Rihanna created a huge uproar in India after she tweeted on farmers' protests on Monday.

Rihanna has become a topic of discussion across the nation after her tweet on farmers' protest where she lent support to them. This is not the first time, the pop icon became a topic of discussion, her list of controversies are known to the world. Rihanna, multiple times have found herself in a tongue-tied situation and even issued an apology for a few.

Meanwhile, "Why arent we talking about this?!" Rihanna said in a Twitter post, sharing a CNN article on the demonstrations with her 100.9 million followers on the platform, using the hashtag #FarmersProtest.

Check out a few of Rihanna's controversies which created headlines below:

1/5

Back in 2013, Rihanna did a photoshoot at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi. However, as per reports, the pop star was asked to leave after she clicked a few 'inappropriate photos'. A statement issued by the Grand Mosque Centre read as "She was confronted by the mosque officials and directed to the appropriate entrance to the mosque, to carry out a visit under the normal conditions."

2/5

Just before the Grammys in 2009, the then-couple Rihanna and Chris Brown had an ugly fight in which the latter physically assaulted her. In a documentary, Chris had narrated the incident by stating, "Like I remember she tried to kick me, just like her beating shit, but then I really hit her. With a closed fist, like I punched her, and it busted her lip, and when I saw it I was in shock, I was fu*k, why did I hit her like that? So from there, shesspitting blood in my face, it raised me even more. Its a real fight in the car, and we driving in the street."

Her photos after the assault emerged on the Internet and their ugly breakup became a topic of discussion across the globe.

3. When Rihanna apologised to play an Islamic song at Savage X Fenty lingerie show

3/5

During the launch of her brand Savage X Fenty lingerie show, the event had song 'Doom' being played which has a Muslim text called Hadith in it. This did not go well with people and they called her out immediately.

Soon after, Rihanna issued an apology with a statement which read as "I'd like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage x Fenty show. I would, more importantly, like to apologise to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I'm incredibly disheartened by this! I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible! Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding."

4/5

Many people thought Rihanna and Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' glamourised domestic violence. People slammed the singer after she became the victim of physical violence in the hands of her ex-beau Chris Brown.

5/5

Rihanna's tattoo inked in Sanskrit is on her hip and is a text from Bhagavad Gita which roughly translates to 'forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control'. However, many pointed out that the tattoo is spelt wrong.

[All photos via File Photo & Instagram (@badgalriri)]

See the original post:

From cultural appropriation to Sanskrit tattoo, times when Rihanna created controversies - DNA India

International pop artist Rihanna has been the trending name on Indian Twitter since she posted about the ongoing farmers' protest. Quoting a CNN article, that talked about internet blockage in several districts on the borders of Delhi following violence after the Republic Day tractor rally, the popstar wrote, "why arent we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest".

This tweet by Rihanna immediately created a buzz on social media, with actor Kangana Ranaut calling her a 'fool'. This isn't the first time when Rihanna's tweet on a political issue has generated reactions. Previously, Rihanna had also landed in a controversy for tweeting #FreePalestine, which was swiftly deleted after it started to stir the twitter-verse. She later followed up the tweet with a plea for peace and hope that Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolves soon.

Rihanna, who is one of the most popular pop artists in the world, has had a chequered past. She has often landed in controversies for disrespecting religious sentiments, her music videos filled with sexual innuendoes and sending an incorrect message about domestic abuse.

One of the most recent of such controversies is where Rihanna had to apologise for playing an Islamic song at her Savage X Fenty lingerie show. Media reports claim that the song, titled 'Doom' included a Muslim text called Hadith, which is reportedly the 'most sacred and religious text of Muslims' and is the 'written record of action and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad and his closest companions'. She received tremendous backlash on social media for using the song and had to later apologise for the 'irresponsible' decision to use it, and called it an 'honest yet careless mistake.'

Apart from that, another thing that surely has a mistake in it, are the tattoo-ed words of Bhagavad Gita on Rihanna's hip. Experts have previously pointed out that Rihanna's Sanskrit tattoo, the first part of which means, 'forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control' has been written incorrectly.

