Anushasana Parva



The Final Instructions of Grandfather Bhishma



Maharaja Yudhisthira then began to rule the kingdom under the direction of the
twice born brahmanas. After the coronation ceremony had been completed, King
Yudhisthira approached Lord Krishna and offered the following prayers, Through
Your grace, O Krishna, I have received this ancestral kingdom. O foremost of
the Yadus, O lotus-eyed Lord, I repeatedly offer my humble obeisances unto you.
You have been glorified as the Supreme Lord, one without a second. The great
sages and brahmanas know You by many names. Obeisances unto You, O Creator of
the world. You are the soul of all universes, and You are the support of this
manifest creation. You are Vishnu, Hari and Krishna. You are the Lord of
Vaikuntha and the foremost of all beings. Previously You have taken Your birth
as Prishnigarbha, the son of Prishni and Sutapa. Another of Your names, O Lord,
is Triyuga. You are the Lord of the senses and are, therefore, known as
Hrishikesha. You are the great swan, Hamsa Avatara; the boar, Varaha; and the
half man, half lion, Nrisimhadeva. You are the sun, the moon and the firmament.
You are the chief of the celestials, Indra, and You are the beginning, the
middle and the end of all creation. You are Dhruva, You are Garuda and You are
the great sage Kapila. You are the Supersoul in the heart of every living
being. Obeisances unto You, O Lord, who wield the Sarnga bow, the Sudarshana
discus and the Kamodaki club. Hearing the pure glorification by King
Yudhisthira, Lord Krishna smiled. That smile captivated the hearts of all
present. The lotus eyed Lord then conversed with His pure devotee, gladdening
the pious King's heart.

Emperor Yudhisthira then instructed his brothers, Your bodies have been
scorched by the weapons of the enemy. You are greatly fatigued and need
sufficient rest. Go to the palaces assigned to each of you and begin to enjoy
this opulent kingdom. With the permission of the King, Maharaja Bhima then
entered the palace that was once the home of Duryodhana. It was very opulent
and was filled with male and female servants. Arjuna then entered the palace
that formerly belonged to Duhshasana. This palace had a gateway that was made
of solid gold. Lord Krishna and Satyaki also took up their residence in that
opulent palace. Nakula and Sahadeva then entered the palaces that formerly
belonged to Durmashana and Durmukha. These palaces vied in opulence with the
abodes of Kuvera.

After resting the night, King Yudhisthira came to Arjuna's palace and greeted
Lord Krishna and his brother. In King Yudhisthira's presence, Lord Krishna
began to glorify Grandfather Bhishma, That foremost descendent of the Kuru
race, Bhishma, is lying on a bed of arrows about to pass away. He is always
thinking of Me. Because of this, My mind is also fixed on him. The sound of his
bowstring and the slap of his palms, even Indra was unable to bear. I can
remember how he vanquished all the great Kings at the svayamvara ceremony of
the princesses of Kashi. I am thinking of him who fought with his martial guru
for twenty three days continuously. Parashurama was unable to subdue him. I am
thinking of him who took his birth as the son of Ganga. He became the intimate
student of Vashistha Muni, and because of this, he is the veritable abode of
the four Vedas and their branches. There is nothing that is not known to him. O
Yudhisthira, I think that at this time you should approach him and inquire
about anything that you wish to know. Time is short. When the sun set its
course in the northern regions, the son of Ganga will leave his body and attain
to the higher regions. Before that happens, you should approach him and
question him concerning the rulership of this kingdom.

Agreeing to the proposal of Lord Krishna, King Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna,
Nakula and Sahadeva ascended their chariots and made their way in procession to
Kurukshetra. At that time Maharaja Bhishma was surrounded by the foremost of
the sages and rishis. By his side was Vyasadeva and Narada Muni. There were
other great sages present such as Devala, Asita, Sumantu, Jaimini, Maitreya,
Chyavana, Vashistha, Sanat Kumara, Kapila, Valmiki and Lomasa. There was also
Parashurama, Pulaha, Kashyapa, Pulastya, Parasara, Gautama and the great sage
Markandeya. Stretched out on a bed of arrows, that tiger among men was in rapt
concentration on the transcendental form of the Lord. He was glorifying the
Lord with a cheerful and strong voice.

