Curse of the Ashta Vasu: How Bhishma Was Born
This story is retold from the sambhava parva of the Mahabharata. As told in Bhishma’s story, goddess Ganga tells her husband King Shantanu the reasons why she had to kill their newborn children. It is at this point in the story when she tells him about the Vasu and their role in her decision to marry him and why she was forced to kill their children.
Who Are The Vasu?
Vasu are deities representing the eight elements—earth, water, fire, wind, sun, sky, moon and the stars. Each elemental god has a name and it varies depending on which Indian literature you are referring to. In the Mahabharata, they are named Dhara, Aha, Anala, Anila, Pratyusha, Prabhasa, Soma and Dhruva, respectively. They are said to be the children of Manu, the son of Brahma. They are collectively called the ashta vasu or eight vasus.
The Vasu Visit Earth, See Kamadhenu
The Vasu lived a privileged life in the heavens. One day, all the Vasu brothers, accompanied by their wives, traveled to earth to visit a forest. Whilst they were having a fun picnic in the forest, the Vasus saw a cow and it’s calf. It was a very healthy-looking, beautiful cow and the Vasus quickly recognized that it was no ordinary cow.
The cow was called Kamadhenu, a divine cow with the ability to fulfill all of it’s owner’s wishes. The great sage Vasishta was in possession of this wish granting cow.
Vasishta took the milk he needed for the rituals from Kamadhenu*. There were instances when other powerful people offered Vasishta insane amounts of wealth in exchange for Kamadhenu. But Vasishta loved Kamadhenu and refused to part with his precious cow. He guarded Kamadhenu fiercely.
*(Cow’s milk, and its derivative ghee continues to be an essential element of various vedic rituals and hence cows were considered sacred.)
Vasu Steal Vasishta's Cow, Get Cursed
Prabhasa, the deity representing the sky is one of the eight Vasu. When Prabhasa’s wife saw the marvelous cow, she decided that it would be a great idea to steal the cow. Prabhasa did not agree to it at first. But his wife convinced him to do it and told him that she had a friend. This friend was the daughter of an influential king and Prabhasa’s wife thought she would love it if they gifted her a wish fullfilling cow. Unfortunately for Prabhasa–and the rest of the vasus–Prabhasa was convinced.
The vasu, led by Prabhasa steal the cow. When Vasishta got to know about why his beloved cow had gone missing, he was angered by the Vasu’s actions. He cursed them all to be reborn as mortals on earth.
Utterly terrified of the curse, the Vasu begged Vasishta for mercy. Vasishta agreed to a compromise. They would all be born as mortals on earth, just as he had cursed. However, they could return back to heaven a short time after their birth. But Prabhasa, who planned and led the theft, will have to live a full life as a mortal.
Vasu Ask Ganga For Help
The Vasus were traumatized by the idea of living as a mortal on earth. The goal for humankind was to escape the cycle of life and death and find a place in heaven. So, to lose a spot in heaven, that too for a deity, was especially hard. The Vasus were miserable and were bemoaning this terrible curse that befell them.
This was how goddess Ganga found them. Concerned, she asked the Vasus why they were so sad. They told her all about Vasishta’s cow and his curse. The Vasus decided that if they must be born as mortals on earth, they would prefer to be born as the sons of a lady as noble as Ganga.
“Please,” they begged Ganga, “be our mother and help us get through this most terrible curse.”
Ganga Agrees To Help
Ganga agreed to give birth to the Vasu. They were ecstatic. But, first, they had some instructions for Ganga.
- The Vasu’s father must be someone equally noble. They chose King Pratipa’s son as their father. Ganga readily agreed. As seen in Bhishma’s story, she knew King Mahabhisha was to be reborn as Pratipa’s son.
- They must be killed immediately after their birth. They didn’t want to spend a moment longer on earth as mortals than they had to. Ganga said that she needed to give her husband at least one son as an heir. They all agreed one son would survive. (Any guesses who?) The vasus told her that they would each give 1/8th of their elemental energies to the son who would survive. However, they warned her that her son would never have a child of his own.
Vasus Reborn As Ganga's Sons, Killed
True to her word, Ganga married Pratipa’s son, Shantanu. They had eight sons together. Ganga killed each one of their first seven sons by throwing them into the water as soon as they were born. When she gave birth to their eighth and last son, Shantanu stopped her from throwing him in the water.
This only surviving son would be later named Bhishma. That is how the Vasu Prabhasa was reborn as Bhishma, a mortal on earth. And this is how Bhishma is said to have the energies of all the Vasus.
The End
Visit The Stories Of India Retold Podcast to listen to the story and to learn more about the Ashta Vasu. Available on all major podcast apps.
References:
The Mahabharata 1: Complete and Unabridged; translated by Bibek Debroy. (2015). Penguin Random House India. (Original work published 2010)
Images:
Madhu Walad,Mughal India, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Vasishta and Kamadhenu: Fazi (Mughal dynasty), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Samudra manthana: bazaar art print, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Ganga and Bhishma: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons