Week 13 Storytelling: Bhishma's Sendoff

“How can I do this?” thought Arjuna to himself. “I regard Bhishma as a grandfather to me and I would never be able to live it down if I killed him!” he cried to Krishna.

“Fine,” said Krishna with a heavy voice. “I shall do it myself.”

Krishna retrieved his discus and prepared to end Bhishma’s life with one quick throw. It would be quick and painless. Arjuna yelled out and stopped Krishna from doing so. He did not want to be the reason Krishna broke his oath to not use a single weapon during the war.

“I will do it,” said Arjuna.

Krishna nodded his head and motioned to the direction of Bhishma. Arjuna faced towards Bhishma and slowly pulled out his bow and a handful of arrows. This was going to be Arjuna’s legacy. It was finally time to leave his mark and prove to the world that he was the best. He fought with a good heart and knew that this was the right decision. He closed his eyes and cleared his head. A feeling of calmness washed over Arjuna. It was now or never.

Arjuna let the arrows fly and one by one they each struck Bhishma, ripping through his body which caused a jolt of remorse and guilt through Arjuna’s conscience for each arrow. Bhishma was an old man, but he was an exceptionally great warrior. His battle skills had impressed everyone to the point that when Bhishma fell, the war ceased for the moment to give everyone an opportunity to pay their respects to this great man. Arjuna looked up as the heavens opened directly above them and flowers rained down onto the battlefield. This was the gods paying their respects to Bhishma, a token of appreciation for his bravery.

As Bhishma slowly slid off the mighty chariot, the arrows protruding from his body pierced the ground which made a makeshift bed. Arjuna had aimed the arrows perfectly to make a bed for Bhishma to lie on. The rest of the men on the field nodded in appreciation for what Arjuna had done. Whispers went through the men as they heard talk of how Bhishma could choose the exact moment of his death, time and place. This was true and Bhishma was not going to die until the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. This was his personal choice, reasons unknown for why he chose that particular day.

“Water,” mumbled Bhishma.

Arjuna shot an arrow at the ground, which caused a fountain of water to shoot into Bhishma’s mouth. It is said that it was Ganga herself who supplied the water to her son. Krishna stepped down from his chariot and walked over to where Bhishma lay. He could see that Bhishma was in pain and was struggling to keep himself calm and relaxed. Krishna bestowed upon him a deep, calming, peaceful sleep that freed Bhishma of the pain.  This was the perfect way to end Bhishma’s long, valiant stand against the Pandava army. He knew the Pandavas were the better people in the end to come out of the war victorious, but he also knew that he was the biggest obstacle in their path to winning the war. He fought faithfully for the Kaurava army, even though he knew what he was fighting against, and was arguably the best commander of the army. He would be a legend after he passed on and that’s what kept him calm.

It’s funny how this moment had brought the two sides to a peaceful halt, as if they had finally gotten along. This was not going to last long, as the impending war that was soon to return loomed in the near future like a dark cloud hanging low in the sky.

Author’s Note: I chose to write about this part of the story because it’s such an important moment in the Mahabharata. Bhishma is a well-respected character and his death was a big deal. Arjuna is also my favorite character in out of all the Indian Epics characters. There were probably so many feelings involved with all the characters in this moment that I couldn’t explain them all. I tried as best I could in this story because I thought it would be an interesting idea to imagine. I think Arjuna was affected the most by this event.

I didn't really change much from the original version. I basically just told the story from Arjuna's point of view. In this section, Krishna proceeds to kill Bhishma but Arjuna stops him because Krishna made a vow not to use any weapons. When Bhishma is finally killed by Arjuna, the whole world celebrates his successful and respected life.

I chose this image because it shows Bhishma lying on his bed of arrows while all the other men sat around him paying their respects. It was the only time during the war that both sides were united together and I thought that was a memorable part of the Mahabharata. 

Bibliography: Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.

Everyone paying their respects to Bhishma; Wikimedia Commons