Hare Krishna The Saptami Tithi of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Vaishakh is known as Jahnu Saptami. On this day many people take a dip in the holy water of Ganga and wash away their sins. Many people offer water for the salvation of their ancestors and take a bath in Ganga.

The nine islands surrounded by Mother Ganga located in the Nadia district of Bengal are collectively known as Sri Navadvipa Dham, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. The name of one of these nine islands is Jahnudvipa.

In the 13th chapter of Sri Navadwip Mahatmya by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, it is described that Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who is Sankarshan himself, tells here that the supreme ascetic Jahnu Muni performed penance in this island and received the darshan of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

The Story of Jahnu Muni & Mother Ganga – Why Ganga is Called Jahnavi

One day, when Jahnu Muni was engrossed in his meditation and was chanting the Gayatri Mantra, then his cup of water fell into the river Ganga and the river Due to the speed of the water, it kept flowing in the river. Due to this, Shri Jahnu Muni swallowed the entire water of Mother Ganga. When Maharaj Bhagirath, who had brought Mother Ganga to earth for human welfare, came to know about this incident, he became disturbed and pleased Jahnu Muni by worshipping him for several days. Then Jahnu Muni made Mother Ganga appear on earth. Due to this, Mother Ganga is also known as Jahnavi i.e. daughter of Jahnu Muni.

We all know that Mother Ganga takes away the sins of everyone and makes us free from sins. Once, Mother Ganga asks Shri Krishna that O Lord, in Kaliyug, sins will increase, then what will happen, in response to which Lord Shri Krishna says that in Kaliyug, sins will definitely increase and Mother Ganga will also have to wash the sins of the people, but when any pure Vaishnav takes a bath in Ganga ji, then Ganga ji will become more pure and will attain purity.

Conclusion

On this auspicious day, knowing Mother Ganga to be very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the devotees offer respects and perform puja to Srimati Ganga devi to get her mercy and the mercy of Jahnu muni. In this way they may also be able to some day serve in the pastimes of Sri Gaurahari.

Hare Krishna. Every month, the Sun enters different zodiac signs. When it enters Aries, it is called Aries Sankranti and from here begins the Keshav month. That is, if someone worships Lord Madhusudan in this month, it is said that the person gets the fruits of worshiping God for the whole year. That is, for those who have not started Bhakti, this month is the best month to start Bhakti.

What to do is chant the holy name of lord, hear to the pastimes of God and especially install Lord Shaligram inside the Tulsi plant and hang an earthen pot or a brass pot on it and fill it with water which keeps falling drop by drop from 4 am to 9 pm and then fill the pot again the next day. In this way, the whole month in the summer areas where it is very hot and hot winds blow, special festival are done to provide pleasure to God, such as boat festival. Taking the Lordships around in a Boat, Chandan Yatra, Lord with sandalwood paste etc. to provide coolness to the body and also to serve the God by Jala Dana.

Why special Tulsi-Shaligram Jala Dana seva?

It is said that there was a story in Brahma Vaivarta Purana that there was a king named Dharamdhwaj who had a wife named Madhavi and they had a daughter who was named Vrinda. She was engrossed in penance since childhood and went to the Badrinath Ashram and did her penance. It is said that in summers she used to light a fire and sit around it and in winters she used to do penance by sitting in cold water. For the first 20,000 years she did penance by eating fruits. After that, she again did penance for 30000 years by eating leaves, after that for 40000 years she did penance by taking only air in her mouth and for the last 10000 years she did penance by standing on one leg without eating anything.

She did such a tough penance but what was her wish that Krishna should accept her as his wife or that she should get Krishna as her husband. So let us see that at the end of the penances when so many years had passed, Brahma ji came to her riding on his swan and said to ask for a boon. Then Vrinda told that I was one of the favorite gopis of Lord Krishna and Shrimati Radharani in Golok Dham whose name is Tulsi Gopi and I once tried to establish a very close relationship with Lord Krishna which Shrimati Radha Rani did not like and she said if you have so much desire then go and get a human body, do penance and get Shri Hari and Radha Rani sent me to this world, that is why I have done this penance. I want only one boon that I want to live with Lord Shri Hari as his wife. All these are called Leelas.

