Introduction
Dyaus, also called Prabhasa, is one of the eight Vasus, the attendants of Indra. In the Mahabharata he is the previous birth of Bhishma.
The curse
The eight Vasus were cursed by the sage Vasishtha when they stole his wish-granting cow, at Dyaus's urging and for his wife's sake. The other seven were released after one year, but Dyaus, the leader in the theft, was to live a long life on earth. Ganga agreed to be their mother and drowned the first seven at birth. The eighth, Dyaus, became Bhishma.