Rihanna had also faced flak online for posing in front of Abu Dhabis Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and doing a sultry photoshoot there. Media reports claim that the mosque management asked her to leave after it became apparent that some of the photographs she took were not in compliance with the terms of the mosque.

While Rihanna's music videos garner attention, there are some which were banned for taking things a little too far. In France, for instance, the pop star's song 'We Found Love' was banned for being a little too raunchy', while her video S&M was banned in eleven countries for its sexual innuendos.

However, it was the video of Bitch Better Have My Money that divided feminists across the world, and stirred a fierce debate about feminism, violence and race. One of her most popular songs, Love The Way You Lie, was also panned by many critics for lyrics like 'I Like The Way It Hurts' as many thought that it was inappropriate on Rihanna's part (who herself has been a victim of domestic abuse) to glorify abuse in a song.

Read the rest here:

Rihanna Has A History Of Creating Trouble: Hurting Religious Sentiments To Getting Banned - News18

Balochistan: Voices of the underdog Business Standard Book review of The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials

Topics Bibek Debroy|Bhagavad Gita|BOOK REVIEW

Bibek Debroy has by now secured for himself a premier position in any ranking of those who have translated Indias ancient Hindu texts from Sanskrit to English. In the last decade and a half, Mr Debroy has produced eminently readable and easily accessible translations of the Bhagavadgita, the Mahabharata (ten volumes), Harivamsha, the Ramayana (three volumes), the Bhagavata Purana (three volumes) and the Markandeya Purana. By any yardstick, this is a stupendous achievement.

But these translations had one limitation. They were not really for the uninitiated. In spite of their ...

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First Published: Tue, January 19 2021. 23:42 IST

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Decoding the Bhagavadgita - Business Standard

Board of Directors of the City of Hot Springs (Arkansas), for the first time since its incorporation in 1851, will start its day with Hindu mantras on February 16, containing verses from worlds oldest extant scripture.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures remotely before Hot Springs Board of Directors. After Sanskrit delivery, he then will read the English interpretation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, will recite fromRig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use; besides lines fromUpanishadsandBhagavad-Gita(Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He plans to start and end the prayer with Om, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Reciting fromBrahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed plans to say Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor ma amratam gamaya; which he will then interpret as Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality. Reciting fromBhagavad-Gita, he proposes to urge board members and others present to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

Zed, a global Hindu, and interfaith leader has been bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award. Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy,on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project, etc. He has been panellist for On Faith, a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced by The Washington Post; and produces a weekly multi-faith panel Faith Forum in a Gannett publication for over nine years.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

Resort city of Hot Springs, set among several natural hot springs, is located in the Diamond Lakes region of the scenic Ouachita Mountains; and houses the boyhood home of former US President Bill Clinton. Pat McCabe and Bill Burrough are Mayor and City Manager, respectively.

See more here:

Hindu prayer to open Hot Springs Board in Arkansas for the 1st time in 170 years - Goa Chronicle - Goa Chronicle

Dr. Shaiv Kapadia with James River Cardiology

Title: Cardiovascular specialist at James River Cardiology

Education: Bachelors degree in behavioral biology, Johns Hopkins University, 1985; medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, 1989

Career: Cardiologist with Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, 1996-2008; cardiologist with Bon Secours, 2008-2020; chief medical officer and co-founder, Iggbo, 2015-2018

Where in the metro area do you live: Henrico County

Best business decision: To fail fast from two startups and not become the dreaded startup zombie.

Mistake you learned the most from: Taking money early in the startup cycle from nonstrategic investors and losing control of the company. Lessons learned: Be lean and scrappy, and take money from venture capitalists only when you really need it to scale.

What is the biggest challenge/opportunity for you in the next two to five years: The next opportunity with Dr K 3.0 (1.0=private practice, 2.0=employed model), is to reimagine the care delivery experience, one that is proactive, preventative, personalized and participatory.

