You must have heard about the Bhishma Pratigya. If you look at the Bhishma Pratigya, it was for Hastinapur. It was done out of love for his father. Many of us also take many kinds of vows, many times.
What kind of vows often? A vow like – I will not stop until I get a red beacon on my car. Someone vows that I will not rest until I finish my enemy. Someone vows that I will not settle until I build the grandest house in the village, town, or city, etc.
If you notice, such vows have a certain nature. If you pay attention, you will find that such vows are for material gain, for intimidation, for creating dominance. But you would have hardly heard of a vow in which there is no material gain but rather a devotion to knowledge.
Today we hear about one such vow. So what happened was that when young Nagesh Bhatt was subjected to that insult which in a gathering of scholars is called ‘Arthachandradhar Nyaya Danda’ – when he was grabbed by the neck and pushed out of the assembly with insulting words – he took a vow.
A vow not for any material achievement, not to acquire something, not to get a position, but for knowledge. The vow was, “Shariram patayami va Panditagratvam sadhayami va” – meaning, either I will now make myself worthy of sitting in the very first row of scholars, or this body will perish.
In simple words – it is no longer possible that I remain alive and still not be worthy of sitting in the front row of scholars.