O Krishna, Maharaja Bhishma prayed, O foremost of all beings, be pleased
with my words praising Your glories. My Lord You are the only transcendent
reality. You are the Supreme Lord, and I seek Your refuge with all my heart. O
Lord of all creatures, You are without beginning and without end. You glories
cannot be enumerated. Not even the great sages and rishis can know You fully.
All the worlds and all created beings have their abode in You. Like jewels
strung together on a thread, all things that have attributes reside in thee.
You are called Hari, having a thousand hands, a thousand feet, a thousand eyes
and a thousand crowns. Thou art called Narayana because You are the resting
place of all living beings. In all the Vedas, You are referred to as the
Supreme Being of irresistible force. You are the Lord of those that are bound
to You in faith and devotion. You have been born from Devaki and Vasudeva as
fire is generated from two sticks. For one's eternal salvation, the devout
worshipper, with mind withdrawn from all material objects, beholds You, O
Govinda, in the core of the heart. O Lord of all creatures, I place myself in
Your hands. In the Puranas You have been spoken of as the Purusha, as Brahma,
and as Sankarshana. You are the greatest of all beings, and therefore, I adore
thee. O my Lord, You are the panacea for all sorrow. Assuming the form of a
boar, whose limbs were constituted by sacrifice, You raised the earth after it
had been submerged in the waters of devastation. Obeisances to You, My Lord, in
Your form as all devouring time. The brahmanas are Your mouth, the kshatriyas
are Your arms, the vaishyas are your belly and the shudras are Your legs. Fire
constitutes Your mouth. The heavens are the crown on Your head. The sky in Your
navel, and the earth is Your feet. The sun and moon are Your eyes, and the
different directions are Your ears. Although You are without origin, You are
the origin of this universe. The two syllables Hari constitute the sum and
substance of the sojourn through the wilderness of life. Your holy name is the
medicine that cures all worldly attachment. As truth is full of Vishnu, as the
universe is full of Vishnu, as everything is full of Vishnu, so let my soul be
full of Vishnu and my sins destroyed. I seek Your protection, O lotus eyed
Lord. Bhishma then became silent and the rishis and sages uttered words of
praise for the dying Bhishma.

At this time the Pandavas arrived at the field of Kurukshetra. They saw
mountains of charred bodies scattered here and there, which were the funeral
pyres of the slain warriors. The bones of the horses, elephants and human
beings lay piled up like mountains. As they proceeded further, they came upon
the grandsire laying on a bed of arrows, like a fallen demigod. He was
surrounded by many sages, and because his consciousness was fixed on Lord
Krishna, he appeared very effulgent. The Pandavas and Lord Krishna descended
from their chariots. They offered obeisances unto the great sages present and
unto their fallen grandfather. Lord Krishna stood at the feet of Bhishmadeva.

The sons of Maharaja Pandu were sitting silently, overcome with affection for
their dying grandfather. Seeing this, Bhishmadeva congratulated them with
feeling. There were tears of ecstasy in his eyes, for he was overwhelmed by
love and affection. Grandfather Bhishma exclaimed, Oh, what sufferings and
injustices you good souls suffered for being the sons of religion personified.
You did not deserve to remain alive under those tribulations, yet you were
protected by the brahmanas, Lord Krishna and religion. My daughter-in-law
Kunti, upon the great King Pandu's death, became a widow with many children,
and therefore she suffered greatly. And when you were grown up she suffered a
great deal more because of Duryodhana's actions. In my opinion, this is all due
to inevitable time, under whose control everyone in every planet is carried,
just as the clouds are carried by the wind. O how wonderful is the influence of
inevitable time. It is irreversible+otherwise, how can there be reverses in the
presence of King Yudhisthira, the son of the demigod controlling religion;
Bhima, the great fighter with the mace; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty
weapon Gandiva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the
Pandavas? O King, no one can know the plan of Lord Sri Krishna. Even though
great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered. O best among the
descendants of Bharata, I maintain, therefore, that all this is within the plan
of the Lord. Accepting the inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it.
You are now the appointed administrative head, and, my lord, you should now
take care of those subjects who are rendered helpless.

