Bhishma Pitamah- Curse That Made The Mahabharata’s Greatest Warrior Choose His Own Death

The history of the Mahabharata is incomplete without the saga of Bhishma Pitamah. He was the protector of Hastinapur, the greatest warrior of Aryavarta, and a man whose life was define by a terrible oath. Based on the provided sources, this article explores the life, the curse, and the fall of the commander of the Kaurava army.

Who Was the Most Powerful Warrior in the Mahabharata War?

On the ninth day of the Kurukshetra war, the battlefield were drenched in blood and dust. Despite the presence of the Pandavas and Lord Krishna, victory seemed impossible because one man stood between the Pandavas and their triumph: Bhishma Pitamah.

For nine days, the war moved solely according to his will. It is described that wherever his chariot went, the ground trembled, and soldiers was slain before they could even lift their weapons. Bhishma was so formidable that even the strength of Bhima, the wisdom of Yudhishthira, and the arrows of Arjuna failed against him. Krishna observed silently, realizing that the war could not progress as long as this warrior remain standing.

Why Did Devavrata Take the Oath of Celibacy to Become Bhishma?

Before he was known as Bhishma, he was Devavrata, the Prince of Hastinapur, son of King Shantanu and Goddess Ganga. He was an ideal son and successor who had learned knowledge from Guru Vashistha and warfare from Parashurama.

However, his life changed when King Shantanu fell in love with a fisherwoman named Satyavati. When Shantanu proposed, Satyavati’s father laid down a harsh condition: only Satyavati’s children could inherited the throne of Hastinapur.

Since Devavrata was the rightful heir, Shantanu was heartbroken and withdrew from his duties. Upon discovering the truth, Devavrata went to the fisherman and voluntarily renounced his claim to the throne. When the fisherman argued that Devavrata’s future children might challenge Satyavati’s lineage, Devavrata took a terrifying oath that shook the heavens:

“I will never marry. I will never father children. My lineage ends with me.”

This oath was so fearsome that he was named Bhishma (The Terrible). Pleased yet saddened by this sacrifice, King Shantanu granted him the boon of Iccha Mrityu (death at will)—meaning no weapon or deity could kill him without his permission.

Was Bhishma Cursed by Sage Vashistha in His Previous Life?

The sources reveal that Bhishma’s suffering was not just a result of his oath, but a destiny written before his birth. In his previous life, he were one of the Ashtavasus (eight divine elemental beings) named Dyu (or Prabhasa).

Driven by arrogance and at the behest of his wife, Dyu stole the divine cow, Nandini, which belonged to Sage Vashistha. When the sage discovered this, he cursed all the Vasus to be born on earth as humans, bound by time and pain.

The Details of the Curse:

Group	Reason for Curse	Terms of Liberation
The Other 7 Vasus	Participated in the theft	Granted mercy; liberated quickly upon birth.
The 8th Vasu (Bhishma)	Led the theft	Cursed to live a long life, bound by duty and pain, until debt was paid.

Ganga, fulfilling this curse, drowned her first seven sons immediately after birth to liberate them. However, Shantanu stopped her from drowning the eighth child, Devavrata, trapping him in the life that would became Bhishma’s.

Why Did Lord Krishna Break His Vow to Attack Bhishma?

During the war, Bhishma was appointed the commander of the Kaurava army. His skill was unmatched; on the very first day, he slaughtered 10,000 soldiers. By the sixth day, the Pandava army were in disarray.

The turning point occurred on the ninth day. Bhishma tore through the Pandava ranks “like fire burning dry leaves”. Arjuna, facing his grandfather, hesitated to fight with full force out of respect and emotional attachment. Seeing Arjuna lower his bow, Gandiva, while Bhishma continued the massacre, Lord Krishna lost his patience.

“Krishna’s voice rang out like a roar: ‘Your hesitation is more harmful than Bhishma’s arrows!'”

Breaking his own vow not to wield a weapon in the war, Krishna jumped from the chariot, grabbed a broken chariot wheel, and marched toward Bhishma to kill him. The earth shook with his steps. Bhishma, seeing the Lord approach, dropped his weapons and welcomed death at Krishna’s hands. It was only Arjuna’s desperate plea, falling at Krishna’s feet, that stopped the Lord from killing Bhishma then and there.

How Did Princess Amba Become the Cause of Bhishma’s Death?

Bhishma’s downfall was rooted in an act of “injustice” committed years prior. He had abducted three princesses of Kashi—Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika—to marry them to his stepbrother, Vichitravirya.

• Amba’s Plight: Amba loved King Salva and refused to marry Vichitravirya. Bhishma released her, but Salva rejected her because she had been “won” by another man. When she returned to Bhishma demanding he marry her to restore her honor, he refused due to his vow of celibacy.
• The Vengeance: Humiliated, Amba sought revenge. She even persuaded Parashurama (Bhishma’s guru) to fight Bhishma. They fought for 23 days in a battle that made the earth tremble, ended only when the gods intervened and Parashurama acknowledged Bhishma could not be defeated in battle.

Amba performed severe penance and received a boon from Lord Shiva that she would be the cause of Bhishma’s death in her next life. She was reborn as Shikhandi, the child of King Drupada, born female but raised as a male.

Why Did Bhishma Wait for Uttarayan to Leave His Body?

On the tenth day of the war, the Pandavas utilized Bhishma’s own principles against him. Bhishma had vowed never to raise a weapon against a woman. Knowing this, the Pandavas placed Shikhandi (Amba reborn) on the lead chariot, with Arjuna hiding behind him.

Upon seeing Shikhandi, Bhishma recognized Amba’s soul and lowered his bow. Seizing the moment, Arjuna released a barrage of arrows.

The Final Moments:

• Arjuna’s arrows pierced Bhishma’s body so thoroughly that when he fell, he did not touch the ground but rested on a bed of arrows (Sharashayya).
• Despite being mortally wounded, Bhishma did not die immediately. He utilized his boon of Iccha Mrityu.
• He lay on the bed of arrows for 58 days (implied by the timeline of waiting for the sun), waiting for Uttarayan (the sun’s northern course), a strictly auspicious time for a soul to depart heavenward.
• During these final days, he taught the “Shanti Parva“—lessons on duty, governance, and peace—to the King and sages, with Krishna watching over him. When the sun finally turned north, Bhishma Pitamah breathed his last, finding liberation from the curse that had bound him for a lifetime.

Summary of Events

Event	Key Figures Involved	Outcome
The Vow	Devavrata, Fisherman, Shantanu	Devavrata becomes Bhishma; gains Iccha Mrityu.
The Curse	The Ashtavasus, Sage Vashistha	Bhishma is cursed to live a long, painful life on earth.
The Abduction	Bhishma, Amba	Amba vows revenge, eventually reborn as Shikhandi.
Krishna’s Rage	Krishna, Bhishma, Arjuna	Krishna breaks his vow; Bhishma surrenders to him.
The Fall	Bhishma, Shikhandi, Arjuna	Bhishma falls on the 10th day via the bed of arrows.

Bhishma was a guardian of Dharma, yet his rigid adherence to his vows eventually led to the destruction of the very lineage he sought to protect. As the sources conclude, he was a man who lived by his word, but his word became the seed of the great war.