Continue reading here:

Getting to know: Dr. Shaiv Kapadia with James River Cardiology - Richmond.com

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office Wednesday using Bibles that are laden with personal meaning, writing new chapters in a long-running American tradition and one that appears nowhere in law.

The Constitution does not require the use of a specific text for swearing-in ceremonies and specifies only the wording of the presidents oath. That wording does not include the phrase so help me God, but every modern president has appended it to his oath, and most have chosen symbolically significant Bibles for their inaugurations.

That includes Biden, who plans to use the same family Bible that he chose for his two swearing-in ceremonies as vice president and the seven oaths he took as senator from Delaware.

The tome, which is several inches thick and which Bidens late son, Beau, also used when he was sworn in as Delaware attorney general, has been a family heirloom since 1893, and every important date is in there, Biden told late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert last month.

Why is your Bible bigger than mine? Do you have more Jesus than I do? quipped Colbert, who, like Biden, is a practicing Roman Catholic.

Bidens use of his family Bible underscores the prominent role that his faith has played in his personal and professional lives and will continue to do so as he becomes only the second Catholic president in history, after John F. Kennedy Jr.

He follows in the tradition of many other presidents who used family-owned Bibles to take their oaths, including Ronald Reagan and Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Some have had their Bibles opened to personally relevant passages during their ceremonies. Bill Clinton, for example, chose Isaiah 58:12 which urges the devout to be a repairer of the breach for his second inauguration after a first term marked by political fights with conservatives.

Others took their oaths on closed Bibles, including Kennedy, who in 1961 used his familys century-old tome with a large cross on the front, similar to Bidens.

The tradition of using a Bible dates as far back as the presidency itself; the holy book used by George Washington later went on display at the Smithsonian Institution on loan from the Masonic lodge that provided it in 1789. Washingtons Bible was later used for the oaths by Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush.

But not every president has used a Bible. Theodore Roosevelt took his 1901 oath without one after the death of William McKinley, while John Quincy Adams used a law book in 1825, according to his own account.

Some have employed multiple Bibles during their ceremonies: Both Barack Obama and Donald Trump chose to use, among others, the copy that Abraham Lincoln used in 1861.

Harris plans to do the same for her vice presidential oath, using a Bible owned by a close family friend and one that belonged to the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Harris has spoken of her admiration of Marshall, a fellow Howard University graduate and trailblazer in government as the high courts first African American justice.

When I raise my right hand and take the oath of office tomorrow, I carry with me two heroes whod speak up for the voiceless and help those in need, Harris tweeted Tuesday, referring to Marshall and friend Regina Shelton, whose Bible she swore on when becoming attorney general of California and later senator.

Harris, who attended both Baptist and Hindu services as a child, worships as a Baptist as an adult.

While U.S. lawmakers have typically used Bibles for their oaths, some have chosen alternatives that reflect their religious diversity.

Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, in 2007 used a Koran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson, prompting objections from some Christian conservatives.

Jeffersons Koran made a return in 2019 at the swearing-in ceremony of Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) chose a Hebrew Bible in 2005 to reflect her Jewish faith. Newly elected incoming Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is also Jewish and who will be sworn in Wednesday, plans to use Hebrew scripture belonging to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, an ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) opted for the Bhagavad Gita in 2013 after becoming the first Hindu elected to Congress.

And Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the only member of the current Congress who identifies as religiously unaffiliated, took her oath on the Constitution in 2018.

Read the original:

Inauguration Day: Biden to take oath on his family Bible - Los Angeles Times

Human beings have since time immemorial been plagued with confounding questions about the purpose of life.

With the rapid advancement in technology and medical sciences leading to the longevity quotient of human life, a lot of times people lose the meaning of life midway.Like a batsman who is accustomed to playing T-20, when suddenly exposed to the longer format of tests, gets confused how to pace his innings, we too get stuck in a limbo.

But there is a very easy method to gauge how and where youve reached in life, and to ensure that you find the purpose of life and lead a happy one.

