Srivalli Rekha (Semi Hiatus)'s Blog, page 31

G for Gangavataranam (The Arrival of Ganga) - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaskar! 

So, this is my favorite post from the challenge. The first time I knewof the story of River Goddess Ganga arriving on the earth was through aRamayana movie (at the end). It became my favorite scene ever. We have a similarversion in Mahabharata, making it easy for me to share it for thechallenge. 

Aranyaka Parva has many stories (even a summary ofRamayana) as the Pandavas learned from the rishis and went on apilgrimage. 

Raja Bhagiratha of the Ikshvaku dynasty (an ancestorof Rama) did tapasya on the peaks of the Himalayas to please River Ganga. He requested her to cleanse his ancestors to help them attain a place in heaven.She agreed but said that none except Shiva could handle the force of herwaters. Ganga told Raja Bhagiratha to find a way to break her fall from heaven and absorb theimpact so that only a portion of her waters would reach the earth. Otherwise, it would have destroyed the earth. 

Bhagiratha did as ordered. He prayed to Shiva, whoagreed to receive Ganga and neutralize the impact. He held her waters in hisdreadlocks by forming a topknot well. Then he released a small (for him) stream of the river water to flow onto theearth. This source stream is called Bhagirathi (named after the king) and is inUttarakhand. 
River Goddess Ganga had a crucial role in Mahabharata. She was the wife of King Shantanu and mother of Bhishma and ensured that Hastipanura flourished. 

Now, here’s the beautiful scene of Gangavataranamfrom Sita Kalyanam (1976), a movie by the Late Bapu Garu. Surprisingly (ornot), the lyrics of the song describing Ganga’s journey to the earth aresimilar to how Vyasa wrote the scene in Mahabharata. Here’s an excerpt from P.Lal’s translation: 

Her frothing waters

Flapping like hamsas (swans)

Turning stumbling rushing 

In tortuous abandon 

Meandering like a drunken girl 

Wearing a dress of transparentfoam 

At times roaring and 

At other times whispering

In various forms and 

In various moods reaching 

The earth where she turned to Bhagiratha

I feel happy (and go teary-eyed) each time I see thevideo. Such a blissful feeling, as if she is cleansing me too!

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.

The AI images are made on Bing.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get AI to understand that Ganga flows from Shiva's topknot. 

The Love Algorithm by Camilla Isley - Book Review

Series: True Love #3 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 26th April 2024

Genre: STEM Romance 

3.5 Stars (rounding up for K-2P) 

One Liner: Light read with a few niggles 

Reese has a PhD at 28 and is the youngest head of Research and Development at Mercer Robotics. She knows what she wants from her career and is happy doing a job she loves rather than competing for promotions. A call from the Big Boss makes her wonder what it could be. However, Reese is annoyed that she has been saddled to babysit the Boss’s son, a billionaire with no idea about engineering or robotics. 

Yet, she cannot ignore the sparks between them. But to make a move would affect her job and her career. The more they get to each other, the more intense the chemistry. Can Reese hold on to the boundaries, or will things spiral into something else? 

The story comes in Reese and Thomas’s first-person POVs. 

My Thoughts: 

I WANT K-2P! Send me that sassy little droid, and I promise to rate all your books 5 stars. Can you imagine a little AI robot that’s so much more human than some humans? That’s K-2P, the adorable cutie robot with all human emotions and more. Blend the personalities of a dog, a cat, and a kid, and you get K-2P. 

Okay… I also need to talk about the book, so here it goes. 

The dual POV shows both their backstories and internal thoughts, which makes the characters more relatable. Getting only Reese’s POV here would have put Thomas in a bad light. Thankfully, we know his feelings even before she does.  

I wanted a lighthearted and fluffy romance, so this book worked well. It does touch upon a few themes like parental abandonment, insecurity, workplace gender bias, etc. However, the overall tone doesn’t get heavy. 

The banter is fun to read. There’s quite a lot of technical stuff, too, but can’t have a STEM book without it. Not an issue since even Thomas has no idea when Reese explains. ;) 

There was some conflict in the last quarter but is resolved quite easily. Not complaining much as it suited my mood. However, I do think the whole episode should have been better structured. I don’t particularly like it when a character does something that doesn’t align with their basic arc. 