Leela Behind Tulsi Devi Marriage to the Demon Shankhchud

 

Due to Leela, Lord Krishna and Shrimati Radharani performed this type of pastimes. Brahma Ji gave her a mantra. She chanted it for 12 years and it is said that after that they were told that she will marry a person named Shankhchud or Jalandhar due to which she will get Shri Hari later. So with great joy she married Shankhchud i.e. Jalandhar who was a demon. He was a great ascetic. It is said that when he also did penance of Brahma Ji, he received a shield from Brahma Ji through penances which is called Krishna Kavach and there was so much power inside the shield that no one could cut it, even Krishna himself could not cut his shield.
After getting a very powerful armor, Shankhachud told Brahmaji that I am also a friend named Sudama in Golok Dham among the cowherd friends of Lord Krishna. I wanted to marry Tulsi, so Shrimati Radharani sent me to earth. Due to Leela, she said that you go down and get a human body and marry Tulsi. So this Shankhachuda got married to Tulsi and due to her chastity, no one could kill that Shankhachuda. Due to getting Krishna Kavach, he became more powerful than even the demigods. Lord Shiva was sent for him. The war between lord Shiva and Shankhachuda continued for a year but Shankhachuda could not defeat Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva could not defeat Shankhachuda.

Then Lord Shiva prayed to Lord Vishnu that you only do something Lord. God knew because all this was his Leela. Taking the form of a Brahmin, God went to Shankhchud and said, Shankhchud, I have come to ask for alms from you. He was a great lover of Brahmins. He was of demon nature but was a lover of Brahmins. He asked what do you want. And he asked for Krishna Kavach, which Shankhchud gave considering him to be a Brahmin. Lord Vishnu took his Kavach too and after acquiring his form, wearing it around his neck, Lord Vishnu reached his house to break the chastity of his wife Vrinda. When he went there and showed it to Vrinda, she was surprised to see, “Oh my husband has come, the war was going on for so many years, what happened, what was the result of the war, what were the results, Shankhchud says, sit down, sit down. He was Lord Vishnu only. Sit down, I will tell you everything now, Shivji went to his abode. Brahmaji explained to me that there is no need to fight, I have come.

As soon as He touched his wife Vrinda, she understood that you are not Shankhachud, who are you, come in your real form, you are a divine man, God showed his Narayan form, then Vrinda started crying and said what have you done, you have broken my chastity. He said there was only one way to kill Shankhachud. You were very devoted to your husband and due to your power Shankhachud was not being killed and it was your wish that you wanted to marry Me, then Vrinda understood and she sacrificed her life and God blessed her that this body of yours will be known as Gandaki river and your hair will be known as Tulsi tree and I will stay here in your Gandaki river as Shaligram rock.

Conclusion

So there is a worm called Vajrakit, which performs various types of arts inside the stones and presents several incarnations of God like Sudarshan Shaligram Shila, Gopal Shaligram Shila, Narasimha Shaligram Shila, many types of Shaligrams are found in the Gandaki river, so in this way people marry Tulsi and Shaligram, so Shaligram Jaldaan is done in this month. Tulsi Maharani is very purifying, it is said that the soil of Tulsi provides results like Vraj dust and the Shaligram Shila is God himself, if someone serves the Shaligram stone, then he has served Lord Krishna Himself. The stones of Shaligram Bhagwan do not require Pran Pratishtha, Vasudev who is the Jagatguru always resides inside it, so this is a very powerful month, serve Shaligram and Tulsi in this and get the blessings of the God and make your life blissful. 

Hare Krishna!

Fast opening time check here

 

The literal meaning of Sita is a plough. Mithila state was drought-ridden. When King Janaka was ploughing the field, he found one baby girl. He took care of her and raised her as his daughter. Because the mother of the entire world, Janaki, appeared from the earth when Janaka was ploughing the field, he named her ‘Sita’.

Mother Sita has 12 transcendental names –

मैथिली जानकीः सीता वैदेही जनकात्मजा | कृपापियूषजलधिः प्रियार्हा रामवल्लभा ||
सूनायाना सुता विर्यशुल्काअयोनी रसोद्भवा | द्वादशैतानि नमामि वाञ्छितार्थप्रदानि हि ||

Maithilī Jānakīḥ Sītā Vaidehī Janakātmajā |
Kṛpā-Piyūṣa-Jaladhiḥ Priyārhā Rāmavallabhā ||

Sūnāyānā Sutā Vīrya-śulkā-Ayonī Rasodbhavā |
Dvādaśaitāni Namāmi Vāñchitārtha-Pradāni Hi ||

(From Shri Janaki Charitamritam)

1. Maithili
2. Janaki
3. Sita
4. Vaidehi
5. Janakatmaja
6. Kripapiyushajaladhi
7. Priyarha
8. Ramavallabha
9. Sunayanasuta
10. Viryasulka
11. Ayoni
12. Rasodbhava

Mother Sita could effortlessly pick up Shiv Ji’s bow in her childhood, placed on an eight-wheeled cart that could only be picked up by 500 people together. The condition of her marriage was to put a string on the same bow. No one among big-big demigods, Gandharvas, demons, etc., could even move the bow an inch.

Lord Ramchandra not only put the string on the bow in a moment but also very sportingly broke the bow from the middle. Thus mother Sita was married to Lord Ramchandra.

After marriage, when Lord Ramchandra was exiled to live in the forest for 14 years, mother Sita considered it auspicious to go with the Lord. Sitaji, who had lived in comforts since childhood, accepted the harsh and challenging life of the forest graciously and, without a second thought, accompanied Lord Ramchandra Ji.

 

Ravana abducted Her from the forest, and several female demons tortured Her in Lanka. Even after that, She forgave them. She also had to undergo agnipariksha. She constantly faced challenges one after another. Mother Sita is the embodiment of sacrifice and dedication. The character of mother Sita portrays us as an ideal wife, a pious, dutiful woman with a forgiving, compassionate, and humble heart.  

Mother Sita has presented an example of a character that is exemplary for all of us. There was no reason for Her to grieve, but She certainly did it to educate us.

And the biggest lesson that Mother Sita Ji teaches us is this, just as the deer of gold attracted Her, She had to turn away from God. In the same way, we are also attracted to the golden deer of material desires. Thus, we leave God’s company and come into this world and struggle. We then have to pay the price for it throughout our lives, just as mother Sita had to pay in Lanka. So, as long as the living entities obey God’s will and His instructions, the living entities would remain happy, but when we separate from God and go against His will, then there would be the same problems as mother Sita had to face Lanka. 

We all have this human form of life, and if we don’t take advantage of this life, If we don’t serve God, then what to say? And for such people, scripture says that they are committing suicide. So that’s why we all should take shelter from the Lord’s internal potency on Sita Navami and make this human form of life victorious. 

According to the Vedic calendar, Akshaya Tritiya falls on the Tritiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the auspicious month of Vaishakha. In 2025, this sacred occasion begins on 29th April at 5:31 PM and continues until 30th April at 2:12 PM. As per Vedic tradition, the day is observed based on the sunrise tithi, and thus, this year Akshaya Tritiya will be celebrated on 30th April.

Akshaya Tritya is considered the most auspicious day to start any new activity. It appears on the third day of Shukla paksha of Vaishakh month. The third day of Akshaya Tritya is utsava tithi, which means it falls on the same day every year. This utsava tithi in the Hindu calendar corresponds with the third day of Shukla paksha, which begins at sunset of each lunar day. The date will be determined based on various factors, such as which Vedic deity is worshipped that night and whether any auspicious event occurred on that particular moonless night.