"This Sri Krishna is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality of
Godhead. He is the first Narayana, the Supreme Enjoyer. But He is moving
amongst the descendants of King Vrishni just like one of us, and He is
bewildering us with His self-created energy. O King, Lord Shiva, Narada, the
sage amongst the demigods, and Kapila, the incarnation of Godhead, all know
very confidentially about His glories through direct contact. O King, that
personality whom, out of ignorance only, you thought to be your maternal
cousin, your very dear friend, well-wisher, counselor, messenger, benefactor,
etc., is that very Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. Being the absolute
Personality of Godhead, He is present in everyone's heart. He is equally kind
to everyone, and He is free from false ego of differentiation. Therefore
whatever He does is free from material inebriety. He is equibalanced. Yet,
despite His being equally kind to everyone, He has graciously come before me
while I am ending my life, for I am His unflinching servitor. The Personality
of Godhead, who appears in the mind of the devotee by attentive devotion and
meditation and by chanting of the holy name, releases the devotee from the
bondage of fruitive activities at the time of his quitting the material body.
May my Lord, who is four-handed and whose beautifully decorated lotus face,
with eyes as red as the rising sun, is smiling, kindly await me at the moment
when I quit this material body.

Upon seeing His devotee about to leave his body, the Personality of Godhead,
Lord Sri Krishna said, O Bhishma, I hope your mind is not in a clouded state.
O best of eloquent men, I hope your limbs are not tortured by the pain from
these arrows. Ordinarily, the smallest pin will produce pain for this body,
what to speak of hundreds of arrows. Surely, however, pain can not afflict you.
You are competent, O Bharata, to instruct the very gods about the origin and
dissolution of all created beings. Just now the eldest son of Pandu is
overwhelmed with lamentation because of the death of so many kinsmen. All the
duties of the four varnas and the four ashramas are well known to you. You are
also conversant with the four Vedas and their branches and corollaries. O bull
among men, there is no other person who can destroy the doubts that are in the
heart of Yudhisthira. With the aid of your vast intelligence, drive away the
sorrow that sits in the heart of this first son of Pandu. Your devotion to Me,
O son of Ganga, is very great, and for this reason I have appeared before you
at these last moments of your life. O foremost of Kings, I never display Myself
to those who are not devoted, or who have not conquered their senses. Through
your sincere devotion, you are able to behold Me. After leaving this body, you
will never take birth again. I assure you that upon entering My own abode in
Vaikuntha, you will never come back to this world. When you have left this
mortal plane, all your vast knowledge will be lost to mankind. Therefore, O
hero, before leaving this body pacify the grieving son of Pandu, who is
lamenting on account of the slaughter of his kinsmens.

Hearing the request of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the great grandsire
of the Kuru dynasty replied, O master of the worlds, O mighty-armed one, O
Narayana, O Lord of unfading glory, hearing the words spoken by You, I am
filled with joy. But what instructions can I give in Your presence, especially
since all instructions emanate from the Vedas, which come from Your divine
mouth? My mind, O slayer of Madhu, is agitated because of the pain of all these
arrows. O Govinda, I am so afflicted that I barely have the power to say
anything. My strength is waning, and my life breaths will soon be exhausted.
How then can I venture to speak? O my Lord, I will not be able to say anything.
Pardon me for my unwillingness. I can no longer understand whether it is day or
night. It is only through Your mercy that I am still in this body. O Krishna,
will You not therefore speak to Yudhisthira to dispel his grief?

The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, What you have spoken is just
worthy of the best members of the Kuru race. O Bhishma, I now grant you a
benediction that you will not feel pain, hunger or thirst. O son of Ganga, your
memory of the Vedic conclusions shall not fail you. What ever question
Yudhisthira will ask, you will be able to answer by My grace. After speaking
these words, a celestial shower of flowers fell from the sky. The Gandharvas
began to play on their instruments, and the Apsaras sang sweetly in the
heavens. In all directions there were auspicious omens. Lord Krishna then put
his transcendental hand on Bhishma, and his pain disappeared. Just at this time
the sun began its descent on the western horizon. Agreeing to hear Bhishma's
discourse the following day, the Pandavas entered the city of Hastinapura.