There are many books that one turns to; in order to find the meaning of life, I too have a few favourites and one among them is the Bhagavad Gita. If we human beings follow a pre-ordained path, i.e., set by someone else, we may find success but will that make us happy, is altogether another question. We need to make mistakes and should have the ability to rework our pathways; this will make us stronger. Similar to how a rigorous workout session breaks our muscles and in repairing the damage the muscles develop shape and strength.

Hence, to each man himself is the correct mantra. You may learn from the mistakes others have made and try to set your path to success and happiness but you need to be the captain of your own ship to set your path and achieve happiness. The secret to leading a happy life can be decoded by following a few simple steps:

Look into the doubts which plague your life

Many a time when we live life in motion, we ignore the bumps or shortcuts we take in order to move on in life. One needs to hit a pause to check whether the turns and brakes applied are naturally in course of your life or not.

Once you encounter doubts, dont be afraid but rather look into them and try to resolve those doubts. Imagine you are an HR professional who has been into talent acquisitions for more than a decade and you arent sure if what you have been doing is correct for you moving forward. In such a case take a pause and try resolving this query, you may end up with a very creative result which may help fuel your life ahead more fruitfully.

Are you looking for the right thing in the wrong place?

Example: Can you find the mistake in this statement? India is the second most populous country in the world. If you are, then one needs to realign ones vision but after taking off the coloured glasses of your eyes. Many a time even the simplest questions confound us because we arent able to find answers to them. Shyam was about to be married working in a big IT firm. He drove his bike every day 30 miles to and from his job. This used to eat away approximately an hour and a half of his life in commute daily. Shyam thought of buying a car or maybe a bike with better mileage but it took a simple query from a little girl for him to realise he was looking at this problem incorrectly. All she asked was, Will you be shifting to a new house after your marriage?

Its easy to love life and not think about it. Have you also fallen into the trap of Hurry, Worry and then being Sorry?

If yes, then take a break and ascertain what you hold near to your lifes vision, what makes you grateful for it. A loving person lives in a loving world while a hostile one lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet in this world is in reality ones own mirror reflection.

Think how you usually react to the challenges of the world. You will agree that all of us react in different ways when any sort of pressure befalls us.

Under pressure, a potato falls apart; a piece of cotton becomes hard; a piece of coal becomes a diamond. Remember, grapes must be crushed to make wine, olives are pressed to release oil and seeds always grow in darkness. In life whenever you feel crushed or under pressure, pressed or in darkness, you are actually in a powerful place of transformation, one may call this process transmutation. A reaction which leads one towards the positive part of life.

Find a guru/mentor, someone who can guide you by showing you the correct path he/she has led to reach a certain state in life.

It is said that men do not shape destiny but it is destiny which shapes a man. If you find the right guru, you can model your life aligned with their vision and achievements. Their path becomes yours albeit for a short while. The destiny of a man is in his own soul and the secret to leading a happy life is to just enjoy the journey. Make sure to keep checking every once in a while, if your ship is on the right course or not, by following the five steps mentioned above.

In life whenever you feel crushed or under pressure, pressed or in darkness, you areactually in a powerful place of transformation

Sheetal Nair is anauthor and storyteller

Continued here:

Secret to leading a happy life - The New Indian Express

More News 25 Jan 2021 | 11:24 PM

Bengaluru, Jan 25(UNI) Karnataka has registered 375 fresh cases of the COVID-19 disease, taking the total number of people infected from the coronavirus so far to 9,36,426 on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25 (UNI) Covid-19 was detected in 6,960 persons in Kerala on Saturday while 5,283 patients have recovered from the disease, Health Minister KK Shailaja said.

Hubballi, 25 Jan (UNI) Former Chief Minister and currently Karnataka Minister for Major and Medium Industries, Mr Jagadish Shettar asked the Farmers in the State to let the recently introduced Agricultural Producers Market Act Test run for Two years and if the results are negative and proved against the interest of the Farmers, the Government will withdraw the legislation.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25 (UNI) Kerala Minister for Dairy Development Adv K Raju on Monday said the state government will take necessary steps to safeguard the interests of the youngsters and NRIS, who enter the dairy sector for the first time.

