Amba was wandering in a forest after she was rejected by her
relatives and Rama. She met a stranger, but she did not want to talk. The
stranger was Parashurama, a mighty hero.
“I can feel your sorrow. Why are you so sad?” Parashurama
asked Amba.
Amba was immersing herself in the sorrow, so she did not
recognize Parashurama. However she told Parashurama her story unconsciously. After
listening to her story, Parashurama became very angry. He told Amba that he
will defeat Bhishma and force him to marry Amba.
Bhishma and Parashurama started their fight in a wasteland. The
fight attracted many audiences including some gods. But the fight is very
strange; they cannot hurt each other as they knew how they would fight in a
battle. Finally gods stopped their fight since the fight could last forever if
they continued. Parashurama then stormed out of the battle, leaving Amba.
“Bhishma is too powerful! I cannot defeat him,” Amba said
sadly.
Suddenly Amba came up with an idea; she decided to do asceticism.
“I cannot defeat Bhishma by myself, but I can prey to gods.
If gods help me, Bhishma will die for sure,” Amba regained confidence and
started her asceticism.
Amba suffered pains and trials for years. When she was about
to give up, Shiva appeared.
“Your iron will impress me, Amba. What do you want?” said
Shiva.
“I want to become a man, a warrior powerful enough to kill
Bhishma!” Amba yelled to Shiva.
“I cannot do this for you in this life. What about I grant
you the strength to kill Bhishma in your next life? You will be born as a girl
but you will become a boy short after you birth,” Shiva suggested.
“So be it, dear Shiva. Thank you for your mercy.”
“I love destruction more than mercy. I am ready to watch a
vengeance show!” Shiva smiled and said.
Amba wanted to kill Bhishma so much that she jumped into
fire and ended her life. As promised, Amba, who is now Shikhandi, was born for
Bhishma’s death. Shikhandi, however, could not remember anything from previous
life. The fate led her to the designated ending; she was exiled and trained as
a great warrior. As she grew up, Shikhandi became a man.
Few years after, Shikhandi’s chance came. In the Kurukshetra
War, Shikhandi lastly faced Bhishma. However, Shikhandi was like a shield for
Arjuna; when Shikhandi stand before Arjuna, Bhishma could not hurt Arjuna. As a
result, Arjuna finally defeated Bhishma with the great help from Shikhandi.
When Shikhandi saw Bhishma’s death, he felt a strange fatigue.
Shikhandi felt like he finished a great mission but he did not know what it is.
Unexpectedly Shikhandi fainted at the moment when Bhishma’s soul went to
heaven. When Shikhandi woke up, he could not call anything about Bhishma.
“Only now can Amba really die in peace and pleasure,” Shiva appeared
and disappeared quietly in the sky above the battle ground.
Author’s Note:
Amba was not a main character in the epics but she was
important for Bhishma. She had an unfortunate life because of Bhishma. Though
Bhishma could not take all the responsibility for her situation, Amba viewed Bhishma
as a primary reason. As a result, Amba tried to kill Bhishma at no cost, even
with her life. During the Kurukshetra War, Amba fulfilled her destiny when Shikhandi
helped Arjuna kill Bhishma.
Biography:
Amba’s story was indeed a sad one. It’s so interesting seeing how strong of a motivation vengeance is for some characters that it crosses over from one life to the next. It also reminds of Eowyn from Lord of the Rings who helped in slaying the witch king because of the fact she was a women. I wonder if J.R.R. Tolkien drew inspiration for his character from her?
ReplyDeleteWow! This story kept me on the edge of my seat while reading it. I agree with Brynn, Amba's story was sad when I first read it. I am glad that you focused on Amba because I did think that her character was very important and that she played a role in Bhishma character also. Good Job this week!
ReplyDeleteI really like this focus on Amba. I think that it adds a lot to the story. I think that you did a good job condensing such a long story into something that is manageable. I have trouble envisioning myself as someone else because who I am is because of what I am, but if I hated someone so much I would trade my life for their death I guess what I am would not matter so much.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about Amba. Like you said, she wasn't a major character in the story, but her tale is just so compelling. She also highlights some important themes like reincarnation and karma. I enjoyed your story and I think you did a good job of expanding on what we knew about Amba and Shikhandi. Good job!
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