When the gods found themselves troubled by an extraordinary restraint of life-breath throughout all beings—moving and unmoving—they approached the Lord, confessing their bewilderment. They said, “O Lord, we do not know of such restraint anywhere, for all beings dwell in You. We have come to You, the ultimate refuge; please grant us release from this distress.” The Blessed Lord comforted them, saying, “Do not fear. I will cause the boy to desist from this arduous austerity. Return to your realms. It was his union with Me that led to the restraint of your breath, O sons of Uttānapāda.” Meanwhile, Sūta continued his narration: Out of concern for his subjects and eager to understand the path of righteousness, King Yudhiṣṭhira set out for the place where Devavrata, known as Bhīṣma, lay upon his bed of arrows. His brothers accompanied him, riding in chariots drawn by horses adorned with gold, and sages like Vyāsa, Dhaumya, and others joined them. The Blessed Lord Himself, accompanied by Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), rode in a chariot, and amid all these noble souls, the king shone like Kubera among the Yakṣas. When they arrived, they found Bhīṣma fallen upon the ground, resembling a god cast down from heaven. The Pāṇḍavas, their followers, and Krishna, the wielder of the discus, bowed reverently before him. Great sages among the Brahmanas, the foremost of divine and royal sages, had gathered to see the chief of the Bharatas: Parvata, Narada, Dhaumya, the venerable Badarayana, Brihadasva, Bharadvaja with his disciples, and the son of Renuka were present. Vasishtha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakshivan, Gautama, Atri, Kaushika, and Sudarshana were also there. Pure-hearted sages like Brahmarata, Kashyapa, Angiras, and many others arrived with their disciples. Recognizing the assembly of these most fortunate souls, Bhīṣma, the best of the Vasus, who understood righteousness and the proper distinctions of place and time, honored them all. He also worshipped Krishna, seated there as Lord of the universe, present within all hearts, who had assumed a form through His own maya. Bhīṣma then addressed the sons of Pandu, who sat before him with humility and affection, their eyes blinded by tears of deep attachment. He spoke with compassion: “Alas, how grievous and unjust it is that you, O sons of Dharma, afflicted and devoted to the Brahmanas, righteousness, and Acyuta, should suffer or live in distress. With the great warrior Pandu gone, Kunti—left a widow with young children—has endured many hardships for your sake, time and again, like a mother with a child. I consider all your misfortunes to be caused by the workings of time; the world and its rulers are under its sway, just as clouds are driven by the wind. “Where the son of Dharma is king, Bhima wields the mace, Krishna holds the Gandiva bow, and Krishna is your friend—how can there be adversity? O King, no one ever knows His intention; even those endowed with inquiry are bewildered by it, as are the wise. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, understand this to be the arrangement of destiny; being thus ordained, O protectorless one, you, as the lord, must protect the people. “This indeed is Bhagavan Himself, the original Narayana, who, concealing Himself among the Vrishnis, moves about, bewildering the world by His maya. His most secret power is known only to Bhagavan Shiva, the divine sage Narada, and Bhagavan Kapila. He whom you consider 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, see His compassion for those with exclusive devotion: as I am giving up my life, Krishna Himself stands before me. The yogi who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon Him and utters His name is freed from desires and actions at the time of death. May that Lord of gods, Bhagavan, wait until I relinquish this body; He, with a smiling face, reddish eyes, radiant lotus-like countenance, and four arms, stands before me as the path of my meditation.” Sūta resumed: Yudhiṣṭhira, hearing these words, questioned Bhīṣma, who lay upon the bed of arrows, about various duties, as all the sages listened attentively. He asked about duties prescribed according to nature, class, and stage of life, and about the characteristics of both detachment and attachment as taught in the scriptures. He inquired, both in summary and detail, about the duties of charity, kingship, liberation, women, and devotion to God, as well as their divisions and yogic aspects. The sage, knowing the truth, described to him the aims of dharma, wealth, desire, and liberation, along with their means, as found in various stories and histories. As Bