Bheeshm ki Bhayankar Pratigya

Kurukshetra ke mahaan yuddh se bahut pehle, Hastinapur mein Shantanu naam ke ek kuleen raja rajya karte the, jo Chandravansh ke the. Vah dharmaatma, priya aur buddhimaan the, lekin bhaagya ne unke liye vichitra pareekshaayein rakhi thin. Ek din Ganga ke tat par shikaar karte hue unhone nadi ke kinaare khadi ek divya sundarta wali stree ko dekha. Vah swayam Ganga thin, nadi ki devi, maanav roop mein dharti par aayi huin. Shantanu mugdh ho gaye aur unhone usse vivaah karne ko kaha. Ganga sahmat huin, lekin ek bhayankar shart par. Unhone kaha ki vah jo bhi karein us par vah kabhi prashn nahin karenge, unhe kabhi rokenge nahin, aur chaahe kuchh bhi ho jaaye unse kabhi kathor shabd nahin kahenge. Jis kshan vah yah shart todenge, vah unhe sada ke liye chhodkar chali jaayengi. Prem se andhe Shantanu sahmat ho gaye. Unka vivaah hua aur ve sukh se rehne lage, jab tak Ganga ne ek putr ko janm nahin diya. Shantanu ke bhay ke beech unhone navjaat shishu ko uthaaya aur nadi mein dubo diya. Raja ka hriday toot gaya, lekin vachan se bandhe hone ke kaaran unhone kuchh nahin kaha. Baar-baar aisa hua. Saat putr janme, aur saat baar Ganga ne unhe jal mein dubo diya, jabki Shantanu maun vyatha mein dekhte rahe. Jab aathvaan putr janma, to Shantanu aur sahan na kar sake. Unhone Ganga ki baanh pakdi aur chillaakar poocha ki vah unki santaanon ki hatya kyon karti hain. Ganga ne dukh se unki or dekha aur satya bataaya. Aathon shishu aath Vasu the, dharti par janmane ke shaapit divya praani, aur unhone janm ke samay hi unhe nashvar jeevan se mukt kar diya tha taaki ve lambe samay tak kasht na sahen. Aathven Vasu ko dharti par lamba jeevan jeene ka shaap tha, aur vah Shantanu ke putr ke roop mein rahenge. Yah kehkar Ganga shishu ko apne saath le gayeen, kyonki shart toot chuki thi, aur nadi mein veeleen ho gayeen. Varsh beete, aur baalak apni maata ki dekhrekh mein swarg mein bada hua, mahaanatam guruon se yuddh kala aur shaastra seekhte hue. Uska naam Devavrat rakha gaya, aur vah atulniya yoddha bana. Ek din Shantanu Ganga ke kinaare tehal rahe the jab unhone nadi ka pravaah baanon ki deewaar se ruka dekha. Tat par ek sundar yuva yoddha khada tha, aur Shantanu ne usmein apni hi chhavi pehchaani. Ganga prakat huin aur baalak ko uske pita ko lauta diya, Shantanu se kaha ki unka putr Hastinapur ka uttaradhikari banne ke liye taiyaar hai. Shantanu ne aanand se Devavrat ko gale lagaaya aur unhe yuvraaj banaaya. Rajya aanandit hua, kyonki rajkumar kuleen, vidvaan aur paraakrami the. Lekin bhaagya ne ek aur pareeksha rakhi thi. Varshon baad Shantanu Yamuna nadi ke kinaare yatra kar rahe the jab unhe ek divya sugandh aayi. Uska peechha karte hue unhe Satyavati naam ki ek sundar kanya mili, jo ek machhuaara pramukh ki putri thi, jo yaatriyon ko nadi paar karaati thi. Shantanu gehre prem mein pad gaye aur unhone uske pita se uska haath maanga. Machhuaare ne sahmati di, lekin ek shart par, ki Devavrat nahin, balki Satyavati ka putr Hastinapur ke sinhaasan ka uttaradhikari hoga. Shantanu duvidha mein pad gaye. Vah Satyavati se prem karte the, lekin apne kuleen putr ko uttaradhikaar se vanchit nahin kar sakte the. Vah toote hriday aur maun ke saath mahal laute, bhojan aur sangati tyaag di. Devavrat ne apne pita ka dukh dekha aur uska kaaran jaana. Bina hichkichaahat yuva rajkumar machhuaare ke paas gaye aur ek chaunka dene wala balidaan diya. Pehle unhone sinhaasan par apna daava tyaag diya, ghoshna ki ki Satyavati ka putr raja hoga. Lekin machhuaara abhi santusht nahin tha. Use darr tha ki Devavrat ke bhaavi putr ek din Satyavati ki santaanon se sinhaasan ke liye chunauti de sakte hain. Tab Devavrat ne akalpaniya kiya. Upasthit sabhi ke saamne unhone ek bhayankar pratigya li. Unhone shapath li ki vah aajeevan brahmachaari rahenge, ki vah kabhi vivaah nahin karenge aur kabhi santaan utpann nahin karenge, taaki unki koi santaan kabhi sinhaasan ko khatra na pahuncha sake. Devta swayam pratigya ki bhayankarta se kaanp uthe, aur swarg se phool barse. Us din se Devavrat Bheeshm kahlaaye, jiska arth hai bhayankar pratigya lene wala. Shantanu ne jab jaana ki unke putr ne kya kiya hai, to vah dukh aur garv donon se abhibhoot ho gaye. Unhone Bheeshm ko ek adbhut vardaan diya, apni mrityu ka samay swayam chunne ki shakti, taaki mrityu unhe bina bulaaye kabhi na aaye. Shantanu ne Satyavati se vivaah kiya, aur usne unhe do putr diye, Chitrangad aur Vichitraveerya. Lekin Bheeshm ki pratigya ki keemat peedhiyon tak goonjti rahi. Chitrangad yuva avastha mein yuddh mein mare, aur Vichitraveerya nihsantaan mare, sinhaasan ko uttaradhikari ke bina chhodkar. Bheeshm apni bhayankar shapath se bandhe hone ke kaaran na swayam sinhaasan le sakte the na vansh chalaane ke liye putr utpann kar sakte the. Pita ke prati putr ke prem se li gayi pratigya us uttaradhikaar sankat ki jad ban gayi jo ek din Kurukshetra ke vinaashkaari yuddh ki or le jaayegi. Bheeshm jeevit rahe, ek paraakrami yoddha aur buddhimaan paraamarshdaata, lekin Yamuna ke tat par yuvaavastha mein kahe gaye shabdon se sada ke liye bandhe hue.