In the Hindu religion, Akshaya means that which is unlimited, unbroken. Therefore, this day is celebrated for eternal and permanent happiness, peace, and prosperity. Many great things happened on this day. For instance, 1500 years ago, Buddha was born in India, and he would later teach people about mindfulness and meditation and become known as the “Gautama Buddha.”

1.) Lord Parshuram Ji appeared on the day of Akshaya Tritya which is also known as Parshuram Jayanti. He is also known as Lord Krishna, and he is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Keshav had a son named Sri Krishna, who became his 6th incarnation. Lord Parshuram was born to Queen Renuka and King Kushadhwaj, high-ranking devotees of Lord Vishnu.

kshatriya-rudhira-maye jagad-apagata-papam
snapayasi payasi samita-bhava-tapam
kesava dhrita-bhrigupati-rupa jaya jagadisa hare (Sri Dasavatara Stotra)

“0 Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who has assumed the form of Bhrigupati [Parasurama]! All glories to You! At Kurukshetra, You bathe the earth in the rivers of blood from the bodies of the demoniac Kshatriyas that You have slain. The world’s sins are washed away by You, and because of You, people are relieved from the blazing fire of material existence.”

2.) On Akshaya Tritya, Demigod Sun presented Akshaya Patra to Draupadi and Pandavas. This vessel was a divine vessel where Draupadi could prepare unlimited foodstuffs till she took prasadam.

However, it is essential to note that this vessel was not helpful on other days of the year, and on different days of the year, it would be filled with flowers and incense to cleanse it of its ill-gained impurities.

3- The Holy river Ganga appeared in this material world from the spiritual world on this day. First and foremost, the flow of the Ganga river was controlled by Lord Shiva on his matted hair, and then he released it on Gangotri.

Thus, mother Ganga and Gangotri Dham appeared on Akshaya Tritya.

4.) Akshaya Tritya is the day on which Lord Shri Krishna was welcomed back to Dwarka. Sudama, a close friend of Lord Shri Krishna, came to meet the Lord to secure his and his family’s future.

He presented the Lord with puffed rice, which he had received from friends from afar. The Lord was pleased to accept and consume those puffed rice. Thus the Lord gave him benediction for all his opulence.

5- On Akshaya Tritya, Lord Ganesha started writing Mahabharata, a great epic, under the supervision of Vedvyas Ji. Mahabharata is one of the important scriptures and contains Bhagavad Gita.

This tells the tale of a warrior prince named Arjuna who strives to win his throne from his wicked uncle. Vedavyas first wrote down this epic on this auspicious day.

6.) On the day of Akshaya Tritya, the day before the summer solstice and significant because it is the first day of Anant Chaturdashi, a new cart is built for Lord Jagannatha. This cart will be used in rath yatra.

In this tradition, Lord Jagannatha and His brother Lord Baladeva Ji are taken on a procession from Jagannatha temple to Gundicha temple every year. The construction for this cart starts on that day.

7- Shri Madhvendra Puri Ji is an Indian spiritual master who was in his late 20s when he began exploring the path of spirituality. At 27, he renounced the world and became a wandering ascetic for five years before settling at Jagannath Puri. Shri Madhvendra Puri Ji is regarded as a perfect model of devotion to Lord Krishna. He has been celebrated in religious texts from various Gaudiya Vaishnavism traditions and has influenced other religious figures like Sri Radha Krsna devotees and Hare Krishnas.

Madhvendra Puri is an Indian spiritual leader born in Mumbai and lived there until he was eight years old. He proceeded to Jagannath Puri to get some sandalwood, but on the way, he stopped in a small village named Remuna. In Remuna, there was a magnificent and divine temple of Lord Gopinatha Ji, famous for His mahaprasad. It was said that His mahaprasad Kheer, sweet rice, was just like nectar. 

Once, a pure-hearted devotee named Madhavendra Puri visited a temple where a special sweet rice dish (ksira) was being offered to Lord Gopinatha. Seeing the offering, he thought, “If I could taste it, I would learn how to make it and offer the same to Lord Gopala in Vrindavan.” But right after that thought, he felt deep regret. He had wished to taste the offering before it was given to the Lord — something he knew was not right.

