Dharmashetrae Kurukshetrae - Pitamaha Bhishma

Bhishma Pitamaha, A life that is adorned with such glory is naturally supposed to age gracefully, however Life is a path and every decision we make brings us to a turn in our journey of life. Lets imagine our life as a straight road from birth to death. Life is this path. The ultimate destination is death or in colourful terms moksha. Along this path whatever decisions we make are the turns, which will detour you from the path, perhaps making the journey to your destination a little longer of maybe a little shorter. Whatever our decision the consequences will be faced by us, this is what we call karma.

Ganga Putra Bhishma Pitamah Mandir

The Mahabharata is one such epic that describes the cause and effect beautifully and the place this epic enfolds is Kurukshetra. Here tucked away in a little village of Narakatari is a little pond and temple dedicated to Pitamaha Bhishma and his mother the mighty river Ganga. The Legend has it that it is here during the epic battle of Kurukshetra, Pitamaha Bhishma lay on a bed of Arrows and asked Arjuna for some water, Arjuna Shot an arrow into the ground and out came a stream of water right into pitamaha’s mouth. The Tank here is named as Banganga and referred to a Bhishma Kund.

BaanGanga

This is the place where Pitamaha lay on a bed of Arrows, on the threshold of life and death, watching his life unfold before him in the last moments of his life. He would have wondered why he sought to protect a Lineage, which had none worthy of his Ancestors. Born to Ganga and named Devavrata, and Titled Bhishma for the Vow of Celibacy he took the first decision of celibacy changed his path, denying the people a capable heir to the throne and protecting the undeserving. The next major turn he took was when he abducted the Princesses of Kashi, amba, Ambika and Ambalika to marry his undeserving brother and in the process ruined the prospects of Amba, who became the reason for the defeat of Pitamaha in battle. Bhishma in his true dedication to the throne had to bear witness to injustice to Draupadi, To the pandava clan, to Karna.

Pandavas standing beside Pitamah

Pitamaha Bhishma is considered a great example of devotion and sacrifice. His name itself is an honour to him. Bhishma was one of the greatest Bramhacharis of all time, the accumulation of Ojas due to his Bramhacharyam made him the strongest warrior of the era. It is but his decisions in life that brought forth a life full of loneliness, frusturation and sadness.  Perhaps, this is how Vasishta’s curse was supposed to unfold, Bhishma’s human life was destined to be marked with suffering. True to his name he never shied away from his duties and was a character as strong as steel, nothing in life broke him, he bravely faced the war and stood by the decisions he made. He understood the role life had for him and chose his time to end. 

Banyan Tree - Jyothisar

However big the Stature, however big the glory, however magnificient the era all must come to an end. Thus began the beginning of the end the War at Kurukshetra. Here just off the battlefield of Kurukshetra at Jyothisar is where Krishna delivered to Arjuna the sermon of the Bhagwad Gita, the doctrine of Karma and Dharma.It is Believed that all the Kauravas attained Swargawas as they died on the soil of Kurushetra in delivering their duties (Karma) as the Khastriyas. Today there exists a Banyan Tree believed to be an off shoot of the original banyan tree the only witness to Gita Updesh.

Bramha Sarovar

Kurukshetra is also believed to be the cradle of civilization, here is where Lord Brahma created civilization. This huge water tank is called the Bramha Sarovar 3600 ft long and 1500ft broad and is a perfect rectangle in shape. This tank is especially crowded during solar eclipse as it it believed that a dip during solar eclipse absolves one of all his sins.

Present day Kurukshetra is a Laid back small village, that takes pride of its significance in mythology but is modernized and its here near Jyothisar is a planetarium in memory of Kalpana Chawla, The first woman of Indian Origin in Space.