Side Story-Devi Amba (Hope!)
(Note: Ah, Some action...)
Prithvi's P.O.V,
"O' son of Devi Ganga, the pride of Kuruvansa, I ask you again! Whether you will accept the Putri Amba or not?!" Maharishi Parshuram asked angrily after hearing the refusal of his disciple. If Maharishi had not promised Devi Amba, Bhishma's refusal wouldn't have gained anything other than some of his dissatisfaction.
Unfortunately for Bhishma, it was not a matter between a Teacher and his disciple but it was an affair between two great Warriors which concerns their Dharma!
For them, being in the wrong or not didn't matter but whether they will hold on to their dharma or not!
"O' the foremost sage, son of Rishi Jamadagni, Neither can I marry her to my brother for her heart belongs to someone else nor can I accept her due to my oath of Celibacy! I am indeed guilty of this Sin. But, I can't forget my oath! It is my dharma, defining my existence! Respected Guruji, It was you who had imparted this knowledge! How can I let your teaching be vain?" Bhishma continued refuting Maharishi Parshuram and even denied his words.
Which fueled the ire of great sage! He looked at his disciple like he was looking at a stranger with his deadly stare and stated, "Devavrata! I can't look away from the injustice done to Putri Amba! Therefore, prepare for the battle at this very place! As your previous teacher, the best I can give you is one day!"
Leaving these words behind, the furious went back to the Ashram where Devi Amba resided and narrated the whole incident.
When She came to know about the battle, She showed her eagerness to observe the battle from afar with the intention to serve him after the battle.
Despite his horrific tales of slaughtering Kshatriyas like carrots, Maharishi Parshuram is a very patient and kind individual. Therefore, he let Devi Amba follow her to the Kurukshetra.
...
At the end of Usha Pahar (Around 5:30 A.M.),
On One Chariot driven by the charioteer of Bhishma, Bhisma stood bravely, showing the stature to face any disaster before his respected Teacher who had imparted him the very knowledge, by which he obtained the title of 'Maharathi'.
Faced against the very person he respected and worshipped, he approached his teacher and respectfully touched his feet to the person stationed on the coarse ground of Kurukshetra.
Aside from his bow, a quiver and his simple saffron coloured clothes. And yet, his bare chest gave the pressure of an unmovable mountain! Faced with the pressure, Bhishma paid his respect to Maharishi and said, "O' great Brahmin, I have tried to pacify the respected one. But, it was futile. I am aware that you can't let go of your promise, nor can I break my oath. To not make things difficult for you, I wouldn't ask for the great brahmin to bless me to win the battle. However, please give me the blessing to uphold my oath till my last breath!"
Faced with respect shown by his disciple, he wanted to agree at first. Thankfully, he is a man of wisdom and found out the underlying meaning of his shrewd disciple.
Bhishma's Oath was to serve the Kuru King and follow Brahmacharya, he couldn't even die due to his boon of Iccha-Mrityu-The ability to choose him time and manner of death.
For Bhishma to uphold his oath, he has to defeat his teacher, Maharishi Parshuram.
Aware of his disciples intentions, Maharishi didn't reply to Bhishma and waited for the start of Purvanha Pahar (6:00 A.M).
Bhishma didn't mind the lack of response and swiftly returned to his chariot, waiting for the start of his battle.
...
'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!'
With the sound of Shankh, Both the disciples and Teacher attained their own battle postures!
Shine!
Following which, a chariot (Rath) along with four horses materialized under the feet of Maharishi Parshuram, elevating his position to the same level as that of Bhishma.
The divine glow surrounding his Rath far outshined the shimmering silver Rath of Bhishma! This Rath was a blessing of Lord Shiva, self- explaining its properties. The horses bound to Rath can move to the speed of thoughts, according to the commands of the great sage and they can self-improvise if they see danger, making this Rath, one of the prized creations in Mortal Plane!
[Note: I don't know whether it's true or not? Please correct me if I'm wrong.]
"Om Namah Shivaya!"
"Om Namah Shivaya!"
Swish!
Swish!
With the prayers to their supreme lords, the clash between the great warrior and Might Sage began!
Both of them pulled the string of their respective bows to limit and fired their first arrow at each other!
Their arrows teared through the air, generating gales of winds reaching to the camp of Sage Parshuram, felt by Devi Amba herself!
Their sharp battle intent was clearly felt by Devi Amba who inwardly prayed for the conquest of Maharishi Parshuram!
Bang!
Crunch!
The Arrows met at the midpoint between the braves! Their clash crushed both of the arrows into thin powder, revealing the power levels of both individuals!
Neigh!
Followed by their initial strikes, their Rath moved at an unbelievable speed into in-comprehensible sequences, trying to find the right position to strike!
Sadly for Bhishma, His Rath was incomparable to his Guru who wandered in the battlegrounds like a wind!
With each passing moment, an arrow was aimed at Bhishma from his angles beyond any Kshatriya's ability! (Of his period). Despite this disadvantage, Bhishma parried the ferocious attacks with his own arrows!
To Devi Amba, She was unable to see anything aside from the countless flashes of lights and thunderous collision of the arrows, filling her heart with uncertainty!
However, She refused to lose her faith in the mighty sage and continued praying for his success!
...
Bang!
Crunch!
Bang!
Crunch!
Bang!
Crush!
"Argh!"
When the Sun reached the middle of Sky (Afternoon), for the first time in the battle, the great brahmin pierced through his arrow, injuring the charioteer of Bhisma!
It caused slight mistakes in the coordination of Bhisma and Rath, a huge mistake on his part, Something that his teacher didn't let him away with!
Nieghhh!
"Argh!"
"Ah!!"
"Ugh!"
"OOOOOOOOOM!"
Before the Sun went out, Bhisma, his Charioteer, His Rath and the horses were wounded heavily by the merciless strikes of Maharishi!
On the other hand, Maharishi Parshuram remained uninjured with his Rath.
Fortunately for Bhishma, the sound of Shankh put a stop to the struggle of Bhishma under the sage's indiscriminate attacks!
Maharishi looked at his disciple who was pierced at numerous arrows by his own arrows, feeling a mix of satisfaction and sadness.
But, it was just momentary, remembering the injustice that happened to the innocent princess, he was filled with determination and returned to his tent, where he was received by Devi Amba and completed his evening duties...
...
Plop*
Plop*
"Ahh..."
Meanwhile, In the tent of Bhisma, his charioteer pulled out the arrows from his body before doing the same with the horses and bandaging their wounds. After tending to their injuries, he left them to rest on the soft bed of dried hay bales.
Then, he entered the tent of Bhishma after getting his permission and gazed at the wounded chest of the prestigious warrior, feared by many.
He took out some herbs and closed the wounds after applying the green paste of herbs and guiltily looked at his lord.
Bhishma was aware of his thoughts so he didn't let him apologize for his mistakes. Because doing so will weaken his charioteer willpower. Instead of forgiveness, he was given a chance to correct his mistakes...
Understanding the meaning of his lord's silence, The Charioteer left his tent and laid and began to repair the Rath with his wounded body...
...
'OOOOOOOOOM!!!'
The Next day of war started with the energetic sound of Shankh, motivating the Dharma Purusha on their quests!
They equipped their bows, placed the arrow on the string, aimed at their target and fired at the same time!
Bang!
Bang!
Crush!
Hence, under the worried gaze of Devi Amba, the clash of titans once again began!
But, today was very different from yesterday! This time, Bhishma countered the blows of his teacher while standing on equal grounds!
The one or two arrows which successfully crushed the arrows of Bhisma were either evaded by the focused Charioteer otherwise, they were taken on his body without letting out, even a groan!
He made himself the shield of his lord with his teeth gritted so hard that the crimson blood was flowing out from it!
It was his way to hold up the trust of his lord!
...
'OOOOOOOOOM!'
That day ended up without anyone taking advantage of the other...
Followed by the next uneventful ten days, the deviation occurred on the eleventh day!
The Teacher-Disciple duo started using the Astras filled with divine powers, capable of evoking lightning, fire, water etc...
Crack!
Shua!
Fwish!
Different from the former confrontation of the warriors, their Astras changed the terrain of Kurukshetra!
That day, Devi Amba witnessed the tsunami of fire, the downpour from sky, the land cracking into countless pieces, and the Azure white lighting piercing through to the horizon!
This destructive scene showed the most fearsome except of wars where the destruction and death wanders...
The Sky hovering above Kurukshetra turned crimson, warning the beings to stay away from the land of chaos...
Different from the others, the reason for this destruction remain throwing arrows after arrows, aiming to kill the other...
The Agni Astra of Maharishi was countered by the Maharathi using Megha-Astra!
The Chandra Astra of Maharathi was countered by Surya Astra of Maharishi!
...
This confrontation stretched to the end of twenty third till the stashes of both Dharma Purusha were almost exhausted leaving only the most destructive weapons of the duo!
That day, the night was filled a strange calmness as if indicating towards something.
After finishing his dinner, Bhishma laid on his bed and thought, 'Even after this period, I couldn't defeat Guruji. To uphold my dharma, I need the help of other Celestials otherwise... I fear any further clash will destroy the world... '
Having these thoughts, he slept that night and dreamed of the eight sages who told him about the Pashupatastra that he can evoke tomorrow to defeat the Great Sage.
However, it won't kill him but let him fall asleep on the battlefield, marking Bhishma as the Ultimate winner of the duel!
After the battle, Bhishma can awaken his teacher by using another weapon known as Samvodhana.
With this revelation of the Eight Sages, Bhishma slept comfortably for the first time in the last twenty three days.
...
'OOOOOOM!'
Swish!
Bang!
The sound of Shankh once again initiated the clash between the duo on the disfigured ground of Kurukshetra as if it had faced countless disasters (It had!).
The clash kept on the usual pace as both of them didn't dare to use Brahmastra against the other, aware of the risk of destroying the world by the clash of two Brahma Astras.
...
After the Purvanha Pahar, The Mantras to evoke the Pashupatastra in the mind of Bhishma, who immediately tried to chant the mantra and finish this fruitless battle!
Just when he was about to evoke the weapon! A Shout echoed from the sky!
"STOP!"
...
To be Continued...