Bheeshma

** '* " **
 Illustrated Classics From India

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No. 534 • Rs 30

INDIA BOOK HOUSE

Mahalaxmi Chambers, 5th Floor, 22 Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai 400 026, India.
© India Book House Pvt. Ltd. 1997 Reprinted: June 2005 ISBN: 7508-085-X
Printed at Yatisha Creations B-55, Akurli Industrial Estate, Akurli Road,
Kandivali (East), Mumbai - 400 101.
 Bheeshmci

O n e d a y , k /n g s h a n t a n u o f h a s t /n a p u r a , w h o se fa v o u r ite
PASTIM E WAS HUNTtUG, WAS tVALK/NG ALONG THE BAN KS OF THE
R/VER &AN6A /N SEARCH OF DEER AND &/SON •
 SUDDENLY A BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN APPEARED IN FRONT O F H IM .

AND VOU MUST

NEVER SPEAK AN
UNKIND WORD TO 50 BE IT!
ME. THE MOMENT
YOUPO EfTWER,
( s h a ll
LEAVE YOU
FOREVER.
SHANTANU MARRIED THE MAIDEN AND THEY LIVED HAPP/LW TOGETHER-

BUT H I5 WIFE BEHAVED STRAN6ELV

FO R A WOMAN- EACH TIME A
CHILD m s BORN TO H ER ,
SH E DROW NED IT .
 HOWEVER WHEN THE EIGHTH CHILD WAS BORN -
S T O P ! WHO ARE YOU p
O WICKED WOMAN, HOW
V CAN VOU MURDER j
VOUR OWN /
m n n VW CHILDREN?

T in n n n o r

ffl JL - ^ HAD TO KILL OUR FIRST SEVEN

CHILDREN,TO REDEEM THEM
' ALA5 ! WOU HAVE BROKEN FROM A CURSE -THE EIGHTH
HOUR PROMISE. I AM \ CHILD WAS TO HAVE BEEN) MINE
THE GODDESS SANGA-THIS AND WE COULD HAVE
CHILD SHALL BE CALLED GANSEV&, LIVED TO -v

^ r .\
 AND GODDESS GANGA
D/SAPPEARED •

BUT SHANTANfJ DID NOT LET HIS

PERSONAL SORROW AFFECT HIS
DUTIES AS A K IN G . HE CONTINUED
RULING WISELY AND WELL ■

AND SO THE YEARS PASSED.

THEN ONE DAW AS SHANTANU CAME ONCE AGAIN TO THE BANKS OF
THE GANGES, HUNTING DEER -
THE BOV WAS GANGSW j H(S SON , BUT KING SHANTANU V /D NOT
RECOGNISE M/M-
 TAKE HIM
HOME AND
M AKE HIM
YOUR HEIR-
HE IS A
MI6HTV ARCHER
AND HAS LEARNT
ALL THERE IS
TO KNOW
ABOUT THE
DUTIES OF A
KINS.

AND GANGA VANISHED-

WHEN THEY REACHED H(5 PALACE HE SUMMONED ALL H/5 KINSMEN , THE
PAURA\PAS3 70 H IM *

THE PAURAVAS LOOKING UPON THE GOV LIKE YOUTH9ADMIRED HIM-

DEISAIPRATA SOON EARNED

— AND THEIR R ESPEC T TO O ■
THEIR LOVE —
AT SUCH MOMENTS,, HE TOOK LONG WALKS3ALONE, ALONG THE BANKS OF
T H E YAM UNA.

ON ONE SUCH WALK AH I WHAT A ^

DIVINE FRASRAN)CE»
WHERE
15 IT ^
L FROM?
 JU S T THEN HE SAW A BEAUTIFUL
G/RL APPROACH/M G.

K/NG SHAttTANU WAS OVERCOME B Y

A IDES/RE TO MAKE SATYAVAT/ H/5 f SHALL GO AMD
OWM AMD TAKE HER TO H/S PALACE • A S K HER FATHER
„ FO R H ER HAND
WHAT 15 IT THAT THE SON
THAT HOU 50RN UNTO MV
WISH? DAUGHTER
NAME IT! SHALL REIGN
v AFTER VOU-
 SHANTANU WAS D/SM AYED. H E R ETU R N ED TO H fS PALACE, H fS
TH O U G H TS FULL O F SATYAVAT/ •

A t h a s t w a p u r h e p a s s e d h /s d a y s , l o s t /n h ls l o n g /m g s . o n e d a y -
SHANTANU WAS QUICK TO ANSWER

B U T ~DEVAVRATA M S TOO IN TE LLIG EN T TO BE TAKEN IN B Y THESE WORDS-

5 0 ME W EN T TO A N O LD M /N/STER MHO WAS D EVO TED TO H fS FATHER.

REVERED S IR , WHY HE HAS SET HIS D

^ 'D O E5 M Y FATHER HEART ON SATYAVAT/
G R IE V E 5 0 ? > THE FISHERMAN’ S
DAUGHTER. >

THE M /W ST 5 R HESITATED FOR ft

SEC O N D -TH EM -
DEMVRA7A, ACCOMPANIED BY A FEW ELDERLY PAL/RAM
CHIEFS, WENT TOS A TYA M Tl’S FATHER- HE ALREADY HAS AN
Hc(R IN VOU- WHAT
CHANCES WOULD MV
GRANDSON HAVE
 B U T THE FISH ER M A N DEVAVRATA DfU N O T (NTEND TO GO
m s N O T S A TIS F IE D - M TH O U T W INNING S A TYA VA Tf
FO R H fS FA TH E R .
I HAVE N O DOUBT y ^ CHIEF OF FISHERMEN,
TH AT YOU WILL KEEP ( h a v e g i v e n u p m y R ts h t
y O UR WORD. BUT WHAT TO THE THRONE - ( NOW
ABOUT THE SONS SETTLE THE MATTER OF
you m a y h a v e ? vi CHILDREN- ^

yCTj|k
,-Sp, " / W i'Z
® lr

A N D DEVAVRATA TO O K A TE R R IB LE O A TH -

r F R O M T H IS D A Y
I V O W T O R E M A IM
A B R A H M A C H A R IIV L
{-/EARING THESE WORDS THE GOVS SHOWERED FLOWERS ON D E M V R fflfl.

I GIVE
m DAUSHTER
TO WOUR
v F A TH E R . „
 A T HAST/NflPUR BHEE5HMA TOLD
SHA/OTAMJ EVER YTHSN 6 •

5HANTANU M ARKED SATYAM T'/ AND HAD TWO SO N S-THE ELDER WAS KILLED
IN BATTLE •WHEN SHANTANU D(ED,BHEE5HMA S E T THE YOUNGER SO N ,
WCHfTRAWRYA ON THE THRONE AN D RULED THE KINGDOM FO R HIM -
ME BROUGHT THE PR/NCESSES AM BA, M OB/M A N D
AM BflL/Kfl 70 SfiTY/W ATf.
m B # W ENT BACK TO HER m a t ) m s F LtR tous.
CHOSEN LO R D ,B U T -
 SH E W ENT TO P A R ASH U R Am , THE S A G E WHO H ATED
KSHATR/YAS ,A/VD TOLD HtM HER TALE-

PARASHURAMA ACCOM PANIED B Y AM BA AND OTHER A SC ETIC S WENT

TO HASTINAPURA AND BHEESHMfi CAME TO P/)Y HIM H !S R ES P E C TS .
BHEE5HM A A N D PARASHURAfflA M ET EACH OTHER IN SIN G LE-CO M B AT
AND FOUGHT FOR TW ENTY-THREE DAYS-

aa o b a p e r f o r m e d s e v e r e
PENANCES FOR TWELVE YEAR S TO
ININ THE GRACE O F LO R D SH/VA*
 CORD SH fVA9 A7 LAST, APPEARED B EFORE t/ER •

WHAT BOON VO YOU

SEEK OF M E? S

7 ( WISH
TO SLAY BHEESHMA.
HE HAS DEPRIVED /HE
OF MY -R16HTS AS A
WOMAN• V
 M A D E A FU N ER AL P < /R E ,L H H AAJD c/UAOPED INTO IT S F L A M E S -

A N D A S SHW A PR O M /SFD 5 « £ W/?S R E 3 0 R N /W O BECAME SHIKHANDIN.

H ER S IS TE R S /N TH E M EAN W HILE H A D H A D /? S O N E A C H - DHR(TA) -

R/OSHT/RA A N D P/?N D U , W HOSE S O N S WERE TH E H U N D R ED K A U R A M S
/9A?0 F/O E P/?ND/?V/?S RESPECTIVELY.
BHEESHM A S U P E R W S E D THE U PB R IN G IN G O F THESE COUSINS A 3
H e HAD DONE THAT O F THE/R P A R EN TS.

THE CH/LDHOOD E N M ITY

CONTINUE® (NTO THEIR ADULT H F E .

IF THE PANDAVAS
WANT THEIR SHARE GIVE THEM
OF THE KINGDOM j WHAT IS
k LET THEM FI6HT THEIRS
A N D AVOID
TROUBLE.

GUT THE KAURAVAS DSD NOT HEED HW

 M P WAR B R O KE O U T B ETW EEN THE KAURAVAS AND THE PANDA YAS -
THE G R EAT 18 -D A Y WAR O F TH E M AHA&HARATA. ON THE FIR ST D A Y OF
THE B A TTLE TH E E LD E S T P/9NDAYA CAM E TO B H EESH M A .

r VENERABLE GRANDS (RE

WE SEEK YOUR
BLESSINGS AND YOUR
PERMISSION TO

BHEESHMA LOVED BOTH > THE PANDA l?A5 A N D THE KAC/RAISAS,BUT HE

WAS D U TY -B O U N D TO F IG H T O N THE S ID E O F THE RAURA ISAS .THEY
WERE THE SO NS OF THE R E IG N IN G K IN G , DHW TA&ASHTRA.

F O R N IN E D A Y S B H E E S H M A A N D TH E RAC/RAYA A R W E S FO U G H T
R E LE N TLE S S LY A & A /N S T TH E FYPNDAYA A R M IE S . D R U P A D A ’5 S O N
S H /K H A N D IN W AS A N A LLY O F TH E P A N D A ISAS -
ON THE TENTH D A Y O F THE B A TTLE, ARJUNA, THE PAWPAVA, SH/ELD/NG
H/M SECF B EHfN D 5H IK H A N D IN > ATTACKED B HEESH M A-

THEN HE FELT THE ARROW S THAT HAD

TH E TIM E DRAW S ^ PIERCED HIM DEEPEST.
WE/PR. / TO D /E J
B U T M O T AT THE h ( THE FATAL ARROWS YfrYJCfc
ARE ARJUNA’ S !
fY A H P S O F
K S H W H rfM D M .

AND
BHEESHM A FELL.
 BOTH A)RM/ES STOPPED F/6HT/NG AND CROW DED AROUND
THE/R B E LO V E D G R A N D S (R E -

ARJUNA MMED/ATELY PLACED THREE ARROWS l/NDER BHEESHM A'S HEAD-

AT ONCE ARJUNA S H O T A N ARROW /NTO THE E/fR TH NEAR BHEESHMA'S A/EAD-

T h E PANPAVAS WON THE M R - YUPH(5HTHIRAS THE E L D E S T O F THEM,CAME to
BHEESHMA FOR H/S BCE55/N65 ANP H/S APW CE ON THE PUT/ES O F A K(NG.
AS B H EESH m FfM S H E P TALKING (T WAS THE AUSFSCfOUS MOMENT HE HAP
CHOSEN FO R H IS DEATH A N D H IS SOUL PASSED AWAY.
 Illustrated Classics From India

Bheeshma
In ancient days, when the king was second only to god in power and authority, a young prince, Devavrata,
declined a grand kingdom. He reinforced his refusal of the throne by a vow of celibacy so that no offspring
of his could come forth to claim it either. He took this difficult decision to please his father Shantanu, and
was thereafter hailed by the gods as "Bheeshma" "of the terrible oath".

It is ironical that Bheeshma, who declined to be a king, wielded royal power longer than any other king of
that dynasty. He was the regent for his stepbrothers and for his nephews. Yet, all this was not of his
choosing - he had to rule despite his renunciation until Duryodhana came of age.

It was perhaps because he had guarded Dhritarashtra's throne all his life that he sided with Duryodhana
against the Pandava princes in the great Mahabharata war and remained loyal to his king. Bheeshma
commanded the Kaurava army, and as a soldier and a leader, he was invincible.

Editor: Anant Pai

Script: Kamala C handrakant Illustrations: L. D. Pednekar Cover: Khalap

Related Titles
Drona • Mahabharata • Tales of Arjuna
Tales of Yudhisthira • Abhimanyu • Kama • Draupadi
The Pandava Princes • Bheema and Hanuman

ISBN 8 1 - 7 5 08 - 08 5 -X

9 788175 080850
IBH
INDIA BOOK HOUSE