Wednesday, April 8, 2015

G for Gratuitous love



Gratuitous or unwanted, unrealizable love between two people can be devastating for both. And yet neither is our heart under our control nor are the strings attached to them.  And yet, we become mere puppets when such love begins to blossom, knowing it will eventually break our hearts.
This rarely told tale narrates a story of the love between two people who were never meant to be. It talks of circumstances that led to their meeting and the brief, yet intense time they spent together. They found love in each other’s moments of loneliness, but circumstances led to their separation.
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‘Let me go,’ pleaded Amba, as Bhishma’s chariot stopped at the gates of Hastinapur. Her sisters, Ambika and Ambalika had been escorted into the royal palace amidst much fanfare and the maids stood waiting for her to alight from the chariot. ‘I have given my heart to King Shalya,’ she cried, ‘I cannot accept Vichitraveerya as my husband.’

Bhishma looked at the beautiful Amba, and he could not bear to see her cry. He realized how wrong it would be to love one and marry another. ‘I will take you back to your beloved’, he said, as he gestured for the maids to go away, and turned his chariot towards the Madra kingdom.

As the horses raced through the forests, the wind blew Amba’s fragrant hair all across Bhishma’s face. As he inhaled the perfume, he was momentarily filled with a deep attraction towards this woman. Their eyes met briefly and she caught his gaze. Suddenly, realizing how wrong it was to feel that way for a woman committed to another, he stepped away so that he would not be tempted thus again.

Amba looked at Bhishma’s broad shoulders, attracted to the rich baritone of his voice, and considered how he had readily agreed to her wishes, and for a moment found herself thinking, If Bhishma had abducted me for himself rather than the revolting Vichitraveerya, maybe I would have gladly married him. 
Then, suddenly ashamed of these thoughts passing through her mind, she chided herself, How dare you think of another, when your beloved Shalya is waiting for you.’

Bhishma left her at Shalya’s kingdom and rode away, but Shalya refused to accept Amba and sent her away. Heartbroken, Amba called for an audience with Bhishma. She did not want to marry Vichitraveerya and Shalya would not marry her. It was really Bhishma that she wanted to marry.

‘Oh, Great king Bhishma, Shalya refused to marry me, and since you abducted me, I am now your responsibility’, she said, hoping Bhishma would agree to marry her. She remembered his longing gaze as her hair flew across his face. His feelings were not lost on her. 

Bhishma did not know what to say. King Vichitraveerya had passed away as soon as he was married. Amba could no longer be married off to his cousin. He looked at the beautiful maiden in front of him. There were tears in her almond shaped eyes and she looked longingly at him. He knew he had wronged her by abducting her thus, and now it would be his responsibility to be her protector. 

He looked into her eyes and this time allowed them to penetrate his soul. A part of him wanted to embrace her and wrap his strong arms around her. He knew that she was his destiny. But then he remembered his vow

In another life, he would have been King and he would gladly have made her his queen. In another life, they would have been happy together and raised many children, and watched their kingdom and children prosper. In another life…but not this one. And then he sadly looked away.

‘I am bound by a vow of celibacy I gave my mother Satyavati, I can never marry. I can never become king.’

As much as Amba tried to convince him, he would not budge.  The love that had flowered between them was gratuitous, something that was not meant to be. It was a love story of two unfortunate people, beautiful and god-like in their own way, and the romance that blossomed between them, never bloomed into its full flourish.


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Falling in love with someone you shouldn't, that isn't so uncommon. And, however brief the duration of the romance, it does sting your heart and leave a scar.

Linking back to the A to Z Challenge.

This day..last year....G for Giving

35 comments:

  1. This was an interesting read. Mahabharata is my absolute favorite epic. I was not aware of love blossoming between Bheeshma and Amba. Thanks for sharing. :)
    *Shantala @ ShanayaTales*

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    1. I guess it was tooooo brief to merit a mention anywhere! thanks for reading!

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  2. It's hard to accept the fact that someone isn't the right love match, and to have to walk away from that person. One never forgets these ill-fated loves.

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    1. Oh, absolutely! love is love, whether brief or forever!

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  3. Such a heartbreaking tale, isn't it? There is a reason I love this epic, for the closeness it has to reality even today. Such a layered set of emotions.

    *Shailaja/Alternate Angles/A-Z*

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    1. it is said that every emotion, every kindof person, every kind of relationship, whatever there is in this world, you will find it in the Mahabharata!

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  4. Love the historical take you took on what seems to be such a common / modern problem at first glance. :-)
    My link: http://www.devikafernando.com/blog/blogging-from-a-to-z-challenge-letter-g-good-enough

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  5. I wonder why people fall in love even when they know it's just not meant to be. Maybe that's the pull of the heart. But Bhishma was a man of his words. Tragic story of unrequited love.

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    1. there's no control over whom you will fall in love...the rationalisation comes much later!

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  6. In another life he would have..... brought tears to my eyes. You have a gft m:)

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  7. I had no idea about the love that was between Amba and Bhishma, however short it might have been! Sigh1 If only Bhishma was not duty bound!

    God is a Gamer

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    1. Yea...if he wasn't bound by duty...how different would have been the epic!

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  8. Now I was unaware of the love between Bhishma and Amba. I thought she was so angry with him that she vowed to be the cause of his destruction But I like your version better :)

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    1. She was...I guess his refusal fuelled the anger and finally to the vengeance she held against him!

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  9. That was so beautifully written. I've always believed that Satyavati and her dad were the ones who ruined Bhishma's life. Had they not enforced celibacy upon him, how different the Mahabharata would have been.

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    1. Right...maybe the whole war thing would never have happened! her father's decision changed the course of history...though I'm not sure Satyavati played a part in it..

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  10. Awww... sad. This whole story is sad...

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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  11. So sad and touching. It is women who have paid the price for all the miscalculations of man.

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  12. Piognant story beautifully express. Yes sometimes a brief romance leaves big scars on your soul.
    Your theme seems to be stories from Mahabharata?

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    1. Yes Shesha...little known stories from the Mahabharata that are about love and related emotions...thanks!

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    2. That is amazing. Initially I too had plans to share Indian stories for A to Z. But I got involved in other things and hence couldn't take much time to prepare for A to Z. However reading you here has made me actually happy that someone is doing so. There is so much literature in our texts to learn from... :) Keep up the good work!

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  13. Interesting one. Some love stories are like this.

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  14. Lovely story Little Princess, presented so beautifully. Poor Bheeshma. I always wondered. It's all okay to take an oath. But maintaining it over a few centuries must have been terrible. He was born a normal red-blooded male after all. Feel so bad for him and Amba. Then, of course, she became the woman scorned....

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    1. I almost forgot how old the bard might have been!! few centuries..surely...like u said!

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  15. A complex tale of love and I feel sad for Bheesma, to be stuck in such vows which reflects in our society. Love the crisp narration:)

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    1. Probably he felt the need for love but he stuck to his vows...

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  16. This one, I remember hearing/reading before, but, I liked your version better. YOu've portrayed it beautifully.

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  17. Some things are never meant to be!! :|

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At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person..deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within me!! your comments will be appreciated..

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