Bhisma’s past

Here is a short story about bhisma’s past:

Ashta Vasus are the eight demigods - deities of material elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Sky, Sun, Stars, Moon) who, while frolicking in the woods with their wives, came upon the hermitage of rishi Vasishtha, and one of the ladies saw the beautiful cow, Nandini, at the hermitage, and started making entreaties of her husband to fetch the cow. The husband was reluctant at first, saying, "what need have we, the devas (demigods), for the milk of cows? We are immortals already; it is for men to drink its milk to become immortal (in India, everything about cows is considered sacred). She lied saying that she had a dear mortal friend on earth whom she wanted to become immortal and that is why she needed to have the cow. Finally, all the eight were persuaded into committing thievery while the rishi was away.
Upon returning to find Nandini missing, the sage, through his yogic powers of meditation came to learn as to whose handiwork this was, and laid a curse upon the Vasus to take birth as mortals. At this, the Vasus prostrated themselves before the rishi for forgiveness. Vasishtha said: "The curse must take its course. My words cannot prove ineffective, but I will soften the curse to the extent that Prabhasa (meaning light, that is, the Sun), the one who seized the cow, will have to spend an entire lifetime on earth, glorious as it will be, while others, as his accomplice, will live only a few hours before they come back".