Puducherry, Jan 25 (UNI) Exodus from the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has started with PWD minister A Namasivayam and legislator E Thepainthan tendering their resignation shaking the stability of the V Narayanasamy government in the union territory.

View post:

Constitutional crisis in AP: Dr Chinta Mohan - United News of India

WASHINGTON Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took their oaths of office on Wednesday using Bibles that are laden with personal meaning, writing new chapters in a long-running American tradition and one that appears nowhere in the law.

The Constitution does not require the use of a specific text for swearing-in ceremonies and specifies only the wording of the presidents oath. That wording does not include the phrase so help me God, but every modern president has appended it to their oaths and most have chosen symbolically significant Bibles for their inaugurations.

That includes Biden, who used the same family Bible he has used twice when swearing in as vice president and seven times as senator from Delaware.

The book, several inches thick, and which his late son Beau also used when swearing in as Delaware attorney general, has been a family heirloom since 1893 and every important date is in there, Biden told late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert last month.

Why is your Bible bigger than mine? Do you have more Jesus than I do? quipped Colbert, who like Biden is a practicing Catholic.

Bidens use of his family Bible underscores the prominent role his faith has played in his personal and professional lives and will continue to do so as he becomes the second Catholic president in U.S. history.

He follows in a tradition of many other presidents who used family-owned scriptures to take their oaths, including Ronald Reagan and Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Some have had their Bibles opened to personally relevant passages during their ceremonies. Bill Clinton, for example, chose Isaiah 58:12 which urges the devout to be a repairer of the breach for his second inauguration after a first term marked by political schisms with conservatives.

Others took their oaths on closed Bibles, like John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, who in 1961 used his familys century-old tome with a large cross on the front, similar to Bidens.

The tradition of using a Bible dates as far back as the presidency itself, with the holy book used by George Washington later appearing on exhibit at the Smithsonian on loan from the Masonic lodge that provided it in 1789. Washingtons Bible was later used for the oaths by Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush.

The Columbian is becoming a rare example of a news organization with local, family ownership. Subscribe today to support local journalism and help us to build a stronger community.

But not every president has used a Bible. Theodore Roosevelt took his 1901 oath without one after the death of William McKinley, while John Quincy Adams used a law book in 1825, according to his own account.

Some have employed multiple Bibles during their ceremonies: Both Barack Obama and Donald Trump chose to use, along with others, the copy that Abraham Lincoln was sworn in on in 1861.

Harris did the same for her vice-presidential oath, using a Bible owned by a close family friend and one that belonged to the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Harris has spoken of her admiration of Marshall, a fellow Howard University graduate and trailblazer in government as the high courts first African American justice.

When I raise my right hand and take the oath of office tomorrow, I carry with me two heroes whod speak up for the voiceless and help those in need, Harris tweeted Tuesday, referring to Marshall and friend Regina Shelton, whose Bible she swore on when becoming attorney general of California and later senator.

Harris, who attended both Baptist and Hindu services as a child, worships in the Baptist faith as an adult.

While U.S. lawmakers have typically used Bibles for their oaths, some have chosen alternatives that reflect their religious diversity.

Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, in 2007 used a Quran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson, prompting objections from some Christian conservatives.

Jeffersons Quran made a return in 2019 at the oath for Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., chose a Hebrew Bible in 2005 to reflect her Jewish faith. Newly elected Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is also Jewish and who swears in Wednesday, used Hebrew scripture belonging to Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, an ally of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, opted for the Bhagavad Gita in 2013 after becoming the first Hindu elected to Congress.

Go here to see the original:

Biden bible in line with tradition - The Columbian

In my beginning is my end. [1] These words of TS Eliots have a certain resonance when one looks at the career of Bhishma in the Mahabharata. Bhisma had a life before his arrival on earth. The story goes that while returning from Brahmaloka, Ganga came upon the eight heavenly Vasu gods who were all in a terrible state. When she enquired, the gods told her that for a minor offence the maharishi Vashistha had put a curse on them. By this curse, they would have to be born as humans.

