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Mahabharata -Rajagopalachari
3.AMBA AND BHISHMA
There is now but one thing in
life for me, revenge on Bhishma. The only
boon I seek is the death of Bhishma."
Parasurama moved as much by her
anguish as by his abiding hatred of the
Kshatriya race, espoused her cause and
fought with Bhishma. It was a long and
equal combat between the two greatest
men-at-arms of the age. But in the end
Parasurama had to acknowledge defeat.
He told Amba: "I have done all that I
could and I have failed. Throw yourself
on the mercy of Bhishma. That is the only
course left to you."
Consumed with grief and rage, and kept
alive only by the passion for revenge,
Amba went to the Himalayas and
practised rigorous austerities to get the
grace of Siva, now that all human aid had
failed her. Siva appeared before her and
granted her a boon, that in her next birth
she would slay Bhishma.
Amba was impatient for that rebirth which
would give her heart's desire. She made a
pyre and plunged into the fire pouring out
the flame in her heart into the scarcely
hotter blaze of the pyre.
By the grace of Lord Siva, Amba was
born as the daughter of King Drupada. A
few years after her birth, she saw the
garland of never-fading flowers that still
hung at the palace gate and had remained
there untouched by anyone through fear.
She put it round her neck. Her father
Drupada was in consternation at her
temerity which he feared would draw on
his head the wrath of Bhishma.
He sent his daughter in exile out of the
capital to the forest. She practised
austerities in the forest and in time was
transformed into a male and became
known as the warrior Sikhandin.
With Sikhandin as his charioteer, Arjuna
attacked Bhishma on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra. Bhishma knew that
Sikhandin was born as female, and true to
his code of chivalry he would not fight
him under any circumstance.
So it was that Arjuna could fight screened
by Sikhandin and conquer Bhishma,
especially because Bhishma knew that his
long and weary probation on earth was
finished and consented to be vanquished.
As the arrows struck Bhishma in his last
fight, he singled out those which had
pierced him deepest and said: "This is
Arjuna's arrow and not Sikhandin's." So
fell this great warrior.
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