Bhīshma

Bhīshma Pitāmaha, also called Gāṅgeya (son of Gaṅgā) and Devavrata, was the grand-uncle of both the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. He is the greatest warrior of the Mahābhārata age and one of the highest devotees of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa.

He was born to King Śāntanu and Gaṅgādevī. He took a fearsome vow of lifelong celibacy (brahmacarya) to honour his father’s wish. For this vow he was named Bhīshma, “the one of the terrible vow”. He fought for the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war. Then he lay for fifty-eight days on a bed of arrows, holding on to his life by icchā-mṛtyu (death at will), until the sun turned north at Uttarāyaṇa. The first skanda of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells of his last teachings to the Pāṇḍavas and his stotra (hymn of praise) to Bhagavān Kṛshṇa as he left the world.

Birth: the eighth Vasu

Bhīshma was born as the eighth son of Śāntanu and Gaṅgā. In an earlier existence he was the Vasu named Dyau. The eight Vasus had stolen the divine cow Nandinī from Vasishṭha, and Vasishṭha gave them a śāpa (a curse). The other seven Vasus were to be born as mortals and die soon. Dyau was to have a long mortal life without children, because he was the one who had actually taken the cow, at the urging of his wife.

The eight Vasus made an agreement with Gaṅgā. She would be their mother. She would kill the first seven at birth, so that they could finish their short mortal life and return to the divine realm. She would raise the eighth, Devavrata, and give him back to his father. (The Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapters 96–102.)

Life with Gaṅgā and return to Śāntanu

Gaṅgā raised Devavrata in the celestial realm. Vasishṭha taught him the Vedas, and Paraśurāma himself trained him in all weapons. When the time came, she brought him to Śāntanu by the river. He was a radiant young man of unmatched learning and skill in arms. He received the names Gāṅgeya (son of Gaṅgā) and Devavrata (he of the divine vow).

The Bhīshma Pratigñā: the vow that named him

Śāntanu fell in love with Satyavatī. Her father, Dāśarāja, demanded that only Satyavatī’s sons should inherit the Kuru throne. Devavrata went to Dāśarāja without his father’s knowledge. He gave up his own right to the throne of his own free will.

Dāśarāja then said that Devavrata’s own future sons might challenge the sons of Satyavatī. Devavrata took a second and more terrible vow. He would never marry and never father children. He would live in complete brahmacarya for life.

The devas and gandharvas rained flowers from the sky and called him Bhīshma, the one of the fearsome vow. Śāntanu was overcome by his son’s sacrifice. He gave him icchāmṛtyu, the vara (boon) of dying only at a time of his own choosing. (The Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapters 96–102.)

Protector of the Kuru line

Bhīshma lived through the reigns of Vicitravīrya, Dhṛtarāshṭra and Pāṇḍu. All through his long life he guarded the Kuru line.

• He carried off the princesses of Kāśī for the marriage of Vicitravīrya.
• After the death of Vicitravīrya, he refused to father sons on the widows, because he held his vow to be unbreakable.
• He oversaw the training of the princes under Droṇācārya.
• He was the constant conscience of the court. He pressed again and again for the rights of the Pāṇḍavas, even while he served the Kaurava side.

(The Ādi Parva.)

At the dice game

In the Dyūta Parva of the Sabhā Parva, Bhīshma was present at the dice game assembly as the senior elder of the Kuru line. Draupadī was dragged into the hall, and she put her question of dharma to the assembly. She spoke to Bhīshma directly:

“You who know dharma better than anyone here, is what is being done to me permitted?”

Bhīshma replied:

“Dharma is subtle. It changes with context. I cannot give a clear answer to your question. Only Yudhishṭhira himself, who staked you, can answer it.”

Vikarṇa, one of the Kaurava brothers, rose and gave the clear answer that Bhīshma had not given. (The Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva and Anudyūta Parva, Chapters 60–81.)

The Udyoga Parva: Bhīshma and the embassy of Kṛshṇa

The Bhagavad-yāna Parva shows Bhīshma’s clear sense of dharma in two linked moments.

The walkout (Chapter 88). Bhīshma heard of Duryodhana’s plan to arrest Kṛshṇa when he arrived as the ambassador of the Pāṇḍavas. He was seized with fury and walked out of the assembly altogether. To arrest an ambassador who had been properly sent, and who was also a king, broke every rule of dharmic statecraft that Bhīshma had kept all his life. His walkout is one of the most dramatic moments before the war. This was so even though he was bound by his formal military loyalty to the Kaurava side.

The entry into Hastināpura (Chapter 89). Kṛshṇa arrived and entered the city. Bhīshma was present at the reception. His position did not change. He served the Kuru house while he watched its chosen path lead to disaster.

The sabhā (Chapter 94). Kṛshṇa entered the great sabhā (assembly hall) with Nārada and gave his great speech. Bhīshma was among the elders gathered there. He saw the final refusal of peace that he had warned against throughout the talks of the Udyoga Parva.

The Bhīshma Parva: commander of the Kaurava army

In the Bhīshma Parva, Bhīshma is the sarva-senāpati, the supreme commander of the whole Kaurava army, for the first ten days of the Kurukshetra war. This was the formal acknowledgement of what all knew: he was the greatest warrior of the age, and his presence alone made the Kaurava side strong.

The formation. The battle formation of Bhīshma was so firm that even Yudhishṭhira despaired when he saw it. The Pāṇḍava king said to Arjuna:

“How can we fight Bhīshma, who has made a formation that cannot be broken or attacked?”

Bhīshma changed his formation every day. He drew on the battle methods of the mānusha (human), daiva (divine), gāndharva and āsura traditions. He himself always stood at the front of the army. Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāshṭra that when Bhīshma rode out in his white chariot, with white horses, a white banner, a white umbrella and white weapons, he shone like a silver mountain. (Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 13–23.)

His protectors. Duryodhana ordered Duśśāsana to guard Bhīshma personally. The warriors set to protect Bhīshma were the sons of Duśśāsana, the Abhīshāha warriors, the Śūrasena forces and the Śibi warriors. They stood around him on all sides.

His yajña record. In his speech to the warriors on the eve of battle, Kṛshṇa says that Bhīshma had performed three hundred aśvamedha yajñas (horse sacrifices). This great record shows the spiritual stature of the man who now led the Kaurava side.

The announcement before the battle. The war account of Sañjaya in the Bhīshma Parva begins with a look ahead. Sañjaya first reaches Hastināpura to tell of the fall of Bhīshma on the tenth day. Dhṛtarāshṭra answers with a long lament for all the qualities that made Bhīshma irreplaceable. Then the account goes back to the start of the war.

The ten days of war (Chapters 43–122)

The war account of the Bhīshma Parva fills Chapters 43–122. These are the ten days in which Bhīshma led the Kaurava forces. Each day he set up a different vyūha (battle formation) and fought at its front with superhuman archery. His arrows fell like rain on the Pāṇḍava army and warriors fled from him. Even Arjuna was unwilling to press an attack on the elder whose training and lineage put him above all other opponents.

Day 1. The first day began after Yuyutsu went over to the Pāṇḍava side. Bhīshma led in the Śākatavyūha, and the Pāṇḍavas set up the Vajra-Vyūha. Śveta, the eldest son of Virāṭa, fought bravely to defend his father. Bhīshma killed him with divine weapons.

Day 2. Bhīma destroyed the army of Kaliṅga and killed King Bhānumanta and his son Śakradeva. At the same time Bhīshma cut through the centre of the Pāṇḍava army.

Days 3 to 7. The middle days saw constant changes of formation, among them the Garuḍa, Ardhacandra and Maṇḍala vyūhas. The speed of Bhīshma’s archery went beyond all ordinary measure. On Day 7 he gave Duryodhana the healing herb Viśalyakaraṇī. This was a gesture of personal care even in the middle of command.

Day 8. Irāvanta, the son of Arjuna by the Nāga princess Ulūpī, was killed by the rākshasa Alambusha. The fight between Ghaṭotkaca and Alambusha went on through the night.

Day 9. The archery of Bhīshma reached its greatest force. Arjuna was plainly unwilling to strike his elder with full strength, and this left the Pāṇḍava side open to attack. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa answered by threatening to take up weapons himself. He leapt down from the chariot with the Sudarśana Cakra. Arjuna stopped him with his own hands and promised to fight Bhīshma without holding back.

Day 10: the fall. After this promise, Arjuna fought on Day 10 from behind the screen of Śikhaṇḍin. Bhīshma had told Yudhishṭhira that he would not fight Śikhaṇḍin, who was born as a woman. Yudhishṭhira had come secretly by night to ask how the war could be won. With Śikhaṇḍin in front and the full force of Arjuna behind, arrows pierced the body of Bhīshma from every side. He fell from his chariot. The arrow-shafts that stuck out of his body held him up above the ground. This is the śaraśayyā, the bed of arrows.

(Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 43–122.)

The śaraśayyā and the private talk with Karṇa

On the śaraśayyā, Bhīshma used his gift of icchā-mṛtyu. He chose to stay alive on the bed of arrows and wait for Uttarāyaṇa. He said he would not leave his body until the sun began its northward path, the right time for a great ātmā (soul) to depart. Warriors from both sides came to him. Duryodhana came with grief, the Pāṇḍavas with respect, and Kṛshṇa with his divine presence.

Arjuna understood that his grandsire, lying on arrows, needed not the comforts of a camp but the pure water of the earth. He shot the Parjanyāstra into the ground beside the śaraśayyā. Pure, cool water rose from the earth itself. It was a warrior’s gift to a warrior.

Karṇa also came now. He was at last free of his vow not to fight while Bhīshma commanded. In their private talk at the śaraśayyā, Bhīshma explained his naming of Karṇa as an ardhiratha (a half-chariot-warrior) without any contempt. He accepted that Karṇa was born as the son of Sūrya, and he told Karṇa that the Pāṇḍava cause would win. He gave Karṇa his blessing. Karṇa received it, left, and entered the war.

Bhīshma advised Duryodhana one last time to make peace. Duryodhana did not accept. Droṇācārya was named the new supreme commander of the Kaurava army after the fall of Bhīshma. (Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 43–122.)

The Śānti Parva: teacher of rājadharma

The Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva of the Śānti Parva (Chapters 1–130) is the main record of the last teachings of Bhīshma. It is the fullest treatment of rājadharma (the duty of kings), daṇḍanīti (the science of punishment and rule) and mokshadharma (the way to liberation) in the Mahābhārata. He spoke from the śaraśayyā to Yudhishṭhira, in the presence of Kṛshṇa and the gathered ṛshis. These teachings were the full flowering of a lifetime of knowledge.

The authority behind the teachings. Bhīshma’s right to teach rājadharma comes from a rare meeting of gifts. He studied the Vedas under Vasishṭha and mastered arms under Paraśurāma. He studied nītiśāstra (the science of statecraft) under both Bṛhaspati, the divine teacher, and Śukrācārya, the teacher of the asuras. This gave him mastery of both streams of the tradition. He had lived through more reigns than anyone of the present age. When he taught, he spoke from a place between life and death, free of any personal stake in the outcome of political plans.

Kṛshṇa himself confirmed these teachings. Before the teaching sessions began, he filled the mind of Bhīshma with divine jñāna (knowledge). He declared the teachings to be equal in authority to veda-vākya, the word of the Veda, on earth. (Śānti Parva, Chapters 44–46.)

The Kṛshṇa-Bhīshma Stava. Before the formal teaching of rājadharma, Bhīshma composed and spoke a long stava (hymn of praise) to Vishṇu-Nārāyaṇa. It covered all the avatāras and the thousand names. Kṛshṇa answered by giving Bhīshma divine sight, removing his bodily pain and filling him with all the knowledge he needed to teach. (Śānti Parva, Chapters 46–47.)

Core teachings of rājadharma. Bhīshma teaches these main doctrines:

• The nature and purpose of kingship. The king is the representative of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The word rājan is explained as one who delights the prajā (people).
• Eight personal qualities a king must have: guṇavān, śīlavān, dānta, mṛdu, dharmya, jitendriya, sudarśa and sthūlalakshya.
• Satya (truthfulness) as the king’s highest and most dependable political foundation.
• Paurusha (human effort) over daiva (fate). The king must not use fate as an excuse for doing nothing.
• The saptāṅga, the seven limbs of the state: svāmī, amātya, janapada, durga, kośa, daṇḍa and mitra.
• The shāḍguṇya, the six policies: sandhi, vigraha, yāna, āsana, dvaidhī-bhāva and samāśraya.
• The maṇḍala theory, a pattern of twelve kings made up of natural enemies, friends and neutrals.
• The daśa vyasanas, the ten royal vices, four from kāma (desire) and six from krodha (anger), that ruin kings.
• The system of spies and intelligence (cāra): its types and methods, the watching of ministers, and secret forces.
• The Vena-Pṛthu narrative, which sets out the cosmic origin of kingship.
• The Paraśurāma upākhyāna on the relation between brāhmaṇa and kshatriya.
• Varṇāśrama dharma: nine sāmānya dharmas (common duties) and the special duties of each varṇa.

(Śānti Parva, Chapters 54–60.)

The Strī Parva: Gāndhārī’s lament for Bhīshma

In the Strī Vilāpa Parva, Gāndhārī came to the place where Bhīshma lay on his bed of arrows. He had not yet died at the time of her visit to the battlefield. He was still keeping his prāṇas (life-breaths) in the body on the śara-śayyā, waiting for Uttarāyaṇa. Her lament for Bhīshma was among the longest of that whole visit. She mourned not a death but a living man of great stature. He had chosen to watch the destruction of everything he had loved and served, and he could not prevent it.

She recalled his vows, his tapas (austerity), his brahmacarya and his unfailing loyalty to the Kuru line. She recalled the sad helplessness to which his vows had led him. He fought for a side he knew to be adharmic, because his word bound him to the Kuru throne and not to the dharma that he himself embodied. She mourned him as the greatest of the kshatriyas. She also mourned him as the one man whose survival of the war was itself a sorrow, since he had outlived every king and warrior he had ever served. (Strī Parva, Chapters 16–25.)

The Anuśāsana Parva: the greatness of the best brāhmaṇas (Chapter 8)

Still lying on the śaraśayyā, Bhīshma is asked by Yudhishṭhira whom one should honour and revere in this world, and whom Bhīshma himself values above all. The answer is sought for the good of this world and the next.

Bhīshma answers that he values and reveres the best of the brāhmaṇas, who hold the Veda as their highest wealth, ātma-jñāna (knowledge of the self) as svarga itself, and study of the Veda as the highest tapas. He also honours those whose families keep the dharma and the sampradāya (line of tradition) handed down from father and grandfather without the least change. He honours the humble, self-controlled and gentle scholars of the śāstras and of sadācāra (right conduct). They tell ātmā from anātmā (what is not the self) as surely as the haṃsa separates milk from water. Their measured, deep and auspicious speech is worth hearing in any sabhā. He honours equally those who serve pure, lovingly made food to satisfy brāhmaṇas.

Bhīshma says that bravery in battle is common. The world holds hundreds of śūras and vīras (heroes). But dāna-śūratva, heroism in giving without anasūyā (envy or grudging), is rare. Among all kinds of heroes, only the hero of giving is truly the best. He adds that even a kutsita brāhmaṇa (one who is lowly by conduct or by the circumstances of his birth) is blessed by his birth alone. How much more is a brāhmaṇa who is well born, of dharmic nature, devoted to tapas and learned.

He then makes his most personal statement. Brāhmaṇas are dearer to him than Yudhishṭhira himself, and dearer than any father, grandfather or friend could be. By the strength of this truth he swears that he will reach the same high lokas that his father Śāntanu Mahārāja reached. He says that in all his life he has never done the smallest wrong to brāhmaṇas, great or small. By this truth alone he feels no torment even now, lying pierced on the śaraśayyā. He is glad to be called a brahmaṇya (a devotee of brāhmaṇas), because service to brāhmaṇas is the most purifying of all pure acts. Even from where he lies he can see the pure and high lokas kept for the servants of brāhmaṇas, and he wishes to go to them soon.

The comparisons of father and son, and husband and wife. Bhīshma teaches that a woman’s whole dharma rests on her husband. He alone is her deva and her highest refuge, and she has no other path. In the same way, for kshatriyas, service to brāhmaṇas is the paramadharma (highest duty). Brāhmaṇas alone are their deva and their highest refuge.

A kshatriya of a hundred years and a brāhmaṇa of ten years are to be seen as father and son. Of the two, the brāhmaṇa is the father and the kshatriya is the son. A woman without a husband takes her devara (husband’s brother) as her protector. In the same way, the earth, when she has no brāhmaṇa able and willing to rule, takes a kshatriya as her lord.

Bhīshma instructs that kshatriyas must protect brāhmaṇas as they would their own sons, serve them as they would a guru, and honour them as they would the agnihotra fire. The best brāhmaṇas are straightforward, truthful and set on the welfare of all beings. Even so, they are like serpents that spit venomous flame when angered. Such brāhmaṇas carry brahma-tejas (the radiance of Brahman), and unfailing service must always be given to them. A kshatriya must always fear the tejas and tapas of a great brāhmaṇa. In the presence of such a brāhmaṇa he must give up all pride in his own tejas or tapas.

The teaching of tejas and tapas: the cotton and the fire. Bhīshma teaches that the tapas of a brāhmaṇa and the tejas of a kshatriya both bear fruit quickly, yet tapas is in the end the greater. An angry brāhmaṇa who has tapas can kill even a kshatriya who has tejas, by the strength of his tapas. But tejas alone cannot kill a brāhmaṇa who has tapas.

Kshatra-tejas aimed at a patient brāhmaṇa who is free of anger (akopana, kshamāśīla) is burnt away at once, however great that tejas may be. It is like a heap of cotton dropped into fire. And when a kshatriya and a patient brāhmaṇa each turn their power on the other, the first, patient brāhmaṇa does not destroy the kshatriya’s tejas all at once. But whatever of it remains, if it is then turned on a second, angry brāhmaṇa, is wholly destroyed by that brāhmaṇa’s tejas, and nothing at all is left.

Bhīshma ends with the picture of the ever-watchful gopāla (cowherd), who never puts down his staff while he guards his cattle. In the same way a kshatriya must always be watchful in protecting brāhmaṇas and the Vedas. He must guard brāhmaṇas who follow dharma as a father guards his sons. He must always see that nothing they need for their household rites and daily life is lacking, and give it himself whenever he finds it missing. (Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 8.)

The Anuśāsana Parva: the Sāvitrī-mantra and the Vaṃśānukīrtanam (Chapters 150, 165)

Still lying on the śaraśayyā, Bhīshma went on teaching Yudhishṭhira. In the later chapters of the Anuśāsana Parva, in the days just before his death, he taught two great litanies of protection.

In Chapter 150 he gave the Sāvitrī-mantra. This is a sacred stotra that a Siddha first taught to Indra, and that came to Bhīshma through Vyāsa. It praises the thirty-three devas, the saptarshis (seven ṛshis) of the four directions, and a line of ancient ṛshis and kings. It is said to remove pāpa (sin) and to give protection, long life and a good afterlife to whoever recites it daily. This mantra is a litany. It is not the same as the person Sāvitrī of the account of Sāvitrī and Satyavān.

In Chapter 165, just before he gave Yudhishṭhira leave to return to Hastināpura, Bhīshma recited the Vaṃśānukīrtanam. This is a second protective litany. It calls on the whole daiva vaṃśa (the line of devas, ṛshis, apsarases, rivers, tīrthas and mountains) and the rāja-vaṃśa (the line of the great ancient kings, from Nṛga and Yayāti down to Bhagīratha and Hariścandra). It ends with the closest ancestors of Bhīshma: Pratīpa, Śāntanu, Aja, Prācīnabarhi and Ikshvāku. (Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 150, 165.)

Bhīshmānujñā and the Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva: the final departure (Chapters 166 to 168)

His teaching was finished and the doubts of Yudhishṭhira were settled. At the urging of Vyāsa, Bhīshma gave Yudhishṭhira leave to return to Hastināpura and take up the rule of the kingdom. He advised him to perform great yajñas as Yayāti once did, to satisfy the devas and the pitṛs (ancestors), and to come back only when Uttarāyaṇa came. Yudhishṭhira left for his capital with Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī, his brothers and Kṛshṇa. With this the Anuśāsana Parva proper ends, and its last sub-parva, the Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva, begins. (Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 166.)

Fifty nights later, as the sun’s turn to Uttarāyaṇa drew near, Yudhishṭhira came back to Kurukshetra with the whole Kuru household. With him were Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī, his brothers, Kṛshṇa, Vidura, Yuyutsu and Sātyaki. Vyāsa, Nārada and Asita Devala were already sitting beside Bhīshma on his bed of arrows.

Bhīshma spoke “with a voice like thunder”. He said that fifty-eight nights had passed since his fall, nights that had felt like a hundred years, and that it was now the eighth tithi (lunar day) of Māgha śukla-paksha (the bright half of the month). He told Dhṛtarāshṭra that the Pāṇḍavas were his true sons in dharma, and told him plainly not to grieve for his own wicked sons.

He then spoke to Vāsudeva Kṛshṇa at length. He called him the Hiraṇmaya Purusha, the Virāṭ-svarūpa and the eternal Paramātman. He gave the Pāṇḍavas into his lasting care. He recalled that he had told Duryodhana in vain, “where Kṛshṇa is, dharma is; where dharma is, victory is.” He declared that he knew Kṛshṇa to be the ancient ṛshi Nārāyaṇa of Badarikāśrama. Then he formally asked Kṛshṇa’s leave to give up his body.

Kṛshṇa gave it. He called Bhīshma sinless and “another Mārkaṇḍeya” in devotion to his father. For Bhīshma, death itself waited and bowed like an obedient servant. This shows plainly the icchā-mṛtyu vara that Śāntanu had given him at the Bhīshma-pratigñā.

Bhīshma fell silent for a muhūrta (a short span of time). Then, before the gathered ṛshis and kings, he drew back his mind and prāṇa, one after another, through the places of yogic dhāraṇā (steady focus) in the body. Nīlakaṇṭha’s commentary says these are the cakras. As his prāṇa left each limb, the arrow-shafts that had stuck in that limb since his fall came loose. Within moments his whole body stood viśalya (free of arrows) before the amazed eyes of Vyāsa, Nārada, Asita and Kṛshṇa himself.

His prāṇa then burst through the top of his skull and rose into the sky as a great ulkā (meteor-like light). There was the sound of divine drums and a rain of flowers, and the ṛshis above cried “Sādhu! Sādhu!” Bhīshma, the eighth Vasu, went back to his true form at the right hour.

The cremation rites were done at Kurukshetra by the Pāṇḍavas, Vidura and Yuyutsu. Nakula and Sahadeva held his crown and turban. The whole company then went to the Gaṅgā. Gaṅgā Devī herself rose weeping from the river to mourn her son. She recalled how he was never beaten in battle, even against Paraśurāma, and how he won at the svayaṃvara of Kāśī. She grieved that he had died at the hands of Śikhaṇḍī.

Kṛshṇa comforted her and made a clear statement. It was Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), not Śikhaṇḍī, who had struck the deadly blows. The presence of Śikhaṇḍī had only made Bhīshma lower his bow, because his vow barred him from fighting one born female. The arrows that actually brought him down were those of Arjuna, for not even Devendra could have struck him down otherwise. Kṛshṇa confirmed that Bhīshma had gone to svarga entirely by his own icchā (will). (Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168.)

The Aśvamedhika Parva: Ulūpī’s account of a śāpa for this death

A later episode, told during the Pāṇḍava aśvamedha, gives another account of the same death. Ulūpī explains to Arjuna why his own son Babhruvāhana had been made to defeat him in battle at Maṇipura. She says that the Vasus and Gaṅgā herself had judged the felling of Bhīshma by Arjuna to be adharma. Bhīshma had lowered his bow before Śikhaṇḍin and was not at that moment fighting Arjuna directly. They decreed that Arjuna would fall into naraka (hell) unless one day his own son overthrew him. (Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 81.)

The Āśramavāsika Parva: named in a confession and in the śrāddha (Chapters 3, 11, 14)

Dhṛtarāshṭra told Yudhishṭhira that he wished to leave the world. In his confession he named Bhīshma among the elders, with Vidura, Droṇa, Kṛpācārya and Vyāsa. They had warned him against crowning Duryodhana, and he had refused to listen. (Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 3.)

Before he went to the forest, Dhṛtarāshṭra asked Yudhishṭhira for leave to perform the śrāddha (rite for the dead) first for Bhīshma among the fallen, and received it. Bhīma, in spite of his anger over the dice game, told Arjuna that he himself would gladly perform the śrāddha of Bhīshma. In the ten-day dāna-yajña (gift-giving) that followed, Bhīshma was named first among those honoured with gifts of food, clothes, gold and cattle. (Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 11, 14.)

The Āśramavāsika Parva: shown to be the Vasu who became human (Chapter 31)

At the Gaṅgā, Vyāsa showed Gāndhārī and the whole gathered household that Bhīshma, “son of the Gaṅgā”, was the Vasu who had taken on mānushatva (human life). This confirms, from this later parva, the identity already told at length in the Devī Bhāgavata account of the curse on the Vasus and the agreement of Gaṅgā with them. Vyāsa declared that Bhīshma and all the other fallen warriors had finished their task and again reached svarga. At the waters of the Gaṅgā, Bhīshma rose among the host of the risen. He was young again and free of all enmity. He stayed for the one joyful night of reunion before he went back to his own loka. (Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 31.)

The Svargārohaṇa Parva: among the Vasus, and the final merging

Yudhishṭhira looked on the blessed in their divine places. Indra pointed out Bhīshma, the son of Śāntanu, shining among the Vasus. He was living in the divine company to which he had always belonged. This sight again confirmed what had been shown at the Gaṅgā: Bhīshma was the Vasu who took human birth to carry out the agreement of his mother Gaṅgā. (Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 4.)

In the final account of destinies told by Sauti, the great and radiant Bhīshma finished his allotted enjoyment and merged wholly into the Vasus. He became once more one of the eight, so that only eight Vasus were counted from then on, with him in his place. In this way the aṃśa (part) returned to the aṃśī (whole). (Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 5.)

The Bhīshma Stotra in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

As the moment of Uttarāyaṇa came near, Bhīshma steadied his mind and drew in all his senses. He fixed his gaze and his whole mind on Kṛshṇa, who stood before him. He then spoke his famous stotra, one of the best-loved passages of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. In it he praised:

• The divine form of Kṛshṇa as he stood on the battlefield. He wore peacock feathers, held his conch, drove the chariot, had the dust of battle on his face, and his armour was marked by the arrows of the great Kaurava warriors, which he had taken while protecting Arjuna.
• The wonder that the arrows of the greatest warriors could not touch Arjuna while Kṛshṇa was present. These were the arrows of Bhīshma himself, Karṇa, Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya and Saiṃdhava. It is as no weapon touched Prahlāda in the hands of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
• The closeness of Kṛshṇa with the Pāṇḍavas. He acted as charioteer, messenger, adviser and night-watchman, all out of love for those who gave themselves to him.
• His prayer: “In birth after birth, may my mind be fixed on this Kṛshṇa, the charioteer who stood before me on the battlefield, his armour marked by the arrows I shot, my eyes filled with that divine form.”

He then gave up his life-breath and reached Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 9.)

Bhīshma in the lament of Arjuna

In Chapter 15 of the first skanda, Arjuna names Bhīshma among the towering figures whose presence made the Kaurava army look like an “ocean with whales”. Yet Kṛshṇa’s gaze alone, turned toward them, drained their āyus (lifespan), tejas and bala (strength) before a single arrow flew. Arjuna reflects that Kṛshṇa, by his will alone as sārathi (charioteer), subdued the whole Kaurava ocean, and that he, Arjuna, was only the instrument. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 15.)

The Devī Bhāgavata account: origins and the terrible vow (Skanda 2, Chapters 3 to 5)

The śāpa on Mahābhishu and the Vasus

The Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa tells in detail the cause behind the birth of Bhīshma. In a former life he was Mahābhishu, a righteous emperor of the Ikshvāku dynasty. He had performed a thousand aśvamedha yajñas and a hundred vājapeya yajñas, and had reached Brahmaloka.

One day he was in the divine court of Brahmā, where Gaṅgādevī was also present. A strong wind lifted the garment of Gaṅgā. All the assembled devas turned their eyes away out of respect, but Mahābhishu looked openly. Gaṅgā saw his attraction and returned it. Brahmā saw this mutual attachment in his own court and grew angry. He gave Mahābhishu a śāpa to be born on earth as a mortal king. He assured him, however, that by the strength of his stored-up piety he would in time return to the divine realms. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 3.)

Around the same time the eight Vasus visited the āśrama of Vasishṭha with their wives. The Vasus are celestial beings who roam at will through the cosmic forests. The wife of the Vasu named Dyau saw the divine cow Nandinī of Vasishṭha. She wanted it for a mortal friend, the daughter of King Uśīnara. At her urging, Dyau and the seven other Vasus stole Nandinī while Vasishṭha was away.

The great ṛshi came back and learned by his yogic knowledge what had happened. He gave all eight Vasus a śāpa to be born as mortals. The Vasus were distressed and went to Gaṅgā, and found that she too was under the śāpa of Brahmā. They asked her:

“O Devī! We are used to the celestial realms alone and cannot bear human birth. Take human form as the wife of King Śantanu, and drown us as soon as we are born, so that we may be freed quickly from the śāpa.”

The one Vasu who had actually stolen the cow, Dyau, would have to stay on earth longer as the result of his own act. Gaṅgā agreed to be their mother. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 3.)

Pratīpa and the preparation

Mahābhishu, born as Śāntanu, was the son of King Pratīpa of the Pūru dynasty. Before Śāntanu was born, Gaṅgā, still with her divine awareness, had come to Pratīpa as he did tapas on the bank of the Gaṅgā. She sat on his right thigh. Pratīpa explained with gentle care for dharma that the right thigh is the proper seat for sons and daughters-in-law, not for wives. She could therefore be his daughter-in-law, not his wife. Gaṅgā accepted and left, having made the agreement.

When Śāntanu was born and grew to be a man, Pratīpa called him and advised him: “A woman will come to you and sit on your right side. Accept her as your wife without question.” Then Pratīpa withdrew to the forest and left Śāntanu as king. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 3.)

The marriage of Gaṅgā and the seven sons

Śāntanu was hunting near the bank of the Gaṅgā when he met a woman of great beauty. She was Gaṅgā herself in human form, and she knew him at once as Mahābhishu born again. She agreed to marry him on one condition. He must never question or oppose anything she did, or she would leave him for ever. Śāntanu, overcome by love, agreed.

Gaṅgā came to his palace, and for years they lived in deep joy. When children were born, however, Gaṅgā took each newborn child and threw it into the river Gaṅgā. In this way she freed the Vasus one by one from the śāpa. The first seven sons were drowned at birth. Śāntanu bore each loss in silent grief, bound by his promise. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 4.)

When the eighth son was born, the Vasu who had stolen Nandinī and so had to stay, Śāntanu could hold back no longer. He seized the arm of Gaṅgā as she moved toward the river, and said in grief: “You have destroyed seven of my dearest children. I beg you, spare this one.” Gaṅgā stopped. She showed her divine nature. She was Gaṅgā herself, sent to be the mother of the Vasus and to free them. All eight Vasus had been freed. The eighth would have to live longer on earth because of his karma, but she would take him and raise him.

She announced: “This son will be known as Gāṅgeya, born of Gaṅgā. He will be a great tapasvin. He will learn all the Vedas from Vasishṭha and all knowledge of weapons from Paraśurāma, and he will bring glory to your line.” With this she took the child and left. Śāntanu went back to his palace in grief and longing. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 4.)

Years passed. One day Śāntanu went hunting on the bank of the Gaṅgā. He saw a handsome young man shooting arrows with great skill, blocking the course of the river with a stream of arrows. Śāntanu was amazed and asked who he was. The youth vanished without answering. Śāntanu prayed to Gaṅgā, and she appeared before him, splendid and joyful. She presented his son, skilled in all the Vedas, all weapons and all knowledge, and placed him in his father’s hands. Śāntanu embraced him and named him Gāṅgeya. He returned to Hastināpura and installed Gāṅgeya as yuvarāja (crown prince) with great ceremony. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 4.)

Śāntanu, Satyavatī and the terrible vow

Some time after Gaṅgā left, Śāntanu was hunting along the Yamunā. He noticed a wonderful divine fragrance filling the forest air. He followed it to its source and found a young woman of unmatched beauty. She was Satyavatī, also called Yojanagandha, the daughter of the fisherman Dāśarāja. He was completely overcome and went to Dāśarāja to ask for her hand.

Dāśarāja agreed, but on one condition. Only the son born to Satyavatī must inherit the throne of Hastināpura, and no earlier heir. Śāntanu could not meet this condition, because Devavrata (Gāṅgeya) was already installed as yuvarāja. Śāntanu went home in sorrow. He stopped eating and sleeping, and his eyes lost their shine. Gāṅgeya saw his father’s grief and learned from the ministers what had happened, because Śāntanu was too ashamed to tell him. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 5.)

Gāṅgeya went straight to Dāśarāja with the ministers. At once he promised: “Only the son of Satyavatī will be king. I will never claim the throne.” Dāśarāja was moved, but raised one more worry. The sons of Gāṅgeya himself might grow strong and challenge the succession.

At that moment Gāṅgeya spoke the vow that would name him for ever: “I will never marry. I will remain celibate for life.” This was the bhīshma-pratigñā, the terrible vow, and from it he became known as Bhīshma. When they heard this fearsome resolve, the devas showered flowers from the sky. Dāśarāja gladly gave Satyavatī to Śāntanu. (Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapter 5.)

Sources

• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda (Chapters 9, 15)
• Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 2, Chapters 3–5
• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapters 96–102
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva and Anudyūta Parva, Chapters 60–81
• Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 88–89, 94
• Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 13–23
• Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 43–122
• Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapters 16–25
• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva (Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva), Chapters 44–60
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 7–8
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 150, 165–166
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 81
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 3, 11, 14, 31
• Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 4–5