MORAL QUALITIES OF VISHMA IN MOHABHARATA

Nanak Kanti Sen

There are so many characters pen-pictured in the vast epic Mohabharata. Among them, the character of Vishma is one. This great warrior Vishma was born from Shantanu & the Ganges. Due to that, he was named as Gangeya or river-born. Another name of the Ganges is the Mother of Vishma. Another name of Vishma is Satyabrata. He is one of the eight demigods ( Ashta vasu) born in the womb of the Ganges by the curse of the great saint Vashishta. He was only the successor of the king Shantanu. But just before Shantanu wedded Satyabati, Vishma was bound by promises to Satyabati for which he left the throne & adapted celibacy till to death without marriage. For these two awful promises, he was renowned as Vishma & attained a willful death as a boon from his father. Being enchanted by seeing a prime beautiful lady on the bank of the Ganges one day, the king Shantanu expressed his will to marry her. That lady (The Ganges) replied that if the king did not oppose or chide her in her auspicious or unauspicious work, then only she would consent to be the wife of Shantanu. And while Shantanu will be derailed from his promise, at the very moment she would leave him & would go away in her own destiny. Shantanu agreed in that condition & got marry her. The Ganges threw the seven children one by one just in the water after their birth in her womb. Shantanu was displeased but from the fear of losing her, he did not dare to say something. But after the birth of the eighth son, Shantanu requested the Ganges not to kill that child. Then the Ganges did not kill the child & disclosed her own identity to Shantanu. She informed the cause of her such amazing character & left him away. The Ganges told Shantanu, these sons are the highly spirited eight demigods (Ashta vasu). They were born as a man by the curse of Vashishta. Once upon a time these eight demigods along with their wives went to the asylum of Vashishta in a pleasure trip. Being requested by the wife of the demigod Dyu, they stole Nandini, the Kamdhenu of Vashishta. Having known it, Vashishta cursed them that the robbers of Kamdhenu would take birth in the human abode. Being entreated by the demigods (Vasus), Vashishta told that the other demigods would be free from curse after one year but the demigod, who stole the cow would be compelled to live in the human abode for a long time. That very demigod is Vishma of the next term. Once a time, in the meeting-place of Brahma, the fine cloth of the Ganges were removed by air in the presence of the deities. Then the deities stayed there with their heads hanging down. But the Ikshaku-lineage king Mohavisha looked at the cloth-less Ganges unhesitatingly. Though Mohavisha attained the heaven due to performing lot of Vedic sacrifices, but due to such activity, Brahma cursed him to take the birth in the mortal world. Mohavisha was born as Shantanu, the son of Pratipa. Thinking about Mohavisha, while the Ganges was coming to the mortal world, she found the demigods fainted. She asked them its reason. The demigods narrated the happenings of their curse & intended to take birth in the womb of the Ganges. They also requested her to sacrifice them in water just after the birth. As

the wedding with Shantanu does not go in vain, so the Ganges told them to keep a son alive. Demigods agreed but told that that very son would not marry even he might be valorous & would be profoundly religious, determined & well-versed in all scriptures. While Pratipa was on meditation on the bank of the Ganges, the Ganges arose from water in the form of a beautiful woman & sat down over the right thigh of Pratipa. Pratipa wanted to know her begging . The Ganges expressed her wishes to marry him. Pratipa told that the Ganges has seated on the right thigh which is the place of daughter & daughter-in-law, so she would be his daughter-in-law. The Ganges agreed in it & made the king sworn that his son would not create any obstruction in any performance of the Ganges. While Shantanu became young, Pratipa informed him about that event & did the ceremony of crowning of him. At the time of leaving Shantanu, the Ganges took her eighth son with her. After thirty six years, while Shantanu appeared on the bank of the Ganges in hunting, he found a charming boy throwing the arrows . Just after being chanted by seeing the boy, the boy went out of his vision. Shantanu guessed him as his own son & remembered the Ganges. The Ganges appeared along with her son & gave the son away to Shantanu & told him that she had brought up him (Vishma). She also informed that that son had studied the Vedas to Vashishta & had gained the knowledge of weapons to Parashuram. Shantanu took his son `Devavrata to his palace & made him prince. After four years of this event, one day, while Shantanu was wandering in the forest on the bank of Jumna, he saw the Das-Princess Satyavati & being enchanted, he begged to the Das-King for his daughter. Das-King told, `If Shantanu wants to make this daughter as his lawful wife, then he is to offer the throne to the son born in the womb of this daughter. He will agree in giving away the bride ceremonially to the king under this condition. Being incapable to give such promises, the king returned to the capital in a worried mind. Having seen him thoughtful, Devabrata came to know the real cause by asking the old councillor and went to the Das-King & begged the daughter for his father. Then the Das-King told, `As a step-son, Vishma will be the hostile to the son of Satyavati, for this reason he is perplexed. Then Devavrata promised of leaving the ownership of the kingdom before the Dasking. In reply, the Das-king told, `Satyavrata may leave the claim of the kingdom but his sons may demand their right of the throne. In reply of it, Devavrata told that he had leave away the kingdom earlier, then he promised to remain childless as a celibate. Even being issueless, he would be the claimant of the endless heaven. Then the Das-king agreed to give away Satyavati to the hand of Shantanu. For the

