Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Kashi, there lived a princess named Amba. She was brave, kind, and very smart. Amba had two sisters, and the three of them were getting ready for a special event called a swayamvara—a ceremony where a princess chooses her husband.

Amba had already fallen in love with a prince named Salwa, and she was excited to choose him.

But before she could, a mighty warrior named Bhishma stormed into the palace. He was fighting for his family, and he took all three sisters with him to marry his younger brother, the prince of Hastinapura.

Amba told Bhishma, “I already love Prince Salwa. Please let me go back to him.”

Bhishma was kind and said yes.

But when Amba returned, Salwa was angry and hurt because Bhishma had defeated him in battle. Salwa said, “You are no longer mine,” and turned her away.

Heartbroken and alone, Amba went back to Bhishma and said, “You must marry me now.”

But Bhishma said no. Long ago, he had taken a vow never to marry, and he would not break it.

Amba was filled with sadness and anger. “You have ruined my life,” she said. And from that day on, she wanted to take revenge.

Amba didn’t give up. She went to Parashurama, the powerful warrior-sage who had trained Bhishma. She told him everything and begged for help.

Parashurama was angry at the injustice and challenged Bhishma to a duel. The two great warriors fought for many days. Their battle shook the earth. But neither could win. It ended in a stalemate—a tie. Even Parashurama could not defeat Bhishma.

Amba felt more hurt than ever. “Is there no way?” she cried.

Still, she kept trying.

She then prayed to Kartikeya, the god of war. She stood for days, calling out to him with all her heart. Kartikeya heard her and appeared before her.

He gave her a garland made of blue lotuses.

“This garland holds power,” he said. “The one who wears it will bring about Bhishma’s fall.”

Amba was filled with new hope. She carried the garland from kingdom to kingdom, asking brave warriors to wear it.

But everyone was too scared of Bhishma.

Feeling lost, Amba went deep into the forest. There, she lit a fire and knelt before a great statue of Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and rebirth.

She prayed with all her heart:

“I no longer wish for someone else to fight for me. Let me be the one to end this. Please, give me a chance.”

Lord Shiva appeared before her in a flash of light.

“I have seen your pain,” he said gently. “In your next life, you will become the cause of Bhishma’s death.”

With tears in her eyes—but courage in her heart—Amba accepted the blessing.

She hung the blue lotus garland on a tree nearby and stepped into the fire, ready to be reborn.

Not as a princess...

But as a warrior.

Years later, in the kingdom of Panchala, a child named Shikhandi was born. People believed it was a boy, but this child had a special secret: Shikhandi was Amba, born again.

Shikhandi trained hard to become a great warrior. One day, they found the old tree with the blue lotus garland still hanging from it. Shikhandi took the garland and wore it with pride.

When the great war of Kurukshetra began, Shikhandi stood on the battlefield beside the mighty warrior Arjuna, ready to face Bhishma at last.

Bhishma saw Shikhandi and remembered Amba. He knew the truth. Because Shikhandi had once been a woman, Bhishma refused to fight back.

That was the moment Arjuna needed.

With Shikhandi leading the way, Arjuna fired arrow after arrow, and Bhishma finally fell—not in anger, but in peace, knowing his time had come.

And so, Amba’s wish came true. Not with hate, but with courage, determination, and a promise kept across two lifetimes.