Bhishma's Vow - The Man Who Sacrificed Everything for Duty (Dharma)

Dadi: "Beta, what would you give up for someone you love?"

Guddu: "Hmm... maybe my favorite toy? Or my dessert?"

Dadi: "Those are sweet sacrifices, beta. But what if I told you about a prince who gave up a kingdom, gave up marriage, gave up having children - all for his father's happiness?"

Guddu: "Everything? That sounds impossible, Dadi!"

Dadi: "His name was Devavrata, and he was the crown prince of Hastinapura. Handsome, skilled in warfare, destined to be king. His father, King Shantanu, loved him more than anything."

Guddu: "So what happened?"

Dadi: "One day, King Shantanu fell deeply in love with a beautiful fisherwoman named Satyavati. He wanted to marry her, but her father had one condition."

Guddu: "What condition?"

Dadi: "That only Satyavati's sons would become kings after Shantanu - not Devavrata. The king was torn apart! He couldn't bear to take away his beloved son's birthright. So he said nothing and returned to the palace, heartbroken."

Guddu: "That's so sad! He loved both his son and Satyavati."

Dadi: "Exactly, beta. Days passed, and King Shantanu stopped eating, stopped smiling. Young Devavrata noticed and asked, "Father, what troubles you so?""

Guddu: "Did the king tell him?"

Dadi: "Eventually, yes. And when Devavrata learned the reason, do you know what he did? He went straight to Satyavati's father himself!"

Guddu: "What did he say?"

Dadi: "He announced: "I renounce my claim to the throne. Satyavati's sons will rule Hastinapura." But the fisherman was clever. He said, "But Prince, what about your future sons? They might challenge my grandsons.""

Guddu: "That's a good point..."

Dadi: "And that's when Devavrata made the most terrible vow in history. He declared: "I will never marry. I will never have children. The throne will be forever safe for Satyavati's descendants.""

Guddu: "Never marry? Never have a family of his own?"

Dadi: "Never, beta. The moment he spoke those words, the heavens shook! Gods rained flowers from the sky. Everyone was stunned by such a sacrifice. From that day forward, Devavrata was called "Bhishma" - which means "one who takes a terrible vow.""

Guddu: "What did his father say?"

Dadi: "King Shantanu was overwhelmed with guilt and gratitude. To repay his son, he gave Bhishma an incredible blessing - Bhishma would die only when he himself chose to die. He became almost immortal!"

Guddu: "That's amazing! But Dadi, did Bhishma ever regret his vow?"

Dadi: "That's where the story becomes truly tragic, beta. Years later, Satyavati's sons died without heirs. Bhishma could have claimed the throne then - but his vow prevented it. He watched as generation after generation struggled, as the Kauravas and Pandavas were born and eventually went to war with each other."

Guddu: "He was stuck because of his promise?"

Dadi: "Yes. When the great war came, Bhishma was bound to fight for whoever sat on the throne - which was Duryodhana, whose actions were wrong. Bhishma knew the Pandavas were right, but his vow forced him to fight against them."

Guddu: "That must have been so painful!"

Dadi: "It was. Before the war, Bhishma told Lord Krishna: "I must fight for the Kauravas, though I know they are wrong. My vow is to the throne, not to the man who sits on it. This is my bondage. I made an absolute promise, and I must keep it absolutely - even into darkness.""

Guddu: "Then what happened to him?"

Dadi: "In the war, Bhishma told the Pandavas how to defeat him. They brought Shikhandi to face him - someone Bhishma would not fight seriously. Arjuna shot so many arrows into Bhishma that when he fell, his body was held above the ground by the arrows themselves!"

Guddu: "But he didn't die?"

Dadi: "No, his blessing held. He lay on that bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, in great pain, waiting for the right moment to leave his body. During those days, he taught Yudhishthira the great lessons about dharma and duty."

Guddu: "What did he teach, Dadi?"

Dadi: "He said: "Dharma is not simple rules. What I did - my vow - was right when I made it, but it led me to fight for wrong. Both truths exist together. This is the tragedy of being human: we make choices without knowing all their consequences, and we must live with the results.""

Guddu: "That's so deep, Dadi. Should he have broken his vow?"

Dadi: "Bhishma himself asked that question. He said: "Perhaps. But then what becomes of promises? What becomes of truth? If every oath can be broken when convenient, what trust remains in the world?""

Guddu: "What does this teach us, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Beta, Bhishma's story doesn't give us easy answers. It asks us hard questions. When does a promise become a prison? When does duty become an excuse? He sacrificed everything for love of his father, and that sacrifice bound him forever."

Guddu: "So should we not make promises?"

Dadi: "No, beta. We should make promises - but we should make them wisely, understanding that they will shape our future in ways we cannot predict. Bhishma's story teaches us that sacrifice is real. Some choices cost us everything and must be made anyway. Dharma - doing the right thing - is not comfortable or easy. It is simply what must be done."

Guddu: "I think I understand, Dadi. I'll be careful about the promises I make."

Dadi: "That's wisdom, my beta. And when you do make a promise, keep it with honor - just as Bhishma did, even when it cost him everything."