Dev Rat, the Emperor's son. Dev Rat very politely asked the old man the reason of meeting the Emperor but he put off once or twice. However, on insistence, he told the whole story that the Emperor Shantanu wanted to marry his daughter Satyawati but he turned down the proposal fearing that his son Dev Rat might harm his grand children after him. While narrating all this, he did not realize that he was Dev Rat whom he was talking. On knowing the cause of his father's anxiety, Dev Rat carried the proposal of his own father's marriage to Satyawati's house. Dev Rat placed the main conditions before her father that there would be no problem to his grand children at any stage of their life. He also vowed that he would never marry in his life. On the contrary, he would make his step brothers lawful kings of the State and he would serve under them to protect and guide them. This promise is called great vow or Bhishama Pritigya taken up by Dev Rat. He promised that he would neither marry nor sit on the throne but would give the throne to his stepbrothers. Shantanu was not happy on this proposal but Dev Rat had done it and it was final. Shantanu, was a great religious person, his devotion was extreme to Lord Shiva. Shantanu went for a long tapsya. He sought for a blessing from Lord Shiva that his son Dev Rat should live on the earth so far he wishes, and he got a cup full of Amrit for him. The Lord also blessed his son that whosoever seeks blessings of long life from Dev Rat, shall have his divine blessings. Shantanu gave he cup full of Amrit to his son Dev Rat to drink and thus he became immortal to live so far he wishes to live. He also got the blessings to pass on the blessings of long life to anyone he wishes. Bhishama Pitamah is so much revered among a certain section of Hindus that eighth day of the waxing moon is allotted to him and they celebrate it as Bheeshma Ashtami. The people consider this as auspicious day, it is eighth day or Ashtami of the waxing moon (Shukl paksh) of Magha month. The Hindus worship Bheeshma Pitamah on this day by praying on the plain ground with aarti that their children should live long with his blessings. This is celebrated in homage to Bheeshma Pitamah, (Bhishma Pitamah) one the most revered of characters of the Mahabharat. The majority of people admire his honesty, sincerity and visualization.
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