happiness of the father, such an instance of leaving kingdom in a smiling face is very rare in the history. Before that, Lord Ramachandra showed by leaving the kingship to protect the truth of his father. Such instances are to be learnt for all the children of the society. As a result, mutual fighting among the brothers for power will be adieu for ever from the society & will be able to construct the society as an unworried living-place for all. The power-greedy politicians & the rulers should be taught the lesson from it.

Hearing this terrible promise of Devavrata, the deities & the apsaras showered flowers from the sky & named him Vishma for that horrible promise. Vishma came back to Hastinapur along with Satyavati & narrated all the happenings to his father. Shantanu gave him the boon that so long Vishma would will, he would remain alive because he would die according to his will. The scripture says, `The son who performs the work by supposing the longing of the

mind of his father is the best son. The son who performs the work by listening the order of his father is the better and the son who goes against the opinion of his father is the worst as like as faeces. Vishma had performed the work as the best son here. It is misfortunately truth that these third class sons are winner now-a-days in the society due to which the societies are suffering from indescribable distress.
Chitrangada & Bichitrabirya, the two sons were born from Shantanu & Satyavati. Before the attaining youth of the youngest Bichitrabirya, Shantanu died & Vishma gave the throne to Chitrangada. Who are habituated to violate the promises should take lesson from this deed of Vishma. But while the excessive bellicose Chitrangada died in the premature time in a dual fight with a heavenly musician, then Vishma set up the tender-aged Bichitrabirya in the throne. While Bichitrabirya got young, to make him marry, Vishma presented himself in the place of swayambar ( choosing of ones bridegroom oneself from amongst a number of suitors) of the three beautiful daughters of Kashiraj (The king of Kashi). These three daughters were named Amba, Ambika & Ambalika and carried off the three daughters for his brother by ignoring all the assembled kings. The assembled came forward to resist but he defeated all in the fight. After coming back to Hastinapur, while he arranged the wedding ceremony to be observed, then the eldest daughter Amba told that both she & Shalwaraj have accepted each other secretly. Then Vishma sent back Amba to Shalwaraj & ended the marriage ceremony of Ambika & Ambalika with Bichitrabirya. On the other side, while Amba arrived before Shalwa, he discarded Amba considering carried off by Vishma. In spite of so many entreaties, Shalwaraj expressed his unwillingness to comprehend her. Having been disallowed by Shalwaraj in thus way, Amba supposed Vishma liable for her such condition & took shelter to Parashurama for punishing Vishma. Parashurama called in Vishma through messenger & ordered him to accept Amba.Vishma disagreed to convey the order of his preceptor remembering the earlier-promise. Then Parashuram engaged himself in fighting with Vishma with a view to killing him. This fight continued for a long days in Kurukshetra. But both of them became incapable to defeat one-another. After fighting for twenty three days, while Vishma was about to make Parashurama senseless, then Narada & the ancestors of Parashurama made both of them stopped. Parashurama went away by saying to Amba that he was unable to assist her. Amba began to perform a very hard austere practices on the bank of Jumna to kill Vishma & attained the boon from Mohadeva that she would take birth as a castrated child Shikhandi of the king Drupada in her next birth & would be the cause of death of Vishma. Then expecting a new birth, Amba left her body by entering into fire.

Having Ambika & Ambalika, Bichitrabirya became severely passionate & died of tuberculosis within seven years in a childless state. While Satyavati requested Vishma to give the birth of child in the womb of Ambika & Ambalika for heredity, Vishma did not agree by remembering his own promise & told to appoint a virtuous brahmin to generate the fielded son. Then Satyavati informed about the introduction of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa who was the son in her unmarried stage & recalled him. Vyasa came there & as per the proposal of the mother, he gave the birth of Dritarashtro in the womb of Ambika & Pandu in the womb of Ambalika for the preservation of the chastity. He also gave the birth of Vidura in the womb of a maid-servant of Ambika. (It is said that the Yama himself took birth as Vidura in the womb of the shudra by being cursed by the saint Mandavya). Vishma brought up these three as his own sons. He made marry of Gandhari, the daughter of Subal, the king of Gandhar with Dritorashtro & Kunti, the fosterdaughter of Voojaraj & Madri, the sister of Shaly, the king of Madra with Pandu. Pandu was seated in the throne as Dritarashtra was born blind. Though all of them were the lineage of Kuru, yet the sons of Dritarashtro were termed as Kourava & the sons of Pandu were termed as Pandava. For gaining knowledge of weapons for Kuru-Pandavas, Vishma appointed Kripacharya & Droonacharya gradually. Later while the enmity among the kinsman began to take place, Vishma & the other aged tried their utmost to stop it but all of their efforts went in vain. As he resided in the palace of Kourava & would maintain himself by their grains, so Vishma adapted the korava-side in spite of reluctance. While the kouravas won the deceitful dice & insulted Draupadi in a broad daylight, he could not prevent the disgrace of Panchali. Due to tolerance of such injustice, Vishma had to bear the pain of the bed of arrows. So, those who

do not try a bit to avenge the injustice committing in front of their eyes must have to suffer punishment. He and Vidura always advised Dritarashtra
to mitigate the quarell. As the lineage-destructive battle cant take place, so, being an ambassador, while Sri Krishna came to Hastinapur, the speech which He delivered in the royal court of Kouravas, Vishma admitted it & made his topmost effort to make Duryoodhana realizing the fact. In the chapter of `Bhagawatyan of `Mohabharata, we see that Vishma was telling, `Duryoodhana ! Do follow it what Basudeva has told you to maintain the peace & tranquility among the allies ; do never be attached to anger. If you dont follow the words of the Great Soul Keshava, you will never be happy or you will attain no good in the long run. The Mighty Keshava has told you to follow the path of virtue ; do follow it, dont spoil the people. You are the destroyer to your race, coward, evil-minded & perverse. You are crossing over the meaningful words of Keshava, Dritarashtra & the wise Vidura ; so due to your outrage, the shining Rajlakshmi ( The female deity looking after the royal welfare) will go away during the lifetime of the king Dritarashtra and due to pride, you will kill yourself along with the councillor of the state, sons, brothers & friends. Oh my son ! Dont absorb your parents in the ocean of grief. Vishma did never be recoiled to say any which is proper & appropriate.

The first commander-in-chief of Kouravas in the battle of Kurukshetra was high-soul Vishma. At that time, the uncomparable the supreme holy book Gita was sung by SriBhagawan. Thereafter, we can put our sight to the chapter of Vishma-vadha ( The killing of Vishma). Just before the starting of battle, while Yudhishtira went forward to Vishma to seek his blessings & permission, then Vishma told him, `Oh the king ! if you would not come to me to take my permission, then I would give curse to you by uttering, ~ May the Pandavas be defeated. But just now, I have been too much satisfied upon you. I am giving you the blessings to conquer in the battle. May all other intentions which you are thinking be fulfilled. You will never be defeated. Now, pray your desired boon tom Me. Oh the king, the human being

is the servant to the wealth. The wealth is servant to none. This is genuine. The kouravas have fascinated Me with the wealth. So, just now, I am
telling you as like as a absolute coward that I am unable to fight for you. Vishma was unparallel to say the truth candidly. We can find the excellent acquaintance of his knowledge & virtue in the Rajasuya yajna ( sacrifice to establish kings suzerainty over other kings ) narrated in the chapter of `Orghyaviharan in Mohabharata. While Yudhishthir asked him, `Oh the Grandfather ! Please tell me whom do you consider the competent fellow to be worshipped ? With his own conscientiousness, Vishma ascertained Krishna competent to be worshipped & told, ` As among all the stars, the radiance of the sun is the utmost, so among all these people, Krishna is the topmost in valour, vigour & prowess. As the heart of the people become delighted having seen the sun-rays in the land overcast with darkness, as the joy knows no bound if the pure air is waved in the windless space, so our gatherings have been illuminated & delighted by the presence of Krishna. So, it is our duty to worship HIM. Hearing the speech of Vishma, while Shishupal reacted & began to shout in a slang languages, then Yudhishtir tried his utmost to stop him. Seeing it, the highsoul Vishma told, `Oh Yudhishtir, you should not entreat or solace him who is unwilling to worship extramundane Krishna.....This boy Shishupal is unable to realize Krishna always in all places. Do as his liking if the worship of Krishna becomes at all intolerable for Shishupal. Thereafter, while Sri Krishna was worshipped, Shishupal began to excite the assembled kings in fight. Having seen it, Yudhishtir became worried. Vishma then told, `Yudhishtir, dont be afraid, Chediraj (The king of Chedi) along with the all kings have been evil-mindedness. The persons whom this best man Naroottama Narayana wish to pick up from this earth become evil-minded as like as Chediraj. Ramapati is the creator & the destroyer of all four types of beings within this three worlds. By the order & compassion of Bhagawan Sri Krishna, Vishma gave so many good advices about the duties of a king, social laws & customs to Yudhishtira. He left the mortal world in the eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magh. In a word, such a great man in heroism, strength, knowledge, firmness, virtue & temperance like Vishma is rare in the universe.