Canto1 Chapter 9: The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa TEXT 1-5 Great souls assemble in front of Bhismadeva 1

sūta uvāca iti bhītaḥ prajā-drohāt sarva-dharma-vivitsayā tato vinaśanaṁ prāgād yatra deva-vrato ’patat Sūta Gosvāmī said: Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira went to the scene of the massacre. There, Bhīṣmadeva was lying on a bed of arrows, about to pass away. 2

9 th Chapter Summary  As it is willed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Bhīṣmadeva will impart instructions to King Yudhiṣṭhira on the subject of occupational duties.  Bhīṣmadeva will also offer his last prayer to the Lord on the verge of passing away from this mortal world and thus become liberated from the bondage of further material engagements.  Bhīṣmadeva was endowed with the power of leaving his material body at will.  This passing away of the great warrior attracted the attention of all the contemporary elites, and all of them assembled there to show their feelings of love, respect and affection for the great soul. 3

tadā te bhrātaraḥ sarve sadaśvaiḥ svarṇa-bhūṣitaiḥ anvagacchan rathair viprā vyāsa-dhaumyādayas tathā At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyāsa and ṛṣis like Dhaumya [the learned priest of the Pāṇḍavas] and others. 4

bhagavān api viprarṣe rathena sa-dhanañjayaḥ sa tair vyarocata nṛpaḥ kuvera iva guhyakaiḥ O sage amongst the brāhmaṇas, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus King Yudhiṣṭhira appeared very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his companions [the Guhyakas]. 5

Krsna Pleases His Devotees  Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted the Pāṇḍavas to be present before Bhīṣmadeva in the most aristocratic order so that he might be pleased to see them happy at the time of his death.  Kuvera is the richest of all the demigods, and herein King Yudhiṣṭhira appeared like him (Kuvera), for the procession along with Śrī Kṛṣṇa was quite appropriate to the royalty of King Yudhiṣṭhira. 6

dṛṣṭvā nipatitaṁ bhūmau divaś cyutam ivāmaram praṇemuḥ pāṇḍavā bhīṣmaṁ sānugāḥ saha cakriṇā Seeing him [Bhīṣma] lying on the ground, like a demigod fallen from the sky, the Pāṇḍava King Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Lord Kṛṣṇa, bowed down before him. 7

Krsna Offers Respect To Bhismadev  Lord Kṛṣṇa was also a younger cousin of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira as well as the intimate friend of Arjuna. But all the family members of the Pāṇḍavas knew Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  The Lord, although conscious of His supreme position, always behaved in a humanly custom, and so He also bowed down before the dying Bhīṣmadeva as if He were one of the younger brothers of King Yudhiṣṭhira. 8

tatra brahmarṣayaḥ sarve devarṣayaś ca sattama rājarṣayaś ca tatrāsan draṣṭuṁ bharata-puṅgavam Just to see the chief of the descendants of King Bharata [Bhīṣma], all the great souls in the universe, namely the ṛṣis amongst the demigods, brāhmaṇas and kings, all situated in the quality of goodness, were assembled there. 9

Great Souls Assemble  The ṛṣis are those who have attained perfection by spiritual achievements.  Such spiritual achievements can be earned by all, whether one is a king or a mendicant.  Bhīṣmadeva himself was also one of the brahmarṣis and the chief of the descendants of King Bharata.  All ṛṣis are situated in the quality of goodness. All of them assembled there on hearing the news of the great warrior’s impending death. 10