Ancient bharat the name bharat itself is seeped in history said to be after the king Bharata who is said to have united the indian subcontinent in very ancient times he had nine sons who were unfit to rule as some were incompetent,lacking spiritual insight, not aligned with dharma(righteousness) so he killed his sons one by one in a holy fire as offerings to the gods and the gods were pleased by him because of his decision as an incompetent ruler can destroy an empire no matter how powerful ,the gods gave him a son born of the holy fire aslo known as a yagna ,a boy named Bhardvaja .
india is also called Bharat as to the story of king Bharat to remind all that birthright does not give one the right to rule one must also have the necessary qualities and talents and the right disposition.
king Bharat is said to be the founder of Kuru kingdom after him his son Bhardvaja ruled and after him many great rulers thousands of years passed and the dwapar yuga the third great epoch of the hindu pantheon consisting of 864,000 years was learly ending with about 150 years left .
The current ruler of the Kuru dynasty was Shantanu he was a great ruler skilled in mystical archery and was a fierce warrior and a great ruler with the welbeing of his citizens in his mind ,One day, while hunting near the banks of the Ganga River, Shantanu saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman—Ganga in human form. Struck by her grace and divine presence, he immediately fell in love and asked her to marry him.Ganga agreed to marry Shantanu, but on one condition:"You must never question or interfere with anything I do, no matter how strange it may seem. If you do, I will leave you immediately."
Shantanu, deeply in love, agreed without hesitation.
They married, and Ganga bore Shantanu seven sons. But shockingly, she drowned each baby in the river right after birth. Shantanu was horrified but kept his promise and did not question her.
When the eighth child was born, Shantanu could no longer bear it. He confronted Ganga and demanded to know why she was killing their children. At that moment, Ganga revealed her true identity as a goddess and explainedThe Reason
The eight children were the eight Vasus—celestial beings cursed to be born as mortals.
Ganga had agreed to be their mother and liberate them by drowning them at birth, thus freeing them from their curse.
The eighth Vasu, however, had to live a full life on Earth as part of the curse. He became Devavrata, later known as Bhishma.
After revealing this, Ganga left Shantanu, taking Bhishma with her to raise him until he was ready to return to the kingdom.After Ganga left King Shantanu with their eighth son, Devavrata (Bhishma), she took him to the heavens and trained him in all branches of knowledge, including:
Vedas and scriptures
Archery and martial arts
Statecraft and dharma
Tutelage under great sages like Vasishtha, Parashurama, and Brihaspati
Years Later: When Bhishma had grown into a wise, powerful, and virtuous young man, Ganga brought him back to Shantanu. The king was overjoyed to see his son, who was now a mighty warrior and brilliant scholar.Bhishma quickly became the pride of the kingdom and was declared heir apparent to the Kuru throne.
Then Came a Turning Point: Satyavati Later, King Shantanu fell in love again—this time with Satyavati, a fisherman's daughter. But her father had one condition for marriage:"Her son must inherit the throne."Shantanu was heartbroken, as it meant bypassing Devavrata, his eldest and rightful heir. He couldn't agree, so he withdrew silently in sorrow.
When Devavrata learned of this, he went to the fisherman and renounced his claim to the throne, but that wasn't enough. To remove all doubt, he took a lifelong vow of celibacy, vowing never to marry or have children, so that Satyavati's lineage would rule without threat.This incredible vow shocked the gods, who declared:
"He shall henceforth be known as Bhishma, the Terrible One, for the terrible vow he has taken." Shantanu was so moved that he gave Bhishma the boon of Ichha-Mrityu—the ability to choose the time of his own death.This event shaped the future of the Kuru dynasty and laid the foundation for the Mahabharata
After Bhishma renounced the throne, Shantanu married Satyavati. They had two sons:
Chitrangada – became king after Shantanu died
Vichitravirya – ruled after Chitrangada died young in battle
But fate struck again:Chitrangada died early in a battle with a Gandharva king.Vichitravirya died childless not long after marrying two princesses: Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi.This created a succession crisis.
To preserve the royal line, Satyavati turned to her first-born son, Vyasa (yes, the same Vyasa who composed the Mahabharata), born before her marriage to Shantanu.
Through niyoga (Niyoga is an ancient Vedic practice in Hindu tradition where a widowed or childless woman could be legally and ritually allowed to conceive a child through a designated man, usually a sage or close relative, with the consent of her family or elders. The child would be considered the legal offspring of the woman's deceased or impotent husband, preserving lineage and inheritance rights.), Vyasa fathered children with Vichitravirya's widows:
When Vyasa visited Ambika, she was horrified by his austere appearance—he was unkempt from long penance.Out of fear, she closed her eyes during the union.Her son Dhritarashtra was born blind, as she metaphorically "saw nothing."Dhritarashtra's blindness isn't just physical—it represents moral blindness and lack of discernment in his rule.
Ambalika, also frightened, turned pale during her union with Vyasa. Her son Pandu was born with a pale, sickly appearance, interpreted as physical weakness or anemia.Though physically strong later, Pandu was emotionally burdened and later cursed to die if he touched his wives.
After Ambika refused a second encounter, a maid was sent in her place.The maid was calm, composed, and respectful toward Vyasa.Vidura was born healthy, wise, and highly intelligent.Though not royalty (being born to a maid), Vidura became the embodiment of dharma, acting as the moral compass of the court.Dhritarashtra was the eldest but blind, so he was denied the throne.Pandu, though younger, became king of Hastinapur.Vidura, being born of a maid, was highly respected for his wisdom but never eligible to rule.
While hunting, Pandu accidentally killed a sage and his wife in deer form. The sage cursed him:"If you ever touch your wife with desire, you will die instantly."Traumatized, Pandu gave up the throne and went to the forest with his wives Kunti and Madri to live as an ascetic.Before leaving he made his elder brother his regent.
Since Pandu could not father children, Kunti used a divine boon (given by Sage Durvasa) to call gods to bear children:
Yudhishthira (from Yama the god of Dharma and Death)
Bhima (from Vayu the god of wind)
Arjuna (from Indra the God king also known as Devraj he is the god of Thunder and Rain )
Madri, with Kunti's permission, used the mantra and bore twins:
Nakula & Sahadeva (from the Ashwini Kumaras they are the gods of Healing ,Medicine and Health)
One day, Pandu was overcome by desire for Madri. He forgot the curse, touched her—and died instantly. Madri, guilt-ridden, committed sati (self-immolation), leaving the children to Kunti.
While the Pandavas were in the forest, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had 100 sons—the Kauravas. The eldest was Duryodhana. His birth was inauspicious (which realy is debatable ) he cried like a jackal, and many omens suggested disaster.Vidura advised abandoning the child, but Dhritarashtra refused.
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