|
Mahabharata -Rajagopalachari
2.BHISHMA'S VOW
WITH joy the king received to his heart
and his kingdom the resplendent and
youthful prince Devavrata and crowned
him as the Yuvaraja, the heir apparent.
Four years went by. One day as the king
was wandering on the banks of the
Yamuna, the air was suddenly filled with
a fragrance so divinely sweet that the king
sought for its cause, and he traced it to a
maiden so lovely that she seemed a
goddess. A sage had conferred on her the
boon that a divine perfume should
emanate from her, and this was now
pervading the whole forest.
From the moment the goddess Ganga left
him, the king had kept his senses under
control, but the sight of this divinely
beautiful maiden burst the bonds of
restraint and filled him with an
overmastering desire. He asked her to be
his wife.
The maiden said: "I am a fisherwoman,
the daughter of the chief of the fishermen.
May it please you to ask him and get his
consent." Her voice was sweet as her
form.
The father was an astute man.
He said: "O king, there is no doubt that
this maiden, like every other, has to be
married to someone and you are indeed
worthy of her. Still you have to make a
promise to me before you can have her."
Santanu replied: "If it is a just promise I
shall make it."
The chief of the fisherfolk said: "The child
born of this maiden should be the king
after you."
Though almost mad with passion, the king
could not make this promise, as it meant
setting aside the godlike Devavrata, the
son of Ganga, who was entitled to the
crown.
It was a price that could not be thought of
without shame. He therefore returned to
his capital, Hastinapura, sick with baffled
desire. He did not reveal the matter to
anyone and languished in silence.
One day Devavrata asked his father: "My
father, you have all that your heart could
wish. Why then are you so unhappy? How
is it that you are like one pining away with
a secret sorrow?"
The king replied: "Dear son, what you say
is true. I am indeed tortured with mental
pain and anxiety. You are my only son
and you are always preoccupied with
military ambitions. Life in the world is
uncertain and wars are incessant. If
anything untoward befalls you our family
will become extinct. Of course, you are
equal to a hundred sons. Still, those who
are well read in the scriptures say that in
this transitory world having but one son is
the same as having no son at all
|
|