They pleaded with Ganga to be their mother. She agreed and said that they would be born out of the union between her and Santanu, the son of Prateep, the king of the Kuru dynasty. The gods agreed and they told Ganga that as soon as they were born, she should throw them into the river to die. But Gangas condition was that one of them would have to live so that her union with Santanu would not be in vain. (Mbh: Adi parva, adhyaya 91: slokas: 18-19).

Ganga thus married Santanu on the condition, agreed to by the latter, that he would not ever stop her from doing anything. Out of this marriage eight sons were born; seven of the sons Ganga drowned in the river much to the dismay of Santanu. When Ganga tried to drown the eighth son, Santanu stopped her. Ganga reminded Santanu of his pledge, and left him. (Mbh: Adi parva: adhyaya 92: slokas: 34-55).

The epic further revealed that this son was Dyaus Vasu and that Vashistha had said that he would be a mahatma, and that there would be no one like him on earth: he would be dharmic, learned in all the shastras, a favourite of his father, and would give up sexual contact with women. (Mbh: Adi parva: adhyaya 93: slokas: 39-40). This son grew up to be called Devavrata and Gangeya. (Mbh: Adi parva: adhyaya 93: sloka: 47).

One day, he found that his father was forlorn and uninterested in everything. On enquiry, he discovered that while out hunting Santanu had been smitten by a fishermans daughter called Satyavati. Santanu had visited her father and sought Satyavatis hand in marriage.

The father agreed in principle but he put forward one condition. He said that Santanu would have to agree to make the son that would be born from this marriage as his successor to the throne. Santanu could not agree to this condition and hence his lovelorn state.

On learning this Devavrata proceeded with an entourage to seek out the fisherman. In the presence of all his companions, he made two promises to the fisherman. One was that he would never ascend the throne; and second that he would take the pledge of brahmacharya, and thus remain celibate all his life so there would be no sons who could claim the throne. On hearing these promises, the fisherman agreed to give his daughter to Santanu as a bride.

The sacrifice that these promises contained impressed even the inhabitants of paradise, who rained flowers and declared that henceforward Devavrata would be known as Bhishma. When Santanu came to know what had transpired he blessed Bhishma with the words, As long as you want to live, you will not die. Death will come to you only with your permission. Bhishma thus acquired the power of ichhamrityu the power to die when he wished to die. (Mbh: Adi parva: adhyaya 94: slokas: 60-103).

Bhishma, even as a young man, was a unique individual. He had agency over death the one thing that is inevitable in life. The power to die only when he wished to die is only a step behind immortality since theoretically Bhishma may not have wanted to die. There is an interplay here between agency and predestination. He had come to earth under the curse and blessing of Vashistha; he had survived because of Gangas wish. All these had been pre-scripted for him. But he had control over what was inevitable for all humans. Death would come to Bhishma only when summoned by Bhishma.

Given his age and his position in the Kuru dynasty as Santanus first born, Bhishma was the eminence grise in the court of Dhritarashtra at Hastinapur. This is an important point because Bhishma had no blood ties with Dhritarashtra. Bhishma is Santanus son; and Dhritarashtra was sired by Vyasa. Because of his position and because he was a warrior par excellence, Bhishma was the natural first choice to lead the Kaurava troops at Kurukshetra.

In the very beginning of this parva in fact even before the description of the battle has begun - a downcast Sanjaya brings to Dhritarashtra the news that Bhishma is nihata. The statement is unequivocal and reiterated in the next sloka with the words, The son of Santanu, Bhishma is nihata. The word nihata is repeated. (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya 13: slokas: 1-3). This raises two problems.

One, why announce Bhishmas death even before the description of the battle has begun? Kaliprasanna Sinha, who, in the second half of the nineteenth century, translated the epic into Bengali prose taking it sloka by sloka not only recognised this problem but addressed it in a footnote. Sinha wrote that on hearing the news that Bhishma was nihata, a surprised Dhritarashtra asked Sanjaya to narrate to him the details of the battle. Hence the first sloka of the Bhagavad Gita.

Thus, according to Sinha, the announcement anticipates the Gita (Sinha: i: 879). This explanation is plausible as a narrative device since it helps to understand the insertion of the Gita at this juncture Dhritarashtras question about what is going in Kurukshetra, followed by Sanjayas description, which begins with the Gita.

The issue becomes more complicated as the narrative progresses and readers are presented with a graphic description of the battle on the tenth day of the war. The epic says on that day, pierced by arrows all over his body the arrows left a space of only two fingers between them Bhishma contemplated that this was the right moment to die and the rishis and the vasus in the sky concurred with him (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya:14; slokas: 34-37).

He continued to fight a little longer but soon fell from his chariot. The arrows stuck in his body did not allow his body to touch the ground, and so Bhishma lay on a bed of arrows. He realised that this was that time of the year when the sun was in the south and it was not the best moment to die. He heard the same message from heaven and announced that I am alive and I will wait for the sun to journey to the north. (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya:14; slokas: 97-102.)

Bhishma asserts that he has the definite freedom to choose the time of his death. (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya: 14; sloka: 109). But Sanjaya, while reporting this incident to Dhritarashtra, says that after Bhishma had been slain (nihata), the sons of Dhritarashtra did not know what to do (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya: 14: slokas: 112-114). The word nihata is repeated again in sloka 122; and in adhyaya 15 in slokas 3 and 5. In sloka 6 the verb killed (badh) is used.

Within a space of a few slokas, the Mahabharata is making two different and contradictory statements. According to Bhishma himself he is alive and has chosen his time of death. But the epic is also saying that he is nihata. He is alive since we hear him asking for a pillow, asking for water, advising Duryodhona and counselling Karna.

Later on in the Mahabharata, in the Santi and Anushasana parvas, he instructs Yudhishthira on kingship or rajadharma. So why the repeated use of the word nihata? The word recurs so many times in the context of Bhisma, as recounted above, it cannot be written off as a slip spots on the text as it were.

A simple lexicographical solution offers itself. Apte in his dictionary gives the following meanings of nihata: Struck down, smitten, killed, slain (Apte:1957-59). It is possible to argue that the epic is using the word nihata in the sense of struck down or smitten and not in the sense of killed and slain. Such a reading would solve the puzzle at the cost of diminishing the richness of what the epic is trying to convey.

Slokas 95 and 96 in the 14th adhyaya says that after Bhishma fell from his chariot, he was enveloped by the ambience of heaven (svargia bhava) and that the clouds brought forth rain and there was an earthquake. Such a phenomenon would suggest that this was not just a fall of any very powerful warrior, but more than that it was the fall of an extraordinary figure, maybe even a suprahuman one.

This suggestion is strengthened by Sanjayas report to Dhritarashtra that Bhishma, on the bed of arrows following yoga, began to chant (jap) the maha upanishad (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya 14: sloka: 125). Moreover, the epic says that after learning that Bhishma would wait to die till the sun began its northward journey, his mother Ganga, the daughter of Himalaya, sent the maharishis, as swans, to Bhishma.

The maharishis asked: why would a mahatma like Bhisma depart for the next life when the sun was in the south? Hearing this, Bhishma looked at them and after some thought told them: As long the sun is in the south I will by no means go to the next life. This is what is in my mind. (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya:14: slokas: 102-107).

In this context it is worth noting that when Bhishma, lying on his bed of arrows, asked for water, various kinds of food and potable items were brought to him. Seeing all these, Bhishma remarked, Now I am no longer in a position to accept any items belonging to the human world. I have been delivered from the human world, I am on a bed of arrows and waiting for the sun and the moon to alter their movements. I will drink heavenly water, not earthly water. And it is heavenly water that Arjuna provides to Bhishma (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya:16: slokas: 10-25).