Feeling sorry for his thought, Madhavendra Puri quietly left the temple, without speaking to anyone. His heart was full of repentance. That night, Lord Gopinatha appeared in a dream and told the priest to take the sweet rice to Madhavendra Puri. The Lord was pleased with his honesty and devotion.

This beautiful story teaches us two important things: First, true devotion means putting God before ourselves. And second, we should never delay doing the right thing — because waiting too long can take us away from our purpose.

Lord Gopinatha, or Krishna, is a prominent deity of Hinduism. He is also known as Gopinath, Govinda, and Keshava. He is a God of love and devotion who is considered the greatest avatar of Vishnu. In a dream that the temple priest had on that night, Lord Gopinatha instructed him to go to Madhavendra Puri and give him the pot of sweet rice which he had hidden under his garments. So the priest went to Madhavendra Puri, where Lord Gopinatha was so overwhelmed by ecstasy to learn everything from him that he continued his journey and reached Puri, collecting sandalwood and camphor.

Madhavendra Puri had gone on a pilgrimage to Haridwar, but he returned to Remuna on his way back. There, he had a dream in which the Gopala Deity at Vrindavan told him to grind the sandalwood into pulp, mix with camphor and apply it to the body of the Gopinatha Deity. Lord Gopala said that He was non-different from the Deity of Gopinatha. So Madhavendra Puri made all arrangements to carry out the order of Lord Gopala.

A tradition popularly known as Chandan yatra starts from the day of Akshaya Tritya and lasts for 21 days. Chandana-yatra celebrations, Chandana (sandalwood pulp) is applied to the Lord. It is considered very auspicious to start anything, and most people purchase gold on Ashaya Tritya. In Spiritual life, God’s name and His devotional loving service are priceless. That is why today, we should chant the names of God more and more or start chanting the names of God.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare 

The Significance of Maha shivratri

Hare Krishna! Heartiest wishes to all of you on the occasion of Mahashivratri festival. The Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of every month is called Shivratri. But the Shivratri falling on the Krishna Chaturdashi of the month of Phalgun is called Mahashivratri, which is celebrated with great joy and devotion. At the time of doomsday, on this day at the time of Pradosh, Lord Shiva performs Tandava and burns the universe with the flame of his third eye. That is why it is also called Mahashivratri or Jalratri. Lord Shankar was also married on this day. That is why Bhole Bhandari’s wedding procession is taken out at night, and fruits are eaten after worshipping.

Lord Shiva as the Controller of the Universe

Shiva means auspicious or benevolent. Adidev, who is also called by the names Shankar, Shambhu, Mahadev, Mahesh, Rudra, etc., is also the controller of this material world. According to Brahma Samhita,

 kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogā
sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ
yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmii

Lord Brahma tells that just as curd is produced from milk but it is a distorted form of milk, in the same way Lord Shiva also helps in the operation of the universe along with Brahma and Vishnu as the controller of this material world.

The Role of Lord Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma in the Universe

Elsewhere it is described that Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh run the system of this material universe through Rajo, Sattva, and Tamo Gunas. Vishnu and Mahesh are beyond Gunas, and the creation and destruction of this world take place under their authority. In this context, they have also been called Gunavatar. Many times the wrong notion is spread that Shivji is affected by Tamo Guna, but this is not so at all. Lord Shiv is beyond Gunas and he is the presiding deity of Tamo Guna in this world. Ghosts, spirits, vampires, demons, etc. are his followers under Tamo Guna.

Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu: No Difference

In the Mahabharata’s Anushasana Parva, one meaning of the names Shiv, Rudrasthanu, and Rudra in the Sahastranaam of Vishnu is that there is no difference between the two. Thus, in many scriptures, we find that there is no difference between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, but in a more in-depth study, we will find that there is a difference. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had called it Achintyabhedabheda Tattva.

