Even though he was physically blind, Dhritarashtra was the real spectator of the war of Kurukshetra. He was a mute spectator metaphorically because he watched it happen without doing what he could to prevent it. But, in a literal sense, he was a real spectator because he actually watched it live, day to day. His … Read more
Now it so turned out that the barren Khandav Prastha was turned into a prosperous Indra Prastha by the rule of Yudhishthira and the Pandavas. To commemorate that and to establish the supremacy of Yudhishthira, a grand sacrifice, the Rajasooya Yagna, was organised. In an act of goodwill, the extended royal family of Hastinapur was … Read more
Despite being born blind, Dhritarashtra was trained along with Pandu but wasn’t able to use weapons necessary for a king. Therefore, when the time came to appoint a heir to Hastinapur, Bheeshma turned to the wisdom of Vidur the third brother, who recommended that Pandu be anointed to the post. It was no surprise to … Read more
In many ways, with the start of Drona’s reign as commander began a lowering a moral ethical standards in the war, not particularly because of him, but nevertheless. But Abhimanyu’s killing marked the start of the real end of morals and ethics in warfare. All that the great teacher had taught was laid to waste … Read more
The battle of virtue and envy went on for many years and Drona always found himself fighting on the side of envy, though like Bheeshma, his heart was with the carriers of virtue. The first instance of fighting against his favorite pupil, Arjuna, for Drona, was in the battle of Virata when it was suspected … Read more
How much is a teacher responsible for shaping a student and how much of it is the student’s own making? How much does external training shape someone and how much is driven by internal traits and talent? How much of a student’s success and failure can a teacher be held accountable for? These are questions … Read more
One of the striking features of Bheeshma’s life was that he had the benediction to choose his time of death. One might feel that this was a blessing, which in fact it was. But the other side of it also meant that unlike others who have to wait for death irrespective of what happens in … Read more
At the Rajasooya Yagna of Yudhishthira, there was a ritual to provide arghya to start the sacrifice. What that meant was that someone deserving had to be chosen, whose feet the king would wash, among other things, as a mark of obeisance and respect. Bheeshma along with Sahadeva suggested that Krishna be that person, as … Read more
The fact of the matter was that with the three children still in their infancy, Bheeshma ruled the kingdom for all of those years by proxy. In the process, he expanded it beyond measure, so that when the sons of Vichitravirya came of age, they had a ready kingdom to rule over. The ruler by … Read more