A few niggles I wish were better – 

Maria objectifies Thomas (a little is okay, but shouldn’t cross the line); imagine if Thomas did that to her 

No reason for an ex to appear 

Way too much focus on physical attraction despite both characters showing enough promise as good people 

Oh, there are some Star Wars (movies) references as well. Went over my head, but those who know might enjoy it more. 

To summarize, The Love Algorithm is a light and fluffy closed-door romance with the cutest droid ever! It’s a short book and can be read in a sitting or two. This is a standalone, though characters from another book are present. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheLoveAlgorithm 

F for Forest Life of Pandavas - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste! 

Forests have been an integral part of our epics,Ramayana and Mahabharata. In Mahabharata, the Pandavas spend almost half their lifetime leadingsimple lives in forests, either by choice or due to the circumstances. 

After a curse, King Pandu renounced the throne andhanded it to Dhritarastra. He left Hastinapura with his wives Kunti and Madriand traveled through mountains and forests to settle near the Satasringamountains (a range with a hundred peaks). There, he performed penance for manyyears. The Pandava brothers were born in this region and grew up there untilPandu’s death. They trained under Suka (son of King Saryati), who was doingtapasya in the same area. 

Arjuna was fourteen when Pandu died, and Madri choseto join him, leaving Kunti to care for the five brothers. The rishis decided totake Kunti and the Pandavas to Hastinapura since it was their rightful home.This led to insecurity and jealousy in Dhuryodhana, who thought he was the onlyheir to the entire kingdom. 

A few years later, Dhuryodhana planned to kill thePandavas by burning them in the House of Lac in Varanavata (this was some years after he fed poison to Bhima, bundled up his unconscious body, and drowned it in Ganga with Karna's help). The Pandavasescaped thanks to Vidura’s alertness (who also knew about the other attempts on the Pandavas' lives and the 'accidental' death of a charioteer). 

They spent the next few months living in aforest. Here, Bhima killed the cannibal demon Hidimba. He also married thedemon’s twin sister, Hidimba/ Hidimbi, who professed her love for him. The duohad a son, Ghatotkacha (more details in the later post). 

The Pandavas and Kunti traveled across a fewvillages and were still in disguise during the temporary stay in Pnachalakingdom and the wedding to Draupadi, the princess of Panchala. 

Again a few years later, Yudhistira lostIndraprastha and all his wealth to Shakuni in the dice game. This time, thefive Pandava brothers and Draupadi shift to the Kamakya forest for theirtwelve-year exile (plus a year in disguise). 

They don’t stay in the same place, though. The fourPandavas and Draupadi go on thirta yatra (pilgrimage) during the five yearsArjuna spent in heaven with Indra. Later, they stay in a few more forests andreturn to Kamakya forest toward the end of exile. 

Vanaprastha is considered the third stage of one’slife, where we renounce worldly relationships and materialistic desires to leadsimple lives and spend the remaining time in meditation. Satyavati and herdaughters-in-law (Ambika and Ambalika), Dhritarastra, Gandhari, Kunti, Vidura,Sanjaya, Rukmini Satyabhama, etc., followed the same when the end was near. Thelast stage is Sanyasa. 

This forest lover couldn’t find a better topic forthe alphabet! 

Hop over here to get a super short summary of the story of the Pandavas. 

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The AI images are made on Bing.

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor - Book Review

Publication Date: 09th April 2024

Genre: Paranormal Mystery 

One Liner: A good mystery but not enough vampire chills 

Alaska 

Deadhart is an Alaskan small town. It has a few hundred human population and a Colony of vampyrs, who recently came back to settle down in their home. Soon, a young boy is found dead with his throat ripped. The townsfolk are sure it is someone from the Colony and want all the vampyrs culled. 

Detective and forensic doctor Barbara Atkins, with specialization in vampyr killings, arrives to determine if it is indeed a Colony killing and decide the status of the request for a cull. Soon, she realizes there are secrets and discrepancies everywhere. With help from former police Chief Jenson Tucker, Barbara sets out to find the truth. As another body surfaces, the tension rises. 

What’s going on in Deadhart? Are the new killings related to the death from twenty-five years ago? Is it a vampyr on a bloodlust? Is it a human psychopath taking advantage of the prejudice against the Colony? Can Barbara solve the case before it’s too late? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Barbara, Beau, Jenson Tucker, Jess, Reverend Colleen, and Athelinda. 

My Thoughts: 

The premise gives you more than a clear idea of what the story would be. The vampyrs are a replacement for indigenous people, and the others are well, humans (white). As a mystery, it does have quite a bit to offer. 

The MC is a combination of what we expect and what we don’t. Barbara Atkins is 50-something, single, not entirely fit, and a darn good detective. She also has a tragic backstory, which is almost a must for detectives in thrillers. Still, I do like how it connects to the plot. 

The mystery has a few twists, and the information is revealed in stages. There are some clues, too, which can be red herrings or real clues. I like how this is done. The suspense holds well until the last quarter. 

The pacing is uneven – slow, fast, slow, fast… which dampened my reading experience. This is because of the excessive emphasis and repeated scenes where the townsfolk show their hatred and prejudice for the vampyrs. As a pagan, I happily support books that highlight this. However, it should crowd the plot. 

Additionally, there are a lot of characters to track. I stopped listing them at one point (ran out of space on that sheet). This doesn’t leave room for character development. They are what they are. That’s it. Also, one of those could have been removed or presented from another perspective. However, I quite liked Athelinda’s POV. If only there was more of it! 

Is the book horror? Nope. There is a bit of gore and some creepy moments, but nothing on the horror scale. Of course, it has triggers, which aren’t graphic but can make you uncomfortable. 

I’m not sure why the vampyrs don’t get enough space given their importance in the book. Apart from a vague idea of what they could be, we get very little about them. Instead, we got way too much of what the townsfolk think about them. This got tiring, TBH. Knowing when to tone down is also important for a writer. 

No idea if the book will turn into a series. The last chapter has nothing to do with the plot but is a hook for the next book. If it won’t be coming, then, keeping that chapter would be a bad idea. I know contemporary thrillers tend to have unwanted final twists, but this book doesn’t need it. The book could be a series, but we’ll need more than socio-political hate and bigotry to hold it together. 

To summarize, The Gathering is a worthy mystery with a good setting and some chills. Don’t look for any vampirish stuff, though. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House (Ballantine Books), for eARC.  

#NetGalley #TheGathering 

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TW: mentions of pedophilia, sexual abuse and violence, torture (not graphic), and phobias (a few, I guess). 

E for A Year as Eunuch: The Story of Brihannala - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste,

Yes, I know we aren’t supposed to use the termanymore. I have to make an exception this once to suit the day’s alphabet. Wesaw a mention of the celestial apsara Urvashi cursing Arjuna for rejectingher (in Chitrasena's post). 

It so happened that when Arjuna was in Indra’spalace in heaven, Indra noticed Arjuna looking at Urvashi and thought hedesired her. He sent Chitrasena (the Gandharva) to Urvashi to arrange a meeting. When Chitrasena spoke about Arjuna, Urvashi was impressed. She willingly went to Arjuna's house that evening. 

However, there was a twist. It turned out that Arjuna indeed looked ather but wasn’t lusting after her. Instead, he was thinking about how she wasthe mother of the Pauravas (the Kuru dynasty). He explained this to her and said he considered her hismother. 

This enraged Urvashi. She was an ageless eternal beauty and didn’t haveto abide by the human laws. When Arjuna was firm, she cursed him that he would‘have to live among women, without respect, as a dancer and be deprived ofvirility.’ 

Later, Indra assured Arjuna that he could use the curse tohis advantage during the last year of exile when the Pandavas had to live indisguise for a full year without being identified. Thus, Arjuna becameBrihannala, a transwoman dance teacher who taught music and dance to KingVirata’s daughter in Matsya kingdom. Learning these skills from Chitrasena made him a proficient teacher. 

Of course, it wasn’t easy for Arjuna to convinceKing Virata. He had the body of a warrior, and no matter how much he hid thescars with his dress and long hair, the king asked many questions and even hadBrihannala (Arjuna) tested before offering the job. Brihannala is referred to as she and he, depending on the context. 

Virata Parva is the fourth Parva in Mahabharata and has a fast-paced narration with drama, anguish, and death. 

Now, I have to share this video. It is from the movieNarthanasala (1936), where the great NTR played Arjuna (and Savitri wasDraupadi). The movie deals with the year of disguise and ends with the weddingof Uttara (the princess) and Abhimanyu (Arjuna’s son). 

