Bhishma Shapatha

Shantanu walked near to the maiden and asked

"Who are you my pretty lady?"

To this she replies

"I am Satyavati the daughter of Dasharaj the king of the fishermen tribe"

Shantanu picks up her hand as delicately as he would pick a flower and says

"Satyavati my name is Shantanu the king of Hastinapur I have been bewitched by your outstanding beauty will you please give me the honors of marrying you and become my queen?"

Satyavati agrees to this and says

"Ok I will marry you but you will have to ask permission from my father first if he agrees then I have no objections to marry you"

Shantanu thought who could not give their daughter to a king as great as him. He went to the place where Satyavati's tribe was situated and there he meets her father Dasharaj.

"Hey king of the great fishermen I have come to ask your daughter's hand in marriage. Would you please give your permission and bless us?"

Satyavati's father welcomed Shantanu with open arms. He acknowledges their marriage, as Shantanu was thinking that everything went smoothly Dasharaj said that he would give his daughter only at one condition.

"Oh the great king of Hastinapur I am very much happy to give my daughter to you BUT I have one condition..... and that condition is that the children of you and Satyavati only should sit on the throne. If you agree with this then I have no other conditions."

Shantanu was furious

"I have already promised the throne to my son Devavrata and I will not back down from my decision. If this is what your condition is then I will not marry your daughter!"

Said Shantanu and he went back angrily to his palace.

Shantanu came rejecting Satyavati in front of her father but after some days his heart ached and longed for Satyavati. His condition worsened as the days went by but he could not go back from his own words.

Devavrata saw his father sad and he didn't know the reason why he was so sad yet he felt ashamed of himself and thought to himself

"I the crown prince of Hastinapur who couldn't even know the reason why my father is sick , what is the use of this title and this kingdom."

Questions himself, even after days passed his father did not get better.

Devavrata then decides to ask his father the reason for his grief. He goes to the king's room and asks Shantanu.

Shantanu was hesitant at the start but he saw Devavrata's eyes which were screaming to not go without knowing the reason.

Shantanu started telling his story

"Hey.... my son I am growing old and I don't have any companion as your mother left me. I used to always walk at the banks of the river where I met your mother but one day I met this beautiful lady who stole my heart. We even decided to marry and I went to ask the permission of the lady's father but he told me that I should enthrone the child born from me and her I couldn't accept that. How could I ever make another child sit on the throne other than you!"

Devavrata who heard the story immediately took off to the fishermen tribe village. There he found Satyavati and asked her

"Mother please marry my father he can't live without you and I can't see his endless hellish suffering anymore"

Satyavati looks at Devavrata with a subtle arrogant look

"Hmph... look who is the one talking, you know what's the problem and what's the solution is, but why are you still trying to persuade me so much!?"

"Ok mother if that is what you wish for then I will abide by that"

Suddenly the sky turned red and it thundered like it would split the havens open. Shantanu who saw this from the window said

"Oh.... no no no he should never do that" and urgently took off with his horse to Devavrata's direction.

On the other hand Devavrata cut his palm and dropped the drops of blood to the river and said

"I Devavrata will not have any greed for the throne and will never aim for it-"

Suddenly Satyavati says

"if you do not aim for the throne you might aim it through your children right?"

"Devavrata says I will neither aim to the throne nor will I marry anyone, This is my Shapata (It can be considered a promise or resolve that a person must never break no matter the situation)

By the time Shantanu arrived everything was over

"On no.....! What have you done Devavrata! how could you sacrifice your whole life for this old man? How can I get over this guilt?" Says Shantanu

Devavrata replies"What is more important than my father's happiness? I could not bear to look at your defeated expression every day father I could have done anything for you"

Shantanu had no more words to say as Devavrata left him speechless

"Son I couldn't have had a better son than you , so I shall bless you with a boon, you can die only when you wish to 'Ichha Mrityu'.

After this Satyavati agrees to marry the king of Hastinapur.

(A quick clarification to all readers if you guys are wondering how could Shantanu give a boon even though he was a mere human? well the answer is that Santanu was giving this boon / blessing as a father not as a king or God. Santanu himself was a very righteous man, a good king to his subjects and had not done any evil deeds. So his blessing also had enough merit.)

Hope you guys enjoyed the chaps so far 😀

The story is just getting started it will be more engaging in just a few chaps.

If there are any mistakes or corrections to be made them please comment I will see to is accordingly.

In the next chapters we will see what things will unfold after these to get married.