Lord Shiva’s Role as the Best Among Vaishnavas

Now, how is there a difference? Srimad Bhagwatam describes in the twelfth chapter that this Shrimad Bhagwatam is the essence of all the Vedas, and in the essence of the same Vedas, Bhagwatam, it is described that the best among Vaishnavas is Shambhu. Vaishnavnam Yatha Shambhu. In the fourth chapter of Shrimad Bhagwatam, Lord Shiva describes Rudrageet and says that whoever recites this hymn, it becomes easy for him to get the devotion of Lord Shri Krishna. Devotees of Rudra sect, one of the Vaishnav traditions, follow the path of Krishna bhakti given by Lord Shiva, and the Acharya of this tradition is Shri Vishnu Swami ji.

Lord Shiva’s Devotion to Lord Ram and His Preaching

In Padma Purana, Lord Shiva preaches to his wife Parvati,

śrī rāma rāma rāmeti rame rāme manorame
sahasranāma tat tulyaṃ rāmanāma varānane

That is, O Rama, O Sumukhi, the name of Ram is like Vishnu Sahastra Naam. I always praise Ram and enjoy the name of Ram. Thus, by deep study of scriptures, we find that there is no difference between Lord Shiva and Vishnu, and Shiva considers Lord Vishnu as his worshipable deity.

Lord Shiva’s Exchange with Lord Vishnu: The Mohini Leela

In the eighth chapter, when Lord Shiva requested to see the Mohini avatar of Lord Vishnu, Vishnu Ji gave him the darshan of Mohini form, but what happened was that Vishnu Ji confused Shiva Ji by creating attraction towards Mohini through his Maya. This leela is an exchange between two great personalities, but some immature people feel that this is a competition of superiority between Shiva and Vishnu Ji.

Lord Shiva in the Raas Leela of Lord Krishna

Lord Shiva, eager to participate in the Raas Leela of Lord Shri Krishna, took the form of a Gopi and even today we can see that in Shridham Vrindavan, he is worshipped as Gopeshwar Mahadev, where he is adorned as a Gopi. Lord Shiva protects every Dham as the Kshetrapalak. In Mathura, he is in the form of Bhuteshwar Mahadev. In Manasi Ganga Govardhan, he resides in the form of Chakleshvar Mahadev. In Nandgaon, he is in the form of Nandeshwar Mahadev, in Kamyavan, in the form of Kameshwar Mahadev and Gopeshwar Mahadev Ji is the Digpal of Shri Dham Vrindavan.

The Importance of Gopeshwar Mahadev

Shridham Vrindavan is a major place for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, and in many Gaudiya Vaishnava texts, Gopeshwar Mahadev situated in Vrindavan has been praised by our previous acharyas. Shrila Narhari Chakravarti writes in Bhakti Ratnakar Granth that, “I bow down to Gopeshwar Mahadev who removes all the troubles that come in devotion and makes the love of God accessible in Vrindavan.”

Lord Shiva’s Meeting with Baby Krishna

When Lord Shiva came to know that Lord Shri Krishna has taken birth as a child in Gokul, he expressed his desire to meet Krishna and asked for permission from mother Parvati to go to Nandgaon, and he reached there to meet him in his Aghora disguise. And when Yashoda saw that an Aghori Baba has come to meet Krishna, thinking that Krishna might get scared of his appearance, Yashoda Maiya refused to meet him. Baba insisted on not going without meeting him and went some distance and sat there.

Lord Shiva as Nandeshwar: A Symbol of Devotion

Here Lord was also eager to give darshan to Shiva, so he also started crying and cried in such a way that he could not stop even after someone tried to pacify him. If not, then someone suggested that maybe it is a bad omen because of not allowing Baba to meet Kanha and Kanha is crying, then Lord Shiva was called and as soon as Lord Shiva touched Kanha, he became calm. Then Yashoda Maiya requested Shiv Ji that our Kanha does not cry because of your coming here, so you stay here. From then on, Lord Shiva became Nandeshwar.

