Reading Diary B: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita

I am reading Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita.  Within the text, I read the story of the Mahabharata.  A story that stood out to me in the text was the story of Amba.  I found it odd that she blamed Bhishma for her rejection by King Shalva.  However, when she was being awarded as a prize at the swayamvara she never told her father or Bhishma that she had promised herself to King Shalva.  Instead, she waits until right before the wedding and then Bhishma releases her to go marry King Shalva.  Also she probably could have gone back and married to the king Vichitravirya but instead she goes and lives in an ashram.  There she fuels her anger against Bhishma and vows to kill him.  Then after Shiva tells her that in her next life, she will kill Bhishma.  So then, she builds herself a funeral pyre, lights it and then throws herself on it killing herself.  It is curious that any of the gods would support her.  If Bhishma had not come and she was given to another king, she would have been angry with him.  Instead, most of the blame should have been placed on her.  After she died, she was reincarnated as Shikhandini who was a princess but was raised as a princess.  Then she makes a deal with a yaksha, turns into a man, and goes into battle as a male to kill Bhishma.  It was very troubling how deep a grudge could go.  If Bhishma had been an evil man and it had all been his fault, it would have been more reasonable.  However, as it was Amba was just shirking the responsibility for her actions.  

Bhishma refusing to fight Shikhandi (Source: wikipedia)