The following morning the Pandavas awoke and prepared themselves to travel to
Kurukshetra. They once again approached Grandfather Bhishma and offered their
obeisances. Lord Krishna then inquired of Grandfather Bhishma, Have you, O
best among Kings, passed the night happily? Has your intelligence become clear?
I hope that your body no longer feels the pain of all these arrows.

O descendent of Vrishni, Bhishma replied, by Your grace I have been
relieved of my suffering and fatigue. I can behold the past, the present and
the future like a crystal clear lake. Due to the benediction granted by You, I
can behold the duties laid down by the Vedas and the Vedantas. Everything that
relates to the four varnas has come within my power of memory. O Janardana,
because I have been favored by You, I have become competent to discourse on
that which will be beneficial to the world. Why, however, do You not speak to
Pandu's son about these matters?

O descendent of Bharata, Vasudeva said, I am the source of fame and
everything that is auspicious. All things, good or bad, emanate from Me. If
some one says that the moon has cool rays, no one will be struck with wonder.
Similarly, if I speak to Yudhisthira about transcendental knowledge, it will
not add to My fame. I have resolved to enhance your fame, O best among men. It
is for this reason that I have inspired you with intelligence. As long as the
earth will last, your fame will be known through the three worlds. Whatever you
say to the inquiring son of Pandu will be regarded as authoritative as the
Vedas. All the Kings and rishis desire to listen to your discourses on duty and
morality. Therefore, you should speak to them for the benefit of the world.

King Yudhisthira then approached the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty. He touched
his feet, and Bhishma welcomed him with affectionate words. Bhishma smelled
Yudhisthira's head and ask him to sit near him. Ganga's son then addressed him
saying, Do not fear, O best of the Kurus! Ask me any question without
anxiety.

O grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, Yudhisthira inquired, persons conversant
with duty and morality say that kingly duties constitute the highest science.
Please, therefore, speak in detail on the duties of Kings and of duties of the
other orders of life.

O son of Pandu, Bhishma said, the suppression of anger, truthfulness,
justice, forgiveness, begetting children by one's own wife, purity, avoidance
of quarrel, simplicity, and maintenance of dependents+these nine duties belong
to all the four orders equally. I shall now declare the duties which belong to
brahmanas exclusively. Sense control has been declared to be the first and
foremost duty of a brahmana. Study of the Vedas and performance of austerities
are also other duties of the brahminical order. Worship of the deity and
teaching others how to worship the deity are duties of the brahminical order.
Also there is accepting charity and giving in charity.

O Yudhisthira, Bhishma continued, I shall now tell you the duties for the
kshatriyas. A kshatriya should never beg, but should acquire wealth by taxing
the citizens. He should study the Vedas, but not engage in the profession of
teaching. He should offer protection to the citizens and put forward his
prowess on the field of battle. There is no higher duty for a kshatriya than to
protect the citizens. Gifts of charity, study of the Vedas and performance of
sacrifice bring prosperity to a king. A king should engage all the subjects in
their occupational duties according to their order of life. If a King does not
perform any other act other than protect the citizens, he is regarded as
successful in religious performance and has carried out all duties of a
kshatriya.

O Yudhisthira, Bhishma continued, a vaishya should give in charity, study
the Vedas, perform sacrifices and acquire wealth by fair means. A vaishya
should protect all animals especially the cow and the bull. These two are the
mother and father of all mankind. By protecting the cow, he will achieve
lasting prosperity.

O Bharata, a shudra should perform service to the other three orders according
to seniority. By such service he will obtain happiness. He should never amass
wealth for if he does he might make the higher orders his servants. Worn out
umbrellas, turbans, beds, and seats, shoes and fans should be given to the
shudra servants. Torn clothes which are no longer fit to wear should be given
to the shudras as their clothing. Men conversant with morality say that if a
shudra approaches one of the higher orders for service, then that servant
should be immediately engaged in some duty. The weak and old amongst the shudra
order should be maintained. A shudra should never give up his master no matter
what condition of distress he falls into.

Grandfather Bhishma went on to explain the Varnashrama system in more detail.
He also explained in divisions, acts of charity, the practical duties of a king
and activities of salvation. Then he briefly described the duties of women and
devotees, both briefly and extensively. Then he described the occupational
duties of different orders and statuses of life, citing instances from history,
for he was himself acquainted with the truth. While Bhishmadeva was describing
occupational duties, the sun's course ran into the northern hemisphere. This
period is described by mystics who die at their will.

