Bed of arrows

In the epic Mahabharath, often considered as the 'Fifth Veda', the story of Bheeshma is a fascinating one.
Prince Devavratha, born to King Santanu and Ganga, wanted his Dad to be happy. That is like any other son. What was not like any other son is this - When his father, King Santanu, was mesmerized by the beauty of Satyavati, a fisherman s daughter and wanted to marry her , Satyavati's father, out of his own insecurity, wanted an assurance that the Child born to Santanu and Satyavati should be the King and not Devavratha.
No Father would be unfair to his son and Santanu was no different. He refused the deal, but could not forget Satyavati. Moved by his Father s plight, Devavratha approached the Fisherman and assured him that he would never claim the throne. The Fisherman, aware of Devavratha s unparalleled Archery skills, was still insecure as Devavratha s children could overpower his child. Then came the next promise - Devavratha promised to never get intimate with any woman or marry a woman - so, he will never ever be a Father.

How many sons would do so much for Father s happiness ? Promises are easy to make and difficult to keep. To keep his promise of not marrying , Devavratha [called 'Bheeshma' ] had to fight his own teacher, the mighty Parasurama. He won the battle and stayed a bachelor all through his life.

A true saint, though born as a king, Bheeshma was noble, wise and was extremely intelligent. He had a rare boon of choosing his time to die. Yet, his life was all solitude and sorrow until it culminated in his painful death - On the Tenth day of the great war, his favourite disciple ( and step grandson )Arjuna shot a rain of arrows at him using Shikandi as the shield.

Pierced with arrows, bleeding and full of pain, he fell to the ground in a battlefield for the first time in his life. He was not completely grounded, though, as the other end of the arrows that pierced his body held him higher than the ground. Arjuna shot two more to support his neck that was hanging and the bed of arrows was complete. He was on a bed of arrows for fifty six days before he choose to die on Maharasankaranthi day.

Fifty six days on a bed of arrows ? One must be a masochist to do that , I thought !! How stupid I was !! For, I never understood the joy of being and the joy of giving. It was his last days in his bed of arrows that Bheeshma was completely connected to his consciousness . He also passed on all his wisdom and knowledge, including the famous 'Vishnu sahasranamam' to Pandavas. He was totally free, though his body was writhing in pain.

When life feels like a bed of arrows, as it did in Bheeshma s case, how many of us still consider giving what is left ? The easy option is to go about cribbing to every one how cruel life was , how much he gave up in life, how much hard work was done with no avail, acting like a victim and trying to gain sympathy, In short - focussing on everything beyond our control.

Bheeshma did none of these - He decided to be a teacher, passing on all his wisdom on how to lead a life as great as his. That was all he could do. It is so tough to stay focussed on what is in our circle of control when a bed of arrows strike us. What a courage to do what is right, even when you lie on a bed of arrows !!

A grace that is unparalleled shines when character and dignity are displayed amidst ruins. If we can have the courage and the big heart to hold on to our character and true self when a bed of arrows pierce us, or life would be as fulfilling as Bheeshma s life. It is work in progress for many of us, but someday, we will all reach there and find that nothing matches the joy of having the courage to follow your heart - even if we are in a bed of arrows !!

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