The description that his body did not fall to the ground but was propped up above the ground by arrows is perhaps the epics way of indicating metaphorically that Bhishma was no longer connected with the earth, he was above the earth but he still had not attained paradise. It is possible that the word nihata was used to signify that he was no longer a part of the material world. But the epic could not kill Bhishma because he had agency over his own death.

Bhishmas last moments in the world of humans are narrated at the end of the Anushasana parva. Here we learn that when Yudhishthira saw that the sun was making its way north, he with all his brothers and relatives travelled to where Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows. After exchanging greetings, Bhishma tells Yudhishthira that he had been on the bed of arrows for fifty-eight days and these had seemed like a hundred years to him (Mbh: Anushasana parva: adhyaya: 145: sloka: 27).

It would not be unfair to read this as an admission on Bhishmas part that he had suffered and felt pain as any human being would. A part of him, it would appear, is still anchored in the world of human beings. But the suprahuman dimension of his existence is reiterated in the description of his death or departure from this world. The relevant slokas say that the unshackled wind of Bhishmas life travelled upwards. Everyone, including Vyasa and other rishis who were present, was astonished to witness this.

Then Bhisma began to rid himself of his limbs and through the power of yoga each of his limbs became free of arrows. Within a short time his body became free of arrows, much to the wonder of even Vyasa and Krishna. Then his life spirit broke through his head and flew into the sky and disappeared. Thus, the epic says, the greatest of the Bharata lineage merged with Time. The gods rained flowers and beat drums (Mbh: Anushasana parva: adhyaya: 146: slokas: 2-11).

It is also worth noting that as in the case of all human beings, the passing of a son was mourned by the mother. Ganga, Bhishmas mother, mourned him and was inconsolable. She asked how he could be slain by Shikhandi the word nihata reappears here in the mouth of Ganga. Vyasa and Krishna consoled her and explained to Ganga that it was Arjuna who had slain (again nihata) Bhishma following kshatriyadharma on the battlefield (Mbh: Anushasana parva: adhyaya: 146: slokas: 23-32).

We are thus not free of the conundrum of how a person who is declared to be nihata so many times, including by his own mother, was alive for 58 days and had been able to provide long disquisitions on aspects of ruling, kingship, dharma and so on through two of the longest parvas, save the Adi parva, of the epic the Santi and the Anushasana parvas.

The only plausible explanation seems to accept that Bhishma is not entirely human. He was originally one of the Vasu gods Dyaus Vasu who had come to earth in human form under a curse and a blessing of Vashistha. As a god he cannot die, as a human he is mortal. This paradox is resolved in the epic by bestowing on Bhishma the agency over his own death. Like any human warrior, he is declared to be nihata but this is not followed immediately by his mrityu since he has the boon to choose the time of his own mrityu.

Thus Bhishma, after his fall from the chariot and on the bed of arrows, is not inhabiting the sphere occupied by ordinary mortals. This is a liminal space at the limit of life and death where the ambience is heavenly but Bhishma is able to talk and counsel Yudhishthira and set out the principles of rajadharma. Such a situation, where a universal principle and an exceptional boon that transgresses the universal principle are overlapping is narratively constructed and the Mahabharata invites/expects its readers/listeners to willingly suspend their mundane disbelief.

This situation is obviously unique and therefore a marker of Bhishmas extraordinary and suprahuman status. But Bhishma is not the only character in the Mahabharata who is on the threshold of divinity and humanity. Vyasa and Vidura also straddle the spiritual and the secular worlds with equal ease. [2] Lying on the bed of arrows, Bhishma told the maharishis who had come to him as swans that Where I was before, I will return there, my proper abode, when the sun moves to the north. (Mbh: Bhishma parva: adhyaya:14: sloka:108) Thus at the moment of his mrityu, his life spirit moved skywards where the gods reside. His end was in his beginning.

While bearing sole responsibility for all aspects of this essay, I would like to thank Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Jonathan Katz, Nayanjot Lahiri and Upinder Singh for their comments and suggestions.

References

Notes

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When did Bhishma die? A reading of the Mahabharata reveals a startling possibility - Scroll.in