Bhishma's Pratigya — The Vow That Shook the Heavens

Hastinapur ka singhasan khaali pada tha. Aur us khaali singhasan ke saamne ek yuva rajkumar ne aisi pratigya li ki swayam devtaon ne aakaash se phool barsa diye — aur us din se uska naam pad gaya Bhishma.

Uska asal naam tha Devavrata — Raja Shantanu aur Devi Ganga ka aathvaan beta. Ganga apne saat beton ko janm ke saath hi nadi mein baha le gayi thi — woh shraap-mukt Vasu the. Aathvein ko Shantanu ne rok liya — apne vachan ki keemat par Ganga bhi chali gayin. Devavrata bada hua — Parashuram se shastra-vidya seekhi, Brihaspati se neeti-shastra. Yuvraaj bana — praja ka pyaara, shatruon ka kaal, vidvaanon ka sammaanit.

Ek din Raja Shantanu Yamuna ke kinaare ghoom rahe the — wahan unhe ek machhuare ki beti dikhi, Satyavati. Itni sundar, itni tejomayi — raja ka dil aa gaya. Lekin uske pita, nishad-raaj Dasharaja ne shart rakhi — 'Meri beti ka beta hi Hastinapur ka raja banega. Tumhaare pehle bete ke rehte yeh sambhav nahi.' Shantanu ka dil toot gaya — apne laal Devavrata ka haq kaise chheenein? Ve udaas mahal laut aaye — na khaate, na sote.

Devavrata ne mantriyon se pita ki udaasi ka kaaran jaana. Seedha Dasharaja ke paas gaya — 'Main singhasan ka tyag karta hun. Satyavati ka beta hi raja banega.' Dasharaja ne sir hilaaya — 'Tum tyag kar doge — yeh tumhaari mahanta hai. Lekin tumhaare bete? Woh to apna daava karenge hi.' Tab Devavrata ne dono haath utha kar woh pratigya li jo itihaas mein amar ho gayi — aajeevan brahmacharya. Na vivaah, na santaan. Taaki singhasan par kabhi vivaad na ho, kabhi rakt na bahe.

Pratigya sunte hi aakaash se phool barsne lage, dev-dundubhi baji. Devtaon ne kaha — 'Bhishma!' — arthaat bhayankar, ghora pratigya waala. Pita Shantanu ki aankhon mein aansu the — dukh ke bhi, garv ke bhi. Unhone bete ko vardaan diya — iccha-mrityu. 'Jab tum chaahoge, tabhi mrityu tumhe chhoo paayegi.'

Bhishma ne teen peedhiyon ki seva ki — pehle apne bhaiyon ki, phir Dhritarashtra aur Pandu ki, phir Kauravon-Pandavon ki. Pitamah kehlaye — poore kul ke pitaamah. Dhritarashtra janm se andhe the — Bhishma unki aankhein bane. Pandu ki mrityu ke baad unhone hi paanchon Pandavon ko paala — Yudhishthira ko apni god mein khilaaya tha.

Phir Bhishma ne jo seva ki, woh itihaas hai. Pita ke swargwaas ke baad ve Hastinapur ke sanrakshak bane — peedhi dar peedhi. Chhote bhai Vichitravirya ke liye Kashi ke swayamvar mein sab rajaon ko hara kar teen rajkumariyan jeet laaye — Amba, Ambika, Ambalika. Amba ne bataaya — woh Shalva se prem karti hai. Bhishma ne use sammaan se jaane diya. Lekin Shalva ne use sweekaar nahi kiya — 'Tumhe yuddh mein jeet kar laaya gaya hai, main tumhe nahi apnaaunga.'

Amba lauti — tooti hui, apmaanit. Usne Bhishma se kaha — 'To mujhse vivaah kar lo.' Bhishma ne haath jod diye — 'Meri pratigya atal hai, Devi. Main tumhaara dukh samajhta hun — lekin vachan tod nahi sakta.' Amba ka krodh aag ban gaya. Usne ghor tapasya ki — Shiv ko prasann kiya — vardaan maanga: 'Agle janm mein Bhishma ki mrityu ka kaaran banoongi.' Woh Shikhandi ban kar lauti — aur Kurukshetra mein Bhishma ke patan ka kaaran bani. Pratigya ne Bhishma ko mahaan banaaya tha — aur usi pratigya ne unke jeevan ka sabse bada ghaav diya.

Kurukshetra mein Bhishma Hastinapur ki taraf se lade — namak ka karz tha, vachan ka bandhan tha — halanki dil Pandavon ke saath tha. Dus din tak senapati rahe — koi unhe hila na saka. Aakhir mein Shikhandi ko aage karke Arjun ne baan barsaaye — Bhishma ne Shikhandi par astra nahi uthaaya. Ve shar-shayya par gir pade — baanon ki sej par. Atthavan din tak lete rahe — Uttarayan ka intezaar karte. Yudhishthira ko Shanti Parva ka updesh diya — raaj-dharm, aapad-dharm — wahi Vishnu Sahasranamam, jo aaj bhi ghar-ghar padha jaata hai. Phir ichcha se praan tyaag diye.

Bhari sabha mein jab Draupadi ka cheer-haran hua, Bhishma sir jhukaaye baithe rahe — dharm-sankat mein phanse. Baad mein unhone kaha — 'Main dharm ka gyaata hun, lekin us din dharm mujhse chhup gaya tha.' Unki yahi vedna unhe Kurukshetra tak le gayi — praayashchit ke liye, apne hi haathon.

Bhishma ne pita ke prem ke liye sab kuch tyaag diya — singhasan, vivaah, sukh, apna naam tak. Lekin unki katha ek sawal bhi chhod jaati hai — jo pratigya apnon ko dukh de, jo vaada ek nirdosh stree ke jeevan ko jalaa de, kya woh poori tarah dharma hai? Shayad isiliye kehte hain — pratigya lena aasaan hai, use jeena kathin.