As the royal child performed his great austerity, sustaining within himself the Supreme Lord—the Master of primordial matter and the great elements, the very support of all—the three worlds began to tremble. Standing firmly on one foot, the boy pressed his big toe into the earth, causing it to bend beneath him wherever he stood, just as the platform of an elephant tilts under its immense weight. Immersed in deep meditation upon the Self of the universe, the boy closed off his senses with unwavering concentration. The intensity of his practice weighed heavily upon the worlds and their guardians, leaving them oppressed and breathless. In their distress, they sought refuge in Lord Hari, the ultimate shelter. The gods approached and spoke: “O Lord, in all beings, moving and unmoving, whose abode is You, we have never witnessed such restraint and control of the life-breath. Please, grant us relief from this suffering. We have come to You, the supreme refuge, seeking deliverance from our distress.” The Blessed Lord replied with compassion: “Do not be afraid. I shall cause the boy to desist from this arduous austerity. Return to your own realms. Know that it was his union with Me that caused your breath to be restrained, O sons of Uttānapāda.” Meanwhile, Sūta continued: Out of concern for the welfare of his subjects and a deep desire to understand the full measure of righteousness, King Yudhiṣṭhira made his way to the place where Devavrata, known as Bhīṣma, lay upon his bed of arrows. At that time, all his brothers, their horses adorned with gold, followed in chariots. The revered sages Vyāsa, Dhaumya, and many others accompanied them. The Blessed Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, together with Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), rode in a chariot among them. Amidst this noble gathering, the king shone resplendent, like Kubera among the Yakṣas. Upon seeing Bhīṣma fallen on the ground—like a celestial being cast from heaven—the Pāṇḍavas, with their followers and the wielder of the discus (Kṛṣṇa), bowed reverently before him. There, a great assembly of sages had gathered: Parvata, Nārada, Dhaumya, the venerable Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsa), Brihadasva, Bharadvāja with his disciples, and the son of Reṇukā. Vasishtha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakṣīvan, Gautama, Atri, Kauśika, and Sudarśana were also present, along with other pure-hearted sages such as Brahmarāta, Kaśyapa, Aṅgiras, and many more, each accompanied by their disciples. Perceiving the presence of these most fortunate and illustrious souls, Bhīṣma—the best of the Vasus, well-versed in righteousness and the proper distinctions of place and time—honored them all. He also worshipped Kṛṣṇa, who, knowing His own divine majesty, sat as Lord of the universe, present within the hearts of all, having assumed a human form through His own māyā. Then Bhīṣma addressed the sons of Pāṇḍu, who sat before him in humility and affection, their eyes blinded by tears of deep attachment. He said, “Alas, how grievous and unjust it is that you, O sons of Dharma, devoted to the Brāhmaṇas, to righteousness, and to Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa), should endure such suffering and distress. With your father, the mighty warrior Pāṇḍu, gone, Kuntī has endured many hardships for your sake, caring for you as a widow with young children, again and again, like a mother with her only child. “I see all the misfortunes that have befallen you as the workings of time. The world and its rulers are subject to its sway, just as clouds are driven by the wind. How can adversity arise when the son of Dharma is king, Bhīma wields the mace, Arjuna holds the Gāṇḍīva bow, and Kṛṣṇa Himself is your friend? “O King, no one can ever know His (Kṛṣṇa’s) intention; even those most learned and wise are bewildered by it. Therefore, best of the Bharatas, understand all that has occurred as the arrangement of destiny. Being thus ordained, O protectorless one, you must now protect your people as their lord. “This is Bhagavān Himself, the original Nārāyaṇa, who, concealing His true nature among the Vṛṣṇis, moves about this world, bewildering all with His māyā. His most secret power is known only to Bhagavān Śiva, the divine sage Nārada, and Bhagavān Kapila, O King. He whom you regard as your maternal cousin, dear friend, best well-wisher, whom you made your minister, messenger, and charioteer out of affection—He is the soul of all, who sees all equally, nondual and free from ego. For Him, there is never any fault in the differences He causes in people’s minds. “Yet, O King, behold His compassion for those with exclusive devotion: as I prepare to leave this world, Kṛṣṇa Himself has come before me. The yogi who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon Him and utters His name at the time of death is freed from all desires and actions. “May that Lord of gods, Bhagavān, remain before me until I relinquish this body—He whose smiling face, reddish eyes, radiant lotus-like countenance, and four arms stand as the very path of my meditation.” Sūta said: Hearing these words, Yudhiṣṭhira questioned Bhīṣma, who lay upon the bed of arrows, about the various duties of life, while the assembled sages listened attentively. He asked about the responsibilities prescribed for people according to their nature, social class, and stage of life, and about the characteristics of both detachment and attachment as taught in the scriptures. He inquired, in both summary and detail, about the duties of charity, kingship, liberation, women, and devotion to God, as well as their divisions and yogic aspects. Bhīṣma, knowing the truth, described to him the aims of dharma, wealth, desire, and liberation, along with the means to attain them, drawing upon stories and histories as found in the scriptures. As he expounded on dharma, the auspicious time arrived—the very moment longed for by yogis who desire to leave the body at will, during the northern course of the sun. At that moment, Bhīṣma withdrew his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, and fixed his mind, free from all attachments, upon the Primeval Person—upon Kṛṣṇa, who stood before him, shining in yellow garments, four-armed, with unblinking eyes. With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle washed away by the mere sight of the Lord, Bhīṣma, with all the activities of his senses ceased, praised Janārdana, the creator, as he prepared to depart. Bhīṣma said: “Thus, my mind, freed from all thirst, is established in the Lord—the foremost of the Sātvatas, the all-pervading one—who, having attained His own bliss, sometimes enters into the world of nature, from which the flow of birth arises. May my pure love be fixed upon Him, the delight of the three worlds, dark as a tamāla tree, adorned in garments shining like the rays of the sun, whose form is encircled by curling locks, and whose lotus face is the dear friend of Arjuna. “In battle, with His face adorned by sweat from exertion, His hair dusted by the smoke of horses, His armor gleaming as His skin was pierced by my sharp arrows—may Kṛṣṇa, my true self, be present for me. Hearing the words of His friend in the midst of battle, He placed the chariot between the two armies; as He stood protecting the lives even of the enemy soldiers, may my love be fixed on Pārtha’s friend, who took away their strength.” Thus, with his mind absorbed in the Lord, Bhīṣma prepared to depart from this world, surrounded by sages, heroes, and the Supreme Lord Himself.