देवव्रत उवाच
दाशराज निबोधेदं वचनं मे नृपोत्तम ॥
शृण्वतां भूमिपालानां यद् ब्रवीमि पितुः कृते ॥
राज्यं तावत् पूर्वम् एव मया त्यक्तं नराधिप ॥
अपत्यहेतोर् अपि च करोम्य् एष विनिश्चयम् ॥
अद्य प्रभृति मे दाश ब्रह्मचर्यं भविष्यति ॥
अपुत्रस्यापि मे लोका भविष्यन्त्य् अक्षया दिवि ॥
वैशंपायन उवाच
तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा संप्रहृष्टतनूरुहः ॥
ददानीत्य् एव तं दाशो धर्मात्मा प्रत्यभाषत ॥
ततो ऽन्तरिक्षे ऽप्सरसो देवाः सर्षिगणास् तथा ॥
अभ्यवर्षन्त कुसुमैर् भीष्मो ऽयम् इति चाब्रुवन् ॥
ततः स पितुर् अर्थाय ताम् उवाच यशस्विनीम् ॥
अधिरोह रथं मातर् गच्छावः स्वगृहान् इति ॥
एवम् उक्त्वा तु भीष्मस् तां रथम् आरोप्य भामिनीम् ॥
आगम्य हास्तिनपुरं शंतनोः संन्यवेदयत् ॥
तस्य तद् दुष्करं कर्म प्रशशंसुर् नराधिपाः ॥
समेताश् च पृथक् चैव भीष्मो ऽयम् इति चाब्रुवन् ॥
तद् दृष्ट्वा दुष्करं कर्म कृतं भीष्मेण शंतनुः ॥
स्वच्छन्दमरणं तस्मै ददौ तुष्टः पिता स्वयम् ॥
devavrata uvāca
dāśarāja nibodhedaṃ vacanaṃ me nṛpottama ||
śṛṇvatāṃ bhūmipālānāṃ yad bravīmi pituḥ kṛte ||
rājyaṃ tāvat pūrvam eva mayā tyaktaṃ narādhipa ||
apatyahetor api ca karomy eṣa viniścayam ||
adya prabhṛti me dāśa brahmacaryaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
aputrasyāpi me lokā bhaviṣyanty akṣayā divi ||
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā saṃprahṛṣṭatanūruhaḥ ||
dadānīty eva taṃ dāśo dharmātmā pratyabhāṣata ||
tato 'ntarikṣe 'psaraso devāḥ sarṣigaṇās tathā ||
abhyavarṣanta kusumair bhīṣmo 'yam iti cābruvan ||
tataḥ sa pitur arthāya tām uvāca yaśasvinīm ||
adhiroha rathaṃ mātar gacchāvaḥ svagṛhān iti ||
evam uktvā tu bhīṣmas tāṃ ratham āropya bhāminīm ||
āgamya hāstinapuraṃ śaṃtanoḥ saṃnyavedayat ||
tasya tad duṣkaraṃ karma praśaśaṃsur narādhipāḥ ||
sametāś ca pṛthak caiva bhīṣmo 'yam iti cābruvan ||
tad dṛṣṭvā duṣkaraṃ karma kṛtaṃ bhīṣmeṇa śaṃtanuḥ ||
svacchandamaraṇaṃ tasmai dadau tuṣṭaḥ pitā svayam ||
Devavrata said: 'O king of the fishermen, hear this word of mine, O best of kings, in the hearing of the attending lords of the earth — what I say for my father's sake. The kingdom I have already renounced before, O lord of men; and now, for the sake of offspring too, I make this decision: from this day, O fisherman, I shall observe celibacy; and though I remain childless, my worlds in heaven shall be imperishable.' Vaishampayana said: 'Having heard that word of his, with his hair standing on end in rapture, "I give her!" — thus the righteous fisherman replied to him. Then in the sky the apsaras, the gods, and likewise the hosts of sages showered him with flowers and proclaimed: "This is Bhishma (Terrible in his Vow)!" Then, for his father's sake, he said to that illustrious maiden: "Mount the chariot, mother; let us go to our home." Having said this, Bhishma, having set that lovely maiden upon the chariot and arrived at Hastinapura, delivered her to Shantanu. The kings praised that hard-accomplished deed of his — both together and separately — and said: "This is Bhishma!" Having beheld that hard-accomplished deed done by Bhishma, Shantanu, his father, pleased, himself granted him the boon of death at will.'
56529add362b · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
This is the summit of the chapter: the terrible vow that gives Devavrata the name Bhishma (the Terrible, he who inspires awe through his vow). A double renunciation stands out: first of the kingdom, now of marriage and offspring; for his father's happiness the prince gives up both power and the continuation of his line. Here is the limit of self-sacrifice: for an Indian, to forgo offspring meant renouncing the greatest good — lineage, the memorial rites — and Bhishma makes this sacrifice knowingly and with joy. His words stand out: 'though I remain childless, my worlds in heaven shall be imperishable.' Here is the highest truth: not offspring of the flesh but righteousness and fidelity to one's vow open the imperishable worlds; whoever sacrifices for the sake of dharma and love does not lose but gains the eternal. The heavenly sign is notable too — a shower of flowers and the cry 'This is Bhishma!': heaven itself bears witness to the sanctity of the sacrifice. And touching is Shantanu's gift — death at will (ichha-mrityu): the father, unable to repay such a sacrifice, grants his son power over the very hour of his own death. Here too is an image of the greatness of the devoted: one who has given up everything for another gains a power beyond the reach even of kings — a gift that will shape Bhishma's fate all the way to the field of Kurukshetra. Thus is Bhishma born — the embodiment of fidelity to one's vow, whose sacrifice overshadows the whole tale.