Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Bhishma : The instigator of Mahabharata War ?




When someone talks about Mahabharata or Jaya : people talk about why it happened or rather who to blame for the final destructive war .  We discuss about Draupadi taunting Duryodhan and Karna on different occasions - triggering the Game of Dice and ultimately war , About how Dhritarashtra has been blinded by his love for his son and agreeing to everything he says,  About the jealousy amongst Kaurava and Pandava , About Yudhisthir  being trapped in his sense of Right Dharma , etc.  I haven't heard or  read about Bhishma causing the war, yet. 
So my two pai's on Bhishma's role: 
His Single father loves another lady. The lady's father cannot say no because his father is a King - so the bride's father gives a conditional approval, that only her sons will become Kings and not Bhishma. 
He needed to read between the lines - that guy is saying No , but he goes and takes an oath to not marry and protect the throne for lifetime! 

He chose with Authority that his Younger Nephew Pandu to be the King because of his abilities were superior over his Older Nephew. But when it came to grandsons, He did not command the same Authority to take the right decision? He let his Older Nephew take the call ..

Why did he not use his Authority as being the Family Eldest, Great warrior of his time - to stop the Game of Dice or the Draupadi Cheerharan ? 

Why did he not use this Authority to make Shri Krishna's peace discussions a success ?


As I am not an expert in Mahabharata / Jaya, I wonder about the answers. The Series Mahabharata has Dialogues for Bhishma where he says he is "Vivash" all the time, translated as Helpless or  not in control. The answers may be in there in the same Epic - as it is said 

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित् |

yadihAsti tadanyatra yannEhAsti na tat kvacit |

(That which exists in the Mahabharata exists everywhere in the world.
That which is not in the Mahabharata does not exist anywhere else)

 So I may not know all answers but Some day I will find it :)

 

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