fierce fighter in the war with the KAURAVAS. In the
final battle Bhima struck Duryodhana below the
waist; he was forever labeled an unfair fighter on
this account.
Further reading: J. A. B. van Buitenen, The Mahab-
harata, Vol. 1, The Book of the Beginnings, Vol. 2., The
Book of the Assembly Hall, Vol. 3., The Book of Virata
and the Book of Effort (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1973–78); P. C. Roy, trans., The Mahabharata of
Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, 12 vols. (Calcutta: Bhavata
Karyalya Press, 1888–96).
Bhishma
Bhishma, “the terrible,” is one of the most impor-
tant characters in the great epic MAHABHARATA.
He was the son of the river goddess Ganga (see
GANGES) and the first son of the king Shantanu. In
his old age, Shantanu wished to take another wife,
Satyavati, but the woman insisted that any son
of hers become king. As a devoted son Bhishma
thereupon took a vow that he would never take
the throne; as a wise man, he also vowed never to
take a wife or father children.
Bhishma’s efforts to obtain wives for Satyavati’s
son Vichitravirya proved his undoing. When he
seized a woman named Amba as a potential bride,
she begged to be returned to her country to marry
another man, and Bhishma released her. However,
her chosen love rejected her, and she returned
to Bhishma. This time he refused to marry her
to Vichitravirya. Enraged, Amba vowed to kill
Bhishma one day, although he had earned the boon
that he could not be killed without his consent.
Amba angrily haunted the Earth, returning in male
form as Shikhandi to fight Bhishma in the great
war. Because of her presence Bhishma was killed in
that battle, as he resigned himself to death.
Bhishma’s half brother Vichitravirya failed
to produce an heir; after his death his widows
Ambika and Ambalika needed someone to father
their children. Bhishma learned of another half
brother, VYASA, the “author” (or compiler) of the
Mahabharata. Vyasa was a renunciant, but he con-
sented to couple with the two women. They bore
PANDU and DHRITARASHTRA, the progenitors of the
two sets of cousins whose war over the land of
the Kurus is the subject of the great epic. Thus,
Bhishma is related through his father to both sides
in the conflict. He is called, therefore, great-uncle
to them, though he is not their direct progenitor.
Since Dhritarashtra was blind and Pandu died
when his children were very young, Bhishma
became a father figure to both the PANDAVAS and
the KAURAVAS. In the great battle Bhishma became
the general for the Kaurava side, the side of the
usurpers. He was mortally wounded when ARJUNA
stepped out from behind Shikandhi (Amba rein-
carnated) to shoot him. He lingered for 58 days
before dying, giving discourses to YUDHISHTHIRA
that make up the majority of the Shantiparvan
section of the Mahabharata. A chapter of the
Mahabharata called Bhishmaparvan recounts his
role in the story.Further reading: Swami Veda Bharati, Introducing
Mahabharata Bhishma, Together with an English Transla-
tion of the Bhishma-Stava-Raja (Rishikesh: Swami Rama
Sadhaka Grama, 2002); J. A. B. van Buitenen, trans.,
The Mahabharata, Vol. 1, The Book of the Beginnings,
Vol. 2, The Book of the Assembly Hall, Vol. 3, The Book
of Virata and the Book of Effort (Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1973–78); P. C. Roy, trans., The Mahab-
harata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, 12 vols. (Calcutta:
Bharata Karyalaya Press, 1888–96).Bhubaneshwar
Bhuvaneshwar (Lord of the Worlds) is an ancient
city named for SHIVA that now serves as the capital
of the southern Indian state of Orissa. It is famous
for its many temples, mostly dedicated to the god
Shiva, all built in the Kalinga style of the region.
Most characteristic of this type of architecture are
the soaring, tapering towers that are decorated
so as not to interrupt their straight lines. Most
temples in Bhubaneshwar were built betweenK 84 Bhishma