In the Capital of Kuru Kingdom Hastinapur,
Inside the Royal Palace,
Mahamahim Maharathi Bhishma stood silently in the balcony of his palace as he lovingly gazed upon his playful grand-children.
He was a Brahman Chari who vowed to never marry and indulge in lust in his entire life. It was his step-mother's wish for him to be never married. He as a filial child obeyed the order of his father Santanu the King of Kuru Kingdom and pledged the state of celibacy. His father pleased by his filial piety blessed him with 'Ichha Mrityu'- the boon of deciding his own death time. Such a powerful boon had turned curse over time as he had spent the past three centuries alleviating the status of Kuru Kingdom and eradicating its foes. He just needed eternal rest in the form of a peaceful death but it wasn't approved by destiny.
His late half-brother Vichitravirya had two sons Pandu and Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra was born blind and thus was unable to ascend the throne. Pandu succeeded the throne and was appointed as the King of Kuru Kingdom but his untimely death led to the throne of Hastinapur being vacant. Left with no choice Dhritarashtra was inaugurated as the new king of the Kuru Kingdom. Being blind led Dhritarashtra to unable to handle the state affairs and thus Bhishma maintained the kingdom in his stead.
Recalling such thoughts he gazed down at his grandchildren the sons of Pandu and Dhritarashtra playfully frolicking in the playground. When these children will grow up, one of them will ascend to the throne and thus will lift the burden of the kingdom from his shoulders and he would be able to die peacefully.
His train of thoughts was broken as he was startled by the urgent voice of a messenger who respectfully greeted him,
"Pranaam! Mahamahim Bhishma!"
Bhishma turned around majestically and demanded,
"What's the matter, messenger? Why are you in such a hurry to seek me?"
"Mahamahim Bhishma! It is Acharya Parshuram and Acharya Vyasa who are seeking your audience. They urgently seek your attention" the messenger replied.
"What Guruvar Parshuram and Acharya Vyasa personally visited me. Then it must really be an urgent matter. Messenger! You are dismissed. I will personally receive them."
Bhishma waved his hand and dismissed the messenger. The messenger bowed respectfully and retreated.
Bhishma immediately left for the entrance of his palace to receive and greet Guru Parshuram and Acharya Vyasa. He soon reached the entrance and was greeted by two sages.
He respectfully approached the sage with a Pharsa (Tomahawk) in his hand as bowed and touched his feet in salutation as he greeted,
"Pranaam Guruvar! This insignificant disciple greets Guruvar."
Parshuram nodded in affirmation and lifted him by his hands as he replied,
"Rise Gangaputra Bhishma!"
Bhishma raised his head then politely greeted Vyasa,
"Pranaam Acharya Vyasa!"
Acharya Vyasa nodded slightly as he greeted,
"Pranaam Gangaputra Bhishma!"
Bhishma respectfully led both of them inside his palace as he attended to them.
"Guruvar! Acharya! What's the urgent matter for both of you to personally come and seek me for an audience."
Acharya Parshuram and Vyasa nodded at each other before Acharya Vyasa began to explain,
"Gangaputra Bhishma the descendant of God Rudra has awakened."
Vyasa explained as he gazed in the direction of Shambhala Village. His gaze stayed in that direction as he respectfully paid his respect to the huge apparition as he continued,
"Gangaputra it would be your job to protect that being till he reaches to his full potential and eradicate the darkness encroaching upon humanity."
Acharya Parshuram stood up and gazed in the direction of the huge apparition as he began to speak,
"Gangaputra Bhishma! When he reaches the age of twelve bring him to me for his tutelage in the art of war and weapon mastery. He will rise as a supreme warrior capable of combating the forces of evil and restoring light and hope in this world. The descendant of My Ishta dev Shiva had such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. I have to fulfill my duty as a teacher to guide and train him."
Both Acharya Parshuram and Vyasa turned to Bhishma as they waited for his reply.
"Guruvar and Acharya, I will definitely fulfill my role in this grand turn of events of Dharma. Just guide my way and I will carry out my duties for humanity."
Bhishma replied as he bowed respectfully to both Acharyas.
Both of them nodded and Vyasa began to guide him off to the location.
"Move south-west from Hastinapur to the outskirts of Kuru Kingdom. There you will find a village drowned in flames, follow the trail of desolation and destruction and you would encounter the child you need to protect. Calm down his sorrow and convince him to follow you back to Hastinapur."
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"Halt Vatasa!"
Rudra was stunned by the appearance of the intruder.
The intruder was riding a chariot with a 'Sarathi' and a golden armor was draped over his body. There was a golden crown on his forehead. The intruder had white hairs and beards similar to silk. He appeared to be a very powerful warrior. There was compassion in his eyes as he sympathetically looked at the child in front of him.
The child wore shabby and tattered clothes. There was a lack of hygiene on his body as dirt and dust-covered him head to toe. His eyes were lifeless and there was a sorrowful expression on his face.
Rudra was startled by this strange warrior and he warily retreated a step back as he cautiously questioned,
"Who…who are you? What do you….want from me?"
Bhishma was amused by the wariness present in the eyes of the child, sympathy appeared in his eyes as he was able to figure out the sufferings of the child from his appearance.
"I am Gangaputra Bhishma. Now tell me, child, what's your name?"
Bhishma replied candidly. He didn't want any falsehood to cover the eyes of the child.
Rudra was surprised, his eyes widened as he anxiously asked,
"My name is Rudra. Are you...are you the Great Warrior Bhishma?"
Bhishma nodded affirmatively and said,
"Yes! I am indeed the Great warrior Bhishma you spoke of."
Bhishma grabbed his bow and shook it in front of Rudra to convince him of the truth.
"Really! Great warrior Bhishma should be in the capital. What ….what are you doing here?"
With a warm smile, Bhishma replied,
"I am here for you. I want to bring you to capital to teach you to become a great warrior like me. Will you come with me?"
Rudra had a dubious expression on his face as he cautiously stepped back one more step and he warily questioned,
"Bhishma is such a great warrior, how would he have knowledge and time for a child like me? You aren't Bhishma, you are an imposter. I won't go anywhere with you."
Rudra tightly clenched the ashes of his parents as he retreated even further.
Bhishma was amused by the antics of this child but at the same time, he had a headache trying convincing this child. So, he turned to Rudra and asked,
"How can I convince you of my identity as Bhishma?"
Rudra placed his hand below his chin as he began to muse over this matter. After thinking for a while he got an idea as he bumped his left fist on his right palm and demanded,
"My mother once told me, Great warrior, Bhishma is the son of Celestial River Deity Ganga. Deity Ganga would always hear the summon of her dear child and meet him. If you are really Bhishma then summon Deity Ganga."
Bhishma was surprised by the sharp-mindedness of this child and he asked,
"Really that simple! If I can summon my mother you will believe me."
Rudra nodded at Bhishma. Bhishma immediately clasped his hands as he began to pray,
"Ooh! Mother! Listen to the summon of your dear child and pay a visit to me. Ooh, Mother!"
The ground began to tremble as a fountain of pure water erupted from it. The water of the fountain began to morph into a female form. A very beautiful deity appeared in the water. Her eyes were closed and she looked very serene. She slowly opened her eyes and gently looked at the old man before her as she spoke,
"Long time no see my child Bhishma! How you have been doing?"
Bhishma kneeled in front of her as he bowed and touched her feet and greeted,
"Pranaam Mata! Your unfilial son is as good as ever. He is just tired and wants rest in his mother's lap for all eternity to soothe his heart."
Deity Ganga hugged Bhishma and gently patted his back. Bhishma remained in his mother's embrace for a while as she wiped a tinge of tears from his eyes.
Rudra had his mouth wide-opened in surprise as he never expected the old man to be Bhishma. Seeing the interaction between Deity Ganga and Bhishma reminded Rudra of his mother as tears erupted in his eyes as he began to sob again.
Ganga and Bhishma were startled by this outburst of tears from Rudra. Ganga lovingly approached Rudra and tightly hugged him in her embrace as she stroked Rudra's head to calm him down. Rudra calmed down after a while as he tightly hugged Ganga and muttered,
"Mother! Don't leave me alone."
Ganga wiped his tears and lovingly replied,
"Don't worry, I won't leave you alone."
Ganga whipped out a small necklace with a small lotus tied to a silver chain and hung it around Rudra's neck as she whispered to Rudra,
"This necklace is my blessing to you, it will forever stay with you. No matter where you go, you will be able to summon my water to quench your thirst and you will be immune to drowning in any source of water and would be able to breathe and travel underwater unhindered."
Ganga gently tapped Rudra's forehead as a small lotus mark appeared on his forehead.
Ganga tapped her toe on the ground once and her water began to form a small lake in the area. Ganga announced,
"From today onwards, this lake shall be known as 'Prarena Sarovar'. Its calm water shall soothe the sorrow of people and give them new hope for life."
Ganga departed from that place with Rudra's parent's ashes to provide a peaceful afterlife to them in heaven.
Rudra sobbed once before he wiped away his tears and grabbed the hand of Bhishma with his tiny hands. With firm-determination in his eyes, he replied,
"I will go to Hastinapur with you Great warrior Bhishma and I will train to become a great warrior that will surpass even you."
"Haha!...Very good! That's the kind of expression I am looking forward to seeing on your face. From now on greet me as 'Pitamah', just like the sons of Pandu and Dhritarashtra. Get ready hard-training awaits you ahead."
Both of them boarded the chariot as Sarathi led them towards Hastinapur leaving behind trails of past for a better future.
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End of Volume 1