For seven years, the youthful King Vichitravirya enjoyed the pleasures of life with his two queens, but then he was struck by a wasting disease—consumption—that sapped his strength. Despite the tireless efforts of his friends and the most skilled physicians, the Kaurava prince could not be saved. Like the sun setting at day’s end, Vichitravirya departed this world and went to the abode of Yama. His elder brother Bhishma, the righteous son of Ganga, was plunged into deep thought and sorrow. Yet, setting aside his own grief, he fulfilled all the funeral rites for Vichitravirya with devotion and care. Guided by Satyavati’s counsel, Bhishma, together with the officiating priests and the foremost of the Kuru elders, completed every ceremony for the departed king. Thus, the last respects were paid to Vichitravirya. Afterward, Satyavati, afflicted by sorrow and longing for a grandson, performed the funeral rites for her son alongside her daughters-in-law. She comforted the widowed princesses, who were overwhelmed with grief, and pondered deeply the laws of lineage—both paternal and maternal. Then, summoning Bhishma, the blessed queen spoke to him, her voice heavy with sorrow. “My son,” she said, “in you are established the offerings, the fame, and the very lineage of Shantanu. You are ever devoted to righteousness and renowned among the Kurus. Your brother Vichitravirya, now gone, lived a virtuous life and has surely attained heaven. Just as truth is certain, so is righteousness certain in you. You know the laws, Bhishma—both in brief and in detail; you are versed in the scriptures and all branches of the Veda. I see in you the proper conduct of our family and wisdom in difficult matters, like Shukra and Angiras themselves. Therefore, trusting in your virtue, I appoint you to a solemn task. Listen well and act as I direct. “Your brother, dear to you and valiant, has left us while still young and without an heir. Here are his two queens, daughters of the King of Kashi, endowed with beauty and youth, longing for sons. By my command, mighty-armed one, you must raise offspring from them for the continuation of our lineage, in accordance with righteousness. Assume the sovereignty, rule the Bharatas according to dharma, take wives as is proper, and let not the line of our ancestors be extinguished.” Thus addressed by his mother and friends, Bhishma, ever devoted to righteousness, replied with gravity and respect: “Mother, you have spoken the highest righteousness, and you know well the supreme vow I have taken regarding offspring. You remember, Satyavati, what transpired before you for the sake of the bride-price. I swear to you again—this is the truth: I would renounce the three worlds, the kingdom of the gods, or anything greater, but never, under any circumstance, the truth. Earth may abandon its scent, water its taste, fire its form, wind its touch; the sun might forsake its radiance, a comet its heat, sound might depart from space, the moon its cool beams; Indra might give up his valor, and the king of righteousness his virtue, but I would never abandon truth. Not even if the worlds perished, nor for immortality, nor for the riches of the three worlds, would I act otherwise.” Hearing these words, Satyavati replied, “I know your steadfastness in truth, O mighty upholder of righteousness. If you wished, you could create three worlds anew by your own power. I know this well, and I know your words are for my sake. But in times of emergency, consider the law—bear the ancestral burden. Let not our family or righteousness be defeated; let your friends rejoice. Do this, dear one, for your own good and for my happiness.” Thus she pleaded, her heart breaking and her words, in her longing for a son, straying from the path of righteousness. But Bhishma, steadfast, answered her again: “Queen, consider what is right. Do not cause us all to be blamed. For a Kshatriya, deviation from truth is not praised, even in matters of duty. Yet, so that the lineage of Shantanu may remain unbroken, I will declare to you an ancient royal practice. Hear it, and act upon it with the wise priests, skilled in the laws of emergencies and in worldly ways.” Bhishma then recounted an ancient tale: “Once, Jamadagni’s son, Rama, could not endure his father’s murder. In his wrath, he slew the king of the Haihayas with his axe. Hundreds of Arjuna’s arms were severed in that great act, and by this, Rama performed a most difficult duty for the world. Taking up his bow and mighty weapons, he repeatedly burned the Kshatriya race, conquering the earth with his chariot. Thus, with weapons of many kinds, that great-souled Bhargava made the earth devoid of Kshatriyas twenty-one times in ages past. “When the world had been emptied of Kshatriyas by that great sage, women of Kshatriya lineage gathered from all sides. Then, Brahmanas learned in the Vedas begot children with them in lawful union, as established in the scriptures. With righteousness in their hearts, those Brahmanas approached the women, and thus the rebirth of the Kshatriya order came to pass. In this way, the Kshatriya race was restored. And now, let me tell you another ancient tale: there was once a wise sage named Uchathya, whose illustrious wife was called Mamatā.” Thus, Bhishma reminded Satyavati of the ancient ways by which dynasties had been preserved, and gently guided her toward the path of righteousness and wisdom, even in the face of sorrow and loss.