|| BRC's Mahabharat Appreciation Thread || - Page 17

Originally posted by: Radhikerani

Link - Episode 4

Shantanu's reception of Bheeshm's oath was so well-presented. The way he argued with his son, the conversation was perfectly timed. I was glad that Shantanu neither believed comically early neither did he extend the argument to a tedious length. And, look at the pride in his eyes as he says that his son's name will survive the rust of ages, and shine till the end of time!

Devavrat's conversation with Ganga had a serene and calming effect. The way, now the mother spoke to her son with a heightened respect, and the way she quietly boosted his morale by emphasizing the fact that her blessings were always with him.

I'm kinda confused with what to say about the following scene where Shantanu coaxes Satyavati into stop blaming herself for Bheeshm's fate. Also, Shantanu's logic isn't very clear to me. A part of it seems like Satyavati's innocence is shattered by the vile King who wants her physically and refuses to let his sadness due to his son's oath cloud the way of his passion! But on the other hand, you really need to move ahead. There's seriously no point in sitting and trying to convince Devavrat to breaking his oath.
What are your takes on it?

The courtroom scenes in BRC's were love! In this one, I really liked the personality of the Royal Priest. The way he reprimanded the King was so nice. His arguments had modern connotations, which were, however, rightly squashed by Bheeshm. A pity, his successor did not remember this.

Beet gaye,
Din par din beet gaye
De kar anmol mol, le kar anmol mol,
Paaya sukh atulaneeya, dukh paaya atulaneeya,
Aatma ke meet mile, aatma ke meet gaye,
Din par din beet gaye...

The conversation between Bheeshm and Shantanu following this song highlighted their personal relationship that stood out of the oath. The shattered father tries to pull himself together but fails, but his sturdy son remains, all through his life, to offer a shoulder and help his father recover. I do not blame Shantanu wholly, but it's like so complex. It wasn't as if he did not want Satyavati, but he also knew what was happening was a blatant injustice! Poor Satyavati, she must've felt so guilty give everything went topsy turvy just because of her legendary beauty!
I believe Bheeshm had truly merged his father and the throne of Hastinapur into a single entity in his mind!

Saadhan sukh ke man dukhi Rahi adhoori saadh |
Bhool na paata man kabhi man-maana aparaadh ||

Shantanu and Satyavati's conversation highlights their repent, and sort of answers the questions of the people about whether Satyavati was at fault or not.

I think in this great sorry mess Satyavati was the one who suffered the most. Pehle toh, she's torn between her father's condition and her good sense; then she realizes that marriage with her gave the King nothing more than sorrow and a couple of useless sons! And then after his death, she stands before the crown like a broke before the lender!

Shantanu's death scene was crisp, but so moving! That expression on Satyavati's face, and the way Bheeshm pulled his brother close to his heart sent shills across my spine!

Hai aparadhi bhaavna mrityu kaamna bhool |
Gaya agni-rath rah gaye shesh chita ke phool ||

Seekhe hum beete yugon se, naye yug ka karein swaagat |
Karein swaagat, karein swaagat ||
Bhaarat ki hai kahaani sadiyon se bhi puraani |
Hai gyaan ki yeh Ganga, rishiyon ki amar baani ||
Yeh vishwa-bhaarati hai, trilok ki aarti hai(?) |
Hai nit nayi puraani, Bharat ki yeh kahaani ||

Originally posted by: DharmaPriyaa

I always think that Bhishma's oath and Shantanu-Satyavati's wedding is the first turning point of this story. The unfortunate clan had to pay for the injustice done to Devavrata. But I really don't know whom to blame for this! (I dont see Dev as the victim here. This was brought on him by himself & he alone is to be blamed for it. Neither Shantanu nor Satywati asked him to do what he did. But he did it. And he paid the price...and not just him, but the kingdom & the family too)

Just one thing comes to my mind. I know Satyavati was extremely beautiful but, was her beauty such 'anmol' that we had to lose a well-deserved Yuvaraj like Devavrata who indeed was 'anmol' for Kuru clan's future? Also, Shantanu got 'atulaniya sukh' but wasn't his 'atulaniya dukh' of depriving his son from everything crushing that 'sukh' every moment? Could he enjoy the happiness he craved for?

Dr. Nrisinghaprasad Bhadury says, "If Bhishma could get the Kuru throne, the whole story would have changed, and his administration would have been so unique that it might have changed the famous Bharat vansha's name into Devavrata vansha." How true, no?

I pity Shantanu who, in spite of being a great King of his time and having a great son like Bhishma, could not spend a few happy moments at his old age. And yes, I pity the Kuru throne who had to wait so long to be owned by a good King.