Swayamvar was a practice in ancient India in which a princess could choose a husband for herself. For this, the suitors had to perform a task decided by the king or the Princess or the Princess can ask questions or select the Prince according to his looks or anything else. If she had decided a guy to be her husband, she could go and put a garland around his neck and they then used to marry with all the rituals. It was rare for princesses to be wedded to someone for political benefits. Actually, this thing never existed then. Please remember this word, Swayamvar because you will find them many times in the book.

So, Amba, Ambalika and Ambika were princesses of Kashi and Bhishma urgently needed a princess for Vichitraveer. He knew that no one would select Vichitraveer as a husband because Vichitraveer was always drunk and was not at all physically likable. So, he set off for Kashi himself.

Everyone got angry when they saw the undefeatable Bhishma there, especially Salva, the Prince of Saubala because he and Amba were secretly in love. Bhishma simply abducted the princesses and rode away because he knew no one would give their daughter to a person like Vichitraveer and he should be urgently crowned as the king.

So, king Salva challenged Bhishma for a duel. Bhishma defeated and wounded Salva and went on to Hastinapur. There, Amba told the Brahmins, Satyavati and the ministers that she already loves a man and therefore can't marry Vichitraveer. Bhishma felt bad for her and went on to drop her to Saubala. However, Salva refused to accept her saying that she now belongs to Bhishma.

She went to Bhishma and begged him to marry her but he couldn't because of his oath of celibacy and she refused to marry Vichitraveer. So, she went to the forest and performed austerities because she was angry at Bhishma and wanted to kill him. She ate and drank nothing for days and nights for six months for pleasing Karthikeya, the first son of Lord Shiva and the God of war. Karthikeya gave her a garland of lotuses that would always be fresh and told her that whoever would wear that garland would kill Bhishma. She went to every Prince and king but no one wanted to get on the wrong side of Bhishma. When she was in the last mahajanapad of Panchal and requested the strong and mighty king Drupada to kill Bhishma, he refused too and she threw the garland on the gate and went on to the forest to engage in the austerities again. No one dared to touch the garland again.

She went on to please Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva promised her that she would slay Bhishma in her next life...