Bhishma's Detachment Against the Dark Backdrop of Greed

While viewing the episodes and getting to behold Shantanu's desire for a Satyavati, and Dhritrashtra and Duryodhan's greed for the throne of Hastinapur, I can't help but ponder over this aspect.

Against the dull backdrop of extreme greed, envy, and deadly conspiracies directed towards attainment of a throne, Devavrat's sacrifice and detachment shines brightly.

Rest of the characters represent the ordinary that gets entrapped in the web of unending desires and unquenchable thirst. Devavrat's metamorphosis into Bhishma is a representation of the extraordinary...an elevation progressing beyond the realms of human limitations.

Though bhishm pita did great sacrifice but still he could not do anything much to stop Mahabharata war

In fact he remain silent most of time and tolerating wrong things l most of time inspite of being powerful and sided with wrong side in end

Another bhishm did get great sacrifice but he was respectable from both side but why he get shot by so many of arrow it is not just because to make pandav win but because when bhishm was around 12 years old bhishm use to inject thorns in insects so in future as a karm he was shot by so many arrow

However bhishm told when I use inject thorns in insects I was only 12 years old and 12 years don't know what is right or wrong so he requested not punished who have committed mistakes till 12 years of age

Originally posted by: surabhi01

Though bhishm pita did great sacrifice but still he could not do anything much to stop Mahabharata war

In fact he remain silent most of time and tolerating wrong things l most of time inspite of being powerful and sided with wrong side in end

Another bhishm did get great sacrifice but he was respectable from both side but why he get shot by so many of arrow it is not just because to make pandav win but because when bhishm was around 12 years old bhishm use to inject thorns in insects so in future as a karm he was shot by so many arrow

However bhishm told when I use inject thorns in insects I was only 12 years old and 12 years don't know what is right or wrong so he requested not punished who have committed mistakes till 12 years of age

https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-karma-of-Bhisma-for-him-to-suffer-on-the-bed-of-arrows

His entire life was a repentance. It was his fate to stand and watch as everything spiraled into the war, and his beloved Hastinapur was destroyed.

Now, even if you take the divine aspect out of it, he was a griha-yogi (as was hinted in the scene where Satyavati is leaving the palace). He stayed in the family, but he had no role. Everyone went ahead and did what they liked, and because he couldn't take sides anymore he just took himself out of the situation and chose to watch everything from a distance.

Originally posted by: surabhi01

Though bhishm pita did great sacrifice but still he could not do anything much to stop Mahabharata war

In fact he remain silent most of time and tolerating wrong things l most of time inspite of being powerful and sided with wrong side in end

Another bhishm did get great sacrifice but he was respectable from both side but why he get shot by so many of arrow it is not just because to make pandav win but because when bhishm was around 12 years old bhishm use to inject thorns in insects so in future as a karm he was shot by so many arrow

However bhishm told when I use inject thorns in insects I was only 12 years old and 12 years don't know what is right or wrong so he requested not punished who have committed mistakes till 12 years of age

Oh I didn't know this. Thanks! I think this somehow fits into the karma-aspect of Mahabharata story. My mom has told me a couple of times that all your sins are not counted until you are 12 years of age. I have also listened to Garuda Purana and there also it is mentioned that your sins are not added to your account until you cross 12 years of your life because a child doesn't know any better.

Coming to Bhishma, I think it was his decision to be a brahmachari throughout his life. The first most crucial thing for a brahmachari is detachment. If one doesn't detach, one can't practice this vrata. Taking the vow was his decision and so was sticking to that vow. One does surpass the normal humanly dimension in one's quest for brahma. Brahmacharya literally means following the brahma, that is, the Ultimate, which is the sole truth of the existence. Modern example can be Swami Vivekananda.

Originally posted by: surabhi01

https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-karma-of-Bhisma-for-him-to-suffer-on-the-bed-of-arrows

However, it's not believable because it doesn't cite the source. Also, there's a mention of a 73rd birth. Bhishma was originally a Vasu who took birth as a mortal after being cursed by Vashishtha. There weren't any births before that.

Originally posted by: proteeti

His entire life was a repentance. It was his fate to stand and watch as everything spiraled into the war, and his beloved Hastinapur was destroyed.

Now, even if you take the divine aspect out of it, he was a griha-yogi (as was hinted in the scene where Satyavati is leaving the palace). He stayed in the family, but he had no role. Everyone went ahead and did what they liked, and because he couldn't take sides anymore he just took himself out of the situation and chose to watch everything from a distance.

https://gita-blog.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-bhishma-pitamah-had-to-suffer-on.html

This is another link where it told what karm lead bhishm lead to bed of arrow

The seeds of mahabharath were sown when devdrat birth right is forcibly taken away from him. That is called karma, whatever you forcibly snatch away from others cant give u any happiness. The fact is its effects gets carried across the ages in the family. It is beautifully depicted in the epic. When whole family dies trying to become king for a kingdom that was never theirs in the first place

It also applies to our lives also.