Of course, it is aretelling with elements different from the original, but a completeentertainer! 

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.

The AI images are made on Bing.

This was one of the toughest prompts to create an image. AI just wouldn't understand what I wanted, and I had to word the prompt to avoid triggering the block.

D for Dwaraka’s Description - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste,

Dwaraka (gateway to heaven) is a city Krishna andthe Vrishni clan built as their safe haven when Jarasandha continued to attackMathura. It is said to be built by Vishwakarman, the celestial architect.Dwaraka is an island kingdom (or a coastal region), with close association withthe (now Arabian) sea. 

In Sabha Parva, we get a detailed description ofDwaraka during the Rajasuya yagna. Bhishma shared the story of Krishna’sgreatness and why he was the right person to receive the honor of theyagna. 

According to the descriptions – 

The city was surrounded by exquisite gardens andtrees on all sides. Fruits and sweet-smelling flowers were found in abundance.The buildings shone like the sun and moon and were sky-high, resembling theMeru Mountains. Moats surrounded the place, filled with lotus blooms andgliding swans. The gardens in Dwaraka were much like the celestial gardens andhad a variety of plants. Just about every tree and herb grew in the city’sgardens. 

The Raivataka Hill was on the east, while theLatavesta Hill (also known as the Rainbow Hill) was on the south. Sukaksa Hillwas on the west side, and Venumanta Hill was on the north. Krishna hadpersonally planted Vaijayanthi flags on these hills. 

The western part of Dwaraka had a lake called Puskarini,which was measured as spread over a hundred bow lengths. Indradyumna is anotherlarge lake in the city. There were fifty gates to enter the city, with allentrances fortified with gigantic machinery and weapons to prevent invadersfrom entering. Eight thousand chariots lay waiting outside the citygates. 

The central area was eight yojanas wide and twelveyojanas long (one yojana is appx. eight kilometers). The adjoiningregions were double in size. The city had eight main roads and sixteen large crossroads.By-lanes extended into the interior regions from seven main roads. 

Sweet music could heard anywhere in the city. Thehouses had large porches with gold-washed rooftops and whitewashed walls. Thewindows, domes, and grillwork were studded with gemstones. The houses were madeof different materials to suit people’s tastes. Some were of gold, some ofbrick, and some of marble, with Jambu-gold (gold from River Jambu) and bluestone doors. All houses in Dwaraka had bells. 

Krishna’s palaces (all together) were four yojanassquare and had so many rooms that it was impossible to not get confused.Krishna’s personal palace was one yojana square, built to suit Rukmini’s taste.Satyabhama’s palace was white and had gem-studded staircases designed for coolingeffect. Between Rukmini and Satyabhama’s palaces was Jambhavti’s palace,reflecting her preferences. Similarly, the other five queens also had their ownpalaces. 

Then there was Viraja, Krishna’s favorite resting place with perfectsymmetry. 

All this is only a part of the description. Justimagine how magnificent Dwaraka was. A fitting abode for Krishna! 

However, everything good has to come to an end. In Mausala Parva, we read about the destruction of Dwaraka and the end of Krishnavatar. 

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The AI images are made on Bing. 

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson - Book Review

Series: Starshine Cove #3 (Standalone)

Publication Date: 24th April 2024 

Genre: Contemporary Small Town Fiction, Romance 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Heartwarming but a bit heavy 

Lucy Brown has been in hiding for a decade, thanks to her ex. However, she finally ventures out to meet her best friends and attend a wedding in the small town of Starshine Cove. The trip proved to be a great decision for her and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Rose. 

But then, Lucy is stunned to see a man she impulsively flirted with at the airport and gave a fake name. They seem to have a connection, but Lucy is a long way from healing. With the past threatening to spill, Lucy has to decide what she needs from her life. 

The story comes in Lucy’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

The book works well as a standalone despite the presence of recurring characters. They are the supporting cast and enhance the plotline. 

This is a heavier book than it appears to be. It deals with psychological domestic abuse and its after-effects on the victims. Lucy has panic attacks, and there’s another character going through a similar phase. The book is not exactly a light read, though it has many sweet and humorous moments. It can be triggering to some readers. 

