Shikhandi aur Amba

Amba Kaashi ki jyeshth raajkumari thi — aur uski katha Mahabharat ki sabse bhootahi kathaaon mein se ek hai: anyaay ki katha jisne marne se inkaar kiya — jeevan paar lautkar hisaab maanga. Yeh Bheeshm ke abhimaan se shuru hui. Jab Kuru raajkumaaron ko vadhuein chaahiye thin, to Bheeshm Kaashi ki teen raajkumariyon — Amba, Ambika, Ambalika — ke swayamvar mein gaye. Abhimaan mein unhone samaaroh ki prateeksha na ki. Teenon raajkumariyon ka balpoorvak haran kiya aur Hastinapur le gaye. Lekin Amba kisi aur se prem karti thi: raja Shaalva se — jo usse prem karta tha. Jab usne Bheeshm ko yeh bataaya, to unhone sammaan se use mukt kiya aur Shaalva ke paas bheja. Lekin Shaalva — apmaanit ki use doosre purush ne har liya tha — use vaapas lene se mana kiya. Amba Bheeshm ke paas lauti aur unse swayam vivaah ki praarthna ki — kyunki unhone uski sambhaavnaayein nasht ki thin. Bheeshm ne mana kiya — aajeevan brahmacharya ke bhayankar vrat se bandhe. Amba ab sabse parityakt thi: premi ne use na apnaaya, apharankarta ne vivaah na kiya, aur parivaar raksha na kar saka. Niraasha mein usne nyaay maanga. Woh mahaan yoddha-rishi Parashuram ke paas gayi aur Bheeshm se apni or se ladne ki praarthna ki. Parashuram — uski dasha se dravit — Bheeshm ko yuddh ki chunauti di. Do ajeya yoddha teees din lade — aakaash hila — lekin koi kisi ko hara na saka. Parashuram ne ant mein sweekaar kiya ki woh jeet nahi sakta aur hat gaya. Amba ki antim aasha gayi. Phir Amba ne asaadharan kaarya kiya. Usne Bhagwan Shiv ko prasann karne bhayankar tapasya ki — ek pair par khadi, upvaas karti — Bheeshm ka naash karne ki shakti ki praarthna. Shiv prakat hue aur vardaan diya: agle janm mein woh yoddha-roop mein janmegi jo Bheeshm ki mrityu ka kaaran banegi. Amba ne tab chita banaayi aur jvaalaaon mein chali gayi — pratishodh ka vrat agle janm mein liye. Woh Shikhandi-roop mein punarjanmi — raja Drupad ki santaan. Janm ki paristhitiyaan vichitra thin: kanya-roop mein janmi lekin putra-roop mein paali gayi — aur baad mein divya vinimay se poorna purush mein roopaantarit. Shikhandi kushal yoddha bana aur vivaah kiya — Paanchaal ke raajkumar-roop mein jiya. Lekin Shikhandi punarjanm ka uddeshya kabhi na bhoola. Jab Kurukshetra yuddh aaya, to Shikhandi Paandav paksha mein lada — aur niyati ka kshan dasvein din aaya. Bheeshm Paandav sena ka sanhaar kar rahe the — koi unhe rok na sakta tha. Krishna ne ranneeti banaayi: Arjun Shikhandi ke peechhe se ladega — kyunki Bheeshm ne vrat liya tha ki jo stree-roop mein janma ho, us par shastra na uthaayega. Is vrat se surakshit Arjun ne Bheeshm par baan barsaaye — jabki pitaamah ne Shikhandi par pratyuttar na diya. Sau baanon se bindha Bheeshm rath se baan-shayya par gira — shareer ne bhoomi na chhui. Wahaan lete unhone nyaay sweekaar kiya. Ve jaante the Shikhandi kaun hai: Amba punarjanmi — ant mein hisaab maangne aayi. Unhone use shaap na diya. Unhone sweekaar kiya ki dashakon pehle kiya gaya unka abhimaan-kaarya yeh phal laaya tha. Shikhandi ne jvaalaaon mein liya vrat poorna kiya. Katha sikhaati hai ki ansuljha anyaay janmon paar laut-ta hai. Amba ka apraadh uske jeevan mein kabhi uttar na paaya — lekin bhoola na gaya. Woh prateeksha karta raha, jalta raha — aur Shikhandi-roop mein lauta. Yeh bhi sikhaati hai ki sammaan maangta hai ki galtiyon ka uttar diya jaaye, dafnaaya nahi. Amba ke vinaash ki zimmedaari se Bheeshm ka inkaar us samay sammaan laga — lekin vaastav mein palaayan tha. Sachcha sammaan hota praayashchit karna. Kyunki unhone na kiya — rin Kurukshetra ke yuddhkshetra mein vasoola gaya — baanon mein maape byaaj sahit.

Amba ka vrat — agni se naye jeevan mein le jaaya gaya — mahaakaavya ki sabse bhayankar shapath-roop mein smaran kiya jaata hai — aur Shikhandi dvaara uski poorti dhairya ki vijay-roop mein sammaanit hai. Vidvaan Shikhandi ko dhaal banaane ke nyaay par vivaad karte hain — lekin Amba ke hisaab ke adhikaar par koi vivaad nahi. Dakshin ke mandiron mein Amba dharmapoorn krodh ki devi-roop mein poojit hain — woh stree jisne anyaay ko marne na diya. Unki tapasya — Shiv ko prasann karne ki — pramaan-roop mein uddhrit ki jaati hai ki nirmal aur bhayankar sankalp ka uttar devtaon ko bhi dena hota hai. Katha sikhaane ko sunaayi jaati hai ki galtiyon ka uttar apne samay mein dena hota hai — aur koi shakti — chaahe kitni badi — anyaay ko sada nahi dafna sakti. Bheeshm ka patan — us stree dvaara laaya gaya jisse unhone anyaay kiya tha — mahaakaavya ki abhimaaniyon ko kathoratam chetaavni-roop mein khada hai.