3. Satyavati & her bahusSince we have all 8 Vasus now, I'll use the notation V1 to V7 to denote Bheeshma's elder brothers, and continue to use Devrath/Bheeshma as himself.
Once he got back his sons, Shantanu decided that he needed to find a suitable guru for them. He first thought of getting them taught by Parashurama, until he remembered the latter's loathing for Kshatriyas. He then visited Rishi Parashara, and asked him to train them.
Parashara taught them the scriptures and everything else, but when it came to martial arts, he wanted to outsource that work to Parashurama. However, Parashurama declined, stating that he wouldn't provide his outsourcing services to kshatriyas, and so Parashara should look for someone else. So Parashara then approached Vishwamitra, who had been a one time enemy of his father's before reconciling. Vishwamitra agreed to teach them, and taught them the same divine weapons that he had once taught Rama. Once they were done, they resumed the rest of their studies w/ Parashara.
One day, during this period, Shantanu went on a picnic, and on the way, he needed to cross a river. There was 1 boat, and in it was Satyavati, who was the boatwoman. She took him for a ride, and then brought him back. Shantanu went w/ her to her father, and asked for her hand in marriage. Her father put a condition that his son from Satyavati succeed him, but Shantanu balked & returned. On the way back, a rishi handed to Shantanu a young Brahmin boy Kripa, and his sister Kripi. Shantanu adopted them and took them w/ him home.
A few days later, the princes were done w/ their gurukul and returned to Hastinapur, and Shantanu welcomed them. However, they noticed that he was lost, and ignoring the affairs of state. So they interrogated his spies, and found out about Satyavati.
Devrath, the youngest of them, then discussed this w/ his brothers, and then visited them, and told Satyavati's father that he & his brothers would happily lay down their claims to the throne. Satyavati's father accepted that, but asked whether that would be true about their descendents as well? Devrath then swore that none of them would marry either. The devas celebrated and there was the heavenly announcement proclaiming Devrath as Bheeshma.
However, when Bheeshma went back home w/ Satyavati & told Shantanu about it, Shantanu gave him the ichcha-mrityu boon. However, his brothers were not happy about it. They went and told Bheeshma that they would abide by his promise only if Satyavati had surviving sons & descendents, but not otherwise. Bheeshma tried to convince them about the seriousness of his promise, but they pointed out that Bheeshma just recklessly made a promise on their behalf, so they'd choose whether to abide by it or not. Shantanu then told Bheeshma to let it go, and Satyavati added that if her sons died w/o any sons, then Ganga's sons would be released from that vow and free to marry & continue the dynasty.
Within a few years, Satyavati had 2 sons, Chitrangada & Vichitravirya. Chitrangada was made the yuvraj, but once he got into a battle w/ a Gandharva w/ the same name, and both of them killed each other in the fight. Shantanu died of grief following his death, and so Vichitravirya was made the new ruler.
Now the question came of Vichitravirya's marriage, and Bheeshma suggested that they invade Kashi, which was holding a swayamvar for its 3 princesses - Amba, Ambika & Ambalika. The Vasus invaded that kingdom and abducted the princesses. Later, Amba protested that she had actually been bethrothed to Shalva, so the eldest of the brothers, V1, took her back, but Shalva told him that he didn't take charity from the Kurus. So V1 took Amba back, and tried to persuade Vichitravirya to marry her as well, but he refused. Seeing that this could have lethal repercussions on the brothers, V4 then threatened Vichitravirya at swordpoint to marry Amba, and he agreed.
At the wedding, Vichitravirya had completed marrying Amba and Ambika. While he was doing the pheras around the havan kund w/ Ambalika, he slipped & fell into the yagna fire & was burnt instantly. The wedding was a disaster, as it instantly turned into 3 weddings and a funeral.
Satyavati knew that she had to get sons for Vichitravirya, but all 8 brothers refused to get sons from someone else's wives. V1 then suggested that Amba, Ambika & Ambalika re-marry the first 3 of them. Satyavati objected, but Amba screamed @ her for ruining the lives of her & her sisters, and threatened repercussions if she didn't allow it. Ambika gave them the examples of Tara & Mandodari, who supposedly married Sugreev & Vibheeshan after their husbands' deaths. Satyavati wasn't too impressed w/ the precedents being Vanara & Rakshash women, but the fate of Hastinapur was in the balance. So she relented.
However, Satyavati's father arrived there and reminded them of Bheeshma's vow, but the brothers told him that that vow was made w/o consulting them, and also, the fate of Hastinapur was more important than their whims. Satyavati's father then threw a hissy fit, but the princes had enough of his shenanigans, and V4 pulled out a javelin and hurled it at him, pinning him to the post, and tossing his body into the kund w/ Vichitravirya's.
Bheeshma then became furious, but all 7 brothers turned against him & silenced him. They then declared that they would abide by his vow of them not sitting on the throne, but not them not marrying, particularly since Satyavati had no surviving kids. It was decided that V1 would marry Amba, V2 would marry Ambika & V3 would marry Ambalika. The wedding was held, and Satyavati told them that since the 3 princesses had married Vichitravirya before they married V1, V2 & V3, she would regard any sons of theirs as the legitimate heirs of Hastinapur. Thus, that event ended up as 6 weddings & 2 funerals
V1 announced that while the throne of Hastinapur would remain vacant, all decisions would be taken by the council of 8, headed by him, and including Bheeshma. Once the eldest of their sons came of age, he'd be the ruler of Hastinapur.
Edited by .Vrish. - 11 years ago
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