Thereupon that man who spoke on different subjects with thousands of meanings
and who fought on thousands of battlefields and protected thousands of men,
stopped speaking and, being completely freed from all bondage, withdrew his
mind from everything else and fixed his wide-open eyes upon the original
Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, who stood before him, four-handed, dressed
in yellow garments that glittered and shined. By pure meditation, looking at
Lord Sri Krishna, he at once was freed from all material inauspiciousness and
was relieved of all bodily pains caused by the arrow wounds. Thus all the
external activities of his senses at once stopped, and he prayed
transcendentally to the controller of all living beings while quitting his
material body. Grandfather Bhishma prayed, Let me invest my thinking, feeling,
and willing, which were so long engaged in different subjects and occupational
duties, in the all-powerful Lord Sri Krishna. He is always self-satisfied, but
sometimes, being the leader of the devotees, He enjoys transcendental pleasure
by descending to the material world, although from Him only the material world
is created. Lord Sri Krishna is the intimate friend of Arjuna. He has appeared
on this earth in His transcendental body, which resembles the bluish color of
the tamala tree. His body attracts everyone in the three planetary systems. May
His glittering yellow dress and His lotus face, covered with paintings of
sandalwood pulp, be the object of my attraction, and may I not desire fruitive
results. On the battlefield, the flowing hair of Lord Krishna turned ashen due
to labor, and beads of sweat wetted His face. All these decorations,
intensified by the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows, were enjoyed by Him. Let my
mind thus go unto Sri Krishna. In obedience to the command of His friend, Lord
Sri Krishna entered the arena of the Battlefield of Kurukshetra between the
soldiers of Arjuna and Duryodhana, and while there He shortened the life spans
of the opposite party by His merciful glance. This was done simply by His
looking at the enemy. Let my mind be fixed upon that Lord Krishna.

When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the soldiers
and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated his ignorance
by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always remain the
object of my attraction. Fulfilling my desire and sacrificing His own promise,
He got down from the chariot, took up a wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly,
just as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on
the way. May He, Lord Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who awards
salvation, be my ultimate destination. On the battlefield He charged me, as if
angry because of the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows. His shield was scattered,
and His body was smeared with blood due to the wounds.

At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Sri Krishna, the
Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of Arjuna
who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, who was
very careful to give protection to Arjuna's chariot by all means. Those who saw
Him on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra attained their original forms after
death. Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Sri Krishna, whose motions and smiles of
love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhama. The damsels imitated the
characteristic movements of the Lord.

At the Rajasuya sacrifice performed by Maharaja Yudhisthira, there was the
greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal and learned
orders, and in that great assembly Lord Sri Krishna was worshiped by one and
all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during my
presence, and I remembered the incident in order to keep my mind upon the Lord.
Now I can meditate with full concentration upon that one Lord, Sri Krishna, now
present before me because now I have transcended the misconceptions of duality
in regard to His presence in everyone's heart. The sun may be perceived
differently, but the sun is one.

Thus Bhishmadeva deeply merged himself in remembrance of the Supersoul, Lord
Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight
and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped. Knowing that
Bhishma had entered into the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute, all
present there became silent like birds at the end of the day. Bhishmadeva was a
pure devotee of the Lord, and thus in a spiritual body he entered the spiritual
realm in one of the Vaikuntha planets where the Lord, in His eternal form of
Partha-sarathi, predominates over the unconditioned living beings who are
constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. Thereafter, both men and
demigods sounded drums in honor, and the honest royal order commenced
demonstrations of honor and respect.s And from the sky fell showers of
flowers.

After the passing away of his grandfather, King Yudhisthira performed the last
funeral rites and was momentarily overwhelmed with grief. It was at this time
that all the great sages glorified Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. After offering their respectful worship, they returned to their
respective hermitages, bearing always Lord Sri Krishna within their hearts.



Thus Ends the Anushasana Parva, entitled, The Final Instructions of
Grandfather Bhishma.



Thus Ends the Anushasana Parva.