Conclusion: Praying for Lord Shiva’s Blessings

This wonderful leela shows us that only the eagerness of the devotee of Lord to meet him can make him have his darshan. It is said that without the permission of Lord Shiva, no one is allowed to enter the abode. Therefore, we all should also pray to Lord Shiva to please remove the desire to enjoy the material world from our hearts and remove all the obstacles in doing devotion to Lord Shri Krishna with complete dedication, so that we can get out of this cycle of life and death and attain Bhagavat Dham at the end of life. Hare Krishna!

The Life and Legacy of Bhishma: A Tale of Sacrifice and Devotion

Bhishma, one of the most revered characters in the Mahabharata, was born as Devavrata to King Shantanu of the lunar dynasty and the celestial river goddess, Ganga. Devavrata was the human embodiment of Dyo, one of the Ashtavasus, who was cursed to be born as a mortal due to a transgression. The story of his birth is intertwined with divine interventions and past-life connections.

King Shantanu, in his previous life as King Mahabhisheka, was cursed by Brahma to be reborn as a mortal for casting an inappropriate glance at Ganga in Brahma’s celestial assembly. Ganga, too, was cursed but was granted the boon to return to the heavens after giving birth to the Ashtavasus, who would incarnate as her sons.

When Ganga incarnated on Earth, she roamed the forests near the Ganga river, waiting for the destined moment. Around the same time, King Pratipa, Shantanu’s father, was performing austerities near the Ganga. Ganga appeared before him and sat on his right thigh. When she expressed her desire to marry him, Pratipa explained that the right thigh is reserved for a daughter-in-law, thus predicting her future union with his son, Shantanu.

Years later, Shantanu encountered Ganga by the river and was captivated by her divine beauty. She agreed to marry him on the condition that he would never question or oppose her actions. Shantanu agreed, and their union brought the Ashtavasus into the world. However, true to the curse, Ganga drowned each of the first seven children in the river immediately after birth, ensuring their release from the mortal realm. When the eighth child was born, Shantanu could no longer contain himself and stopped her. This act broke their agreement, and Ganga left him, taking the child, Devavrata, with her.

Ganga raised Devavrata in the forest, ensuring he received the best education under the guidance of the sage Vasishtha. The boy grew up mastering various arts, scriptures, and warfare. At the age of thirty-two, Ganga returned Devavrata to Shantanu, fulfilling her promise.

The Name of Bhishma

Devavrata was soon anointed as the crown prince of Hastinapur. However, a new challenge arose when Shantanu fell in love with Satyavati, the daughter of a fisherman. Satyavati’s father laid down a condition for their marriage: only her sons would inherit the throne. Shantanu, bound by his duty and love for his firstborn, found himself in a dilemma and withdrew into grief.

Devavrata, learning of his father’s plight, decided to intervene. He visited Satyavati’s father and promised him that Satyavati’s sons would inherit the throne. When the fisherman raised concerns about potential conflicts with Devavrata’s future children, Devavrata made an extraordinary vow of lifelong celibacy to eliminate any possibility of contention.

This solemn pledge, known as the “Bhishma Pratigya,” astounded everyone, including the gods, who showered flowers upon him. It was this unwavering commitment that earned him the name “Bhishma,” meaning one who undertakes a terrible vow.

Shantanu, deeply moved by his son’s sacrifice, bestowed upon him a unique boon: Bhishma would have the power to choose the time of his death, making him invincible until he willingly relinquished his life.

The Legacy of Bhishma

Bhishma’s life was defined by his devotion to duty, loyalty, and selflessness. His celibacy and sacrifice for the greater good exemplify the highest ideals of dharma. As a key figure in the Mahabharata, Bhishma played an integral role in the Kuru dynasty’s saga, guiding successive generations with wisdom and foresight.

His life teaches us the importance of self-sacrifice, adherence to principles, and the courage to make difficult decisions for the greater good. Bhishma remains an eternal symbol of dedication and righteousness, inspiring countless generations to walk the path of dharma.