Now, that’s done, I have to admit that the author writes teenagers very well. Rose is a doll! She is childish but mature, composed but dramatic, stable and reliable, but prone to sulking. In short, she is easy to love and relate to (though I haven’t been a teen for a while). Rose is my favorite character in the book. 

Lucy’s narration takes some time to get used to. She is frantic and rambles, the result of living with a controlling spouse. However, we don’t know this at the beginning, and the first chapter has her monologue, which made my eyes glaze. NGL, I was worried about where it would go. Fortunately, there's a reason for it. We can get used to her thought process. 

Starshive Cove is a beautiful place, and we are once again transported to an almost magical land with kind and helpful neighbors. This book is set in spring, so the flowers have started to bloom! 

Josh is an adorable guy. The adults act like adults and can communicate, so that’s a big plus. Lucy and Rose also have meaningful conversations, which I like. 

I knew there would be a third-act breakup, but it doesn’t happen until around 93%, which is too late, IMO. That leads to an HFN ending, which is okay since this is a series, and we’ll meet the characters again. However, I am disappointed that Lucy’s self-healing journey doesn’t come across clearly. 

When the FMC calls herself a mess for most of the book in feel-good fiction, I have the right to hope she would realize and openly acknowledge that doesn’t define her. Circumstances forcing her to be stronger is not the same as self-healing, which Lucy needs. I don’t want to say more, as they’ll be spoilers. 

The pacing is on the slower side due to the topics handled. Since these are important social aspects and are well-handled (as far as I know), I didn’t mind the slow pace much. 

To summarize, Finding Hope in Starshine Cove is a heartwarming story with likable characters and a lovely setting. It has dogs and kids, too, so yay! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #FindingHopeInStarshineCove

***

Extra:

I’d like to thank the author for handling the henna scene carefully. I appreciate the inclusion of the question about cultural appropriation. 

It came at a time when I also found out about how Holi is being termed a South Asian (what is that even!) festival. Please read this piece to know more. 

Holi, Yoga, Oman, Carnatic music, etc., are Hindu. Our pagan gods and rituals are the roots of these and will continue to be. There is no such thing as South Asian ethnicity, where several cultures lose their identities to form a single convenient group. 

C for Chitrasena, the Gandharva - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste,

Gandharavas are celestial beings known for theirbeauty, musical expertise, and magic. They are semi-divine and have the powerto gift or curse humans. They are skilled in sixty-four arts and are efficientin warfare. Gandharvas prefer to keep to themselves and dislike being disturbedor intruded upon. 

Chitrasena is a Gandharva (celestial being excelling in music and dance) who belongs to the courtof Indra (King of Heaven). He is first mentioned in Sabha Parva, where he andother Gandharavas played musical instruments and entertained everyone during the Rajasuya. 

However, Chitrasena’s major role is in AranyakaParva when Arjuna goes to Swarga (Heaven) to stay at Indra’s court and learnvarious arts. After Arjuna trained in using the celestial weapons, Indra (hisbirth father) told Arjuna to learn other skills like music and dance. Chitrasenawas Arjuna’s tutor. The duo became fast friends during this period. It was thesame time Urvashi cursed Arjuna for rejecting her advances (we’ll read moreabout this during letter E’s post). 

Later, Arjuna got back with his family and wasliving in the Dvaita forest when Dhuryodhana, Shakuni, and Karna, with somearmy, arrived. They planned to attack and kill the Pandavas during the exileand used the ruse of counting cattle to set on the quest. However, before theycould attack the Pandavas, Dhuryodhana and others insulted the Gandhavarascamping in the region. This led to a war headed by Chitrasena, who capturedDhuryodhana and planned to kill him. 

Here, Yudhistira asked Arjuna and Bheema to save theKauravas. The two brothers have a small battle with the Gandharvas. But whenChitrasena realized it was Arjuna, they settled it peacefully and came to atruce. Chitrasena agreed to free Dhuryodhana only because of Arjuna’s requestand their close bond. 

Of course, Dhuryodhana’s ego took a hit and made himmore determined to defeat the Pandavas. 

Check out a few short stories from Mahabharata. 

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The AI images are made on Bing. 

B for Brahma’s Sabha - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste! 

In Sabha Parva of Mahabharata, Mahamuni Narada visitedIndraprastha after the palace and the illustrious Mayasabha were constructed.After the initial greetings, Yudhistira, the oldest Pandava brother, askedNarada to describe the different Sabha’s (palace courtrooms) he visited on theearth and in the celestial realms. Narada described many exquisite Sabhas (someof which are included in my Mahabharata Mashup series). 

Bhagavan Brahma is one of the Trimurtis (Holy Trinity) in Hinduism and the creator of the universe. 

Narada told Yudhistira that Surya Deva (Sun God) advised him to do tapasya to gain access to Brahma’s sabha. When he did, Sura Deva himself took Narada to the Sabha. 

Brahma’s Sabha is described as – 

A place impossible to describe and withindeterminate dimensions as it shape-shifts constantly. Nothing in the worldcompared to it. However, anyone who enters Brahma’s Sabha is happy. Hunger,thirst, confusion, fear, tension, and neurosis disappear. The temperatures areperfect; neither hot nor cold. 

The Sabha has no foundations. There’s no beginningor end. It is eternal and has its own radiance brighter than the sun’s dazzle.In the center sits Brahma, protecting the universe with his maya. ThePrajapatis sit around, along with the celestial rishis, the sun, the moon, theeight branches of Ayurveda, the Adityas, Marutas, Viswakarman, the Vasus, theVedas, the Vedangas, the planets, the constellations, the cosmic wheel of time(Kala Chakra), the seven classes of pitrs (ancestors), the Nagas, the Daityas(anti-gods), the Yakshas, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras, etc. 

It’s a place where everyone finds peace, happiness,and safety, protected by the creator of the universe. 

You will notice that many celestial beings arementioned as a part of other heavenly Sabhas. That’s because they belongeverywhere and need to be in different Sabhas at different times to keep theuniverse going. 

Note: Mahabharata has many mentions of Brahma when discussing stories from the Puranas. Check out this story about how Brahma pacified Agni after his dispute with Rishi Brighu. 

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A for Ashta Vasus - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste, 

And we start the challenge with the first alphabet. 

In Mahabharata, Ashta Vasus (eight Vasus) are thesons of Brahma Prajapati. They are celestial deities associated with theelements. The Vasus belong to Indra’s Heaven and work for Maha Vishnu. They areamong the thirty-three gods listed in Hinduism (contrary to the popular myth,we don’t have 33 crores of gods). 

A Vasu is someone who gives. As rulers of elementsand natural forces, they nourish and punish. Different texts usedifferent names for the Vasus, but their core elements remain the same. 

The Ashta Vasus are: 

Earth – Prithvi / Dhara 

Fire – Agni / Anala / Pavaka 

Wind/ Air – Vayu / Anila 

Water – Varuna / Aapa / Aha 

Sky/ Ether – Dyaus / Prabhasa

Sun – Aditya / Pratyusha 

Moon – Chandra / Soma 

Stars – Nakstrani / Dhruva 

One day, the Vasus and their wives visited MountMeru. They saw the wish-fulfilling cow belonging to Maharshi Vasishta and stoleher. But before they could leave, they got caught. The rishi cursed them to beborn as humans for their crime. However, the Vasus pleaded mercy. He amendedthe curse for seven of them and said they could return to their original selfafter a year. However, the one who committed the crime, Dyaus, aka Prabhasa,would have to stay on the earth for a long time. 

The Vasuses requested River Goddess Ganga to givebirth to them on the earth and wished to be born as the sons of King Pratipa’sson. That was how Shantanu (Pratipa’s son) saw and fell in love with Ganga andmarried her. As promised, she gave birth to the seven Vasus year after year anddrowned them in the river soon afterward. The eighth son was Devvrata orGangadatta. He grew up to become Bhishma, the key member of the Kurudynasty. 

Note:  Thisstory is found in the  AdiParva  of Mahabharata. 

On the tenth day of the Kurukshetra War, Bhishmafell to Arjuna’s arrows and lay on the bed of arrows on the battlefield. TheVasus visited him in celestial form to take him back home. Finally, almost twomonths later, when the Uttarayan begins, Bhishma left the mortal world tobecome a Vasu. 

***

PS: If you are wondering, the 33 gods are -12 Adityas 11 Rudras 8 Vasus 2 Ashvins 
***

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The AI images are made on Bing.