Snippets of Information - Epics
Mahabaratham - Characters - Shantanu
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Shantanu (Shaantanu), a Kuru king of Hastinapura, son of king Pratipa and Sunanda was a reincarnation of king Mahabhisha.
Mahabisha was a great emperor who had performed a thousand
Ashvamedha Yagnas and a hundred Rajasuya Yagnas. One day while in
the presence of Brahma he cast lustful looks at Ganga when her clothes
were blown by the wind. Ganga too seemed pleased by his
reaction. Lord Brahma angrily cursed him to be reborn on earth
before entering heaven again. He was thus reborn as Shantanu.
Pratipa, a king from the Chandravamsha was the son of king Bhimasena of
Hastinapura and Sukumari of the Kaikeyas. He married Sunanda and they
had three children namely Devapi, Shantanu and Bahlika (Valhika). When
Pratipa was meditating on the banks of the river Ganges, Ganga in
the form of a beautiful maiden, attracted to him, sat on his
right lap and requested him to marry her. He refused stating that
since she had sat on his right lap, she was an equivalent of a daughter
or daughter-in-law. Ganga later married Pratipas's son Shantanu.
Shantanu had two brothers
Devapi and Bahlika (Valhika). Devapi suffered from leprosy and became a hermit. Bahlika became a
successor to his maternal uncle. Though he was the youngest son,
Shantanu became king of Hastinapura.
He married Ganga (river Ganges), who bore him a son Devavrata who was later called Bhishma.
Ganga agreed to marry Shaantanu with the condition that he would not
question her actions. Ganga bore eight sons, but drowned her first
7 sons. Shaantanu unable to bear it, stopped her when she was
about to drown the eighth son.
Bhishma, moved by the desire of doing good to his father, got him married to Satyavati who was also called Gandhakali.
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