Bhishma भीष्म

प्रतिज्ञां दुष्करां कृत्वा पितुरर्थे कुलस्य च ।अराजा चोर्ध्वरेताश्च यथा सुविदितं तव ।प्रतीतो निवसाम्येष प्रतिज्ञामनुपालयन् ॥

pratijñāṃ duṣkarāṃ kṛtvā piturarthe kulasya ca |arājā cordhvaretāśca yathā suviditaṃ tava |pratīto nivasāmyeṣa pratijñāmanupālayan ||

I made a hard vow for my father's sake and for the family's: no throne and no children, as you well know. Keeping that vow, I live content.

Krishna reports to the Pandavas what Bhishma said to Duryodhana in the Kuru assembly.

MBh 5.147.20Bhishma to Duryodhana

ततोऽहं प्राञ्जलिर्भूत्वा मातरं संप्रसादयम् ।नाम्ब शन्तनुना जातः कौरवं वंशमुद्वहन् ॥प्रतिज्ञां वितथां कुर्यामिति राजन्पुनः पुनः ।विशेषतस्त्वदर्थं च प्रतिज्ञां कृतवानहम् ॥

tato'haṃ prāñjalirbhūtvā mātaraṃ saṃprasādayam |nāmba śantanunā jātaḥ kauravaṃ vaṃśamudvahan ||pratijñāṃ vitathāṃ kuryāmiti rājanpunaḥ punaḥ |viśeṣatastvadarthaṃ ca pratijñāṃ kṛtavānaham ||

Then I joined my palms and pleaded with my mother. "Mother, I am Shantanu's son and I carry the Kuru line. I will not make my vow false," I said again and again. "I made that vow for you above all."

With the kingdom without a king and the people starving, the citizens and Satyavati beg Bhishma to rule (MBh 5.147.25 to 31).

MBh 5.147.34 to 35Bhishma to Duryodhana

लोकस्तं वेद यदहं पितुः प्रियचिकीर्षया ।प्राप्तं राज्यं परित्यज्य ब्रह्मचर्यव्रते स्थितः ॥

lokastaṃ veda yadahaṃ pituḥ priyacikīrṣayā |prāptaṃ rājyaṃ parityajya brahmacaryavrate sthitaḥ ||

The world knows that, to please my father, I gave up the kingdom that was mine and held to the vow of celibacy.

MBh 5.172.17Bhishma to Duryodhana

नाहं शप्तः प्रतिशपामि कंचि-द्दमं द्वारं ह्यमृतस्येह वेद्मि ।गुह्यं ब्रह्म तदिदं ब्रवीमिन मानुषाच्छ्रेष्ठतरं हि किंचित् ॥

nāhaṃ śaptaḥ pratiśapāmi kaṃci-ddamaṃ dvāraṃ hyamṛtasyeha vedmi |guhyaṃ brahma tadidaṃ bravīmina mānuṣācchreṣṭhataraṃ hi kiṃcit ||

When cursed, I curse no one back. I know self-control to be the door to the deathless. I tell you a hidden truth: there is nothing higher than being human.

Bhishma, answering Yudhishthira, tells of Prajapati in the form of a golden swan teaching the Sadhya gods (MBh 12.305.2 to 4).

MBh 12.305.20The swan to the Sadhyas, as Bhishma tells it

न तत्परस्य संदध्यात्प्रतिकूलं यदात्मनः ।एष साङ्ग्राहिको धर्मः कामादन्यः प्रवर्तते ॥

na tatparasya saṃdadhyātpratikūlaṃ yadātmanaḥ |eṣa sāṅgrāhiko dharmaḥ kāmādanyaḥ pravartate ||

Do not do to another what you would find hateful done to yourself. That is dharma in brief. Anything else comes from desire.

Brihaspati, teacher of the gods, answers Yudhishthira and then leaves for heaven (MBh 13.175.11).

MBh 13.175.8Brihaspati to Yudhishthira