Bhishma Recalls All Past Incidents : Episode 144

Recap of Previous Episode :

Shakuni celebrates Bhishma’s fall and sees a chance to bring Karna forward. Karna declines command and nominates Drona instead, impressing the assembly with humility and loyalty. Kunti mourns the fate awaiting her sons, while Yudhishtra worries about Karna’s unmatched prowess.

Bhishma Reflects on His Life’s Journey

Bhishma lies on the bed of arrows, and his mind travels back through the long path of his life. He remembers the day his mother Ganga placed him into the hands of King Shantanu. He recalls the terrible vow he took to ensure his father’s marriage to Satyavati, and how that oath shaped the destiny of Hastinapur forever.

He thinks of the promise he made to protect the unity of the kingdom at all costs, and how that pledge kept him from accepting Vidura’s wise suggestion to divide the kingdom between Duryodhana and Yudhishtra. He remembers the humiliation Draupadi suffered in the assembly at Dushasana’s hands, the Pandavas’ exile, and the words exchanged when Krishna asked Bhishma, Drona, and Vidura which side they would support during the war.

Krishna had asked them directly whether they wished to stand on the side of victory or the side of dharma. He warned Bhishma that no matter which path one chooses, accusations always follow. He used Vibhishana’s example: he stood with Rama for the sake of righteousness and yet was condemned everywhere as a traitor.

Bhishma also remembers confronting Krishna earlier, asking if his fall by the hands of Shikhandi was unavoidable. Krishna explained that Shikhandi — who was Amba in a previous birth — had received a boon from Subramanya to be the cause of Bhishma’s death, and that destiny must be fulfilled. Tears stream down Bhishma’s face as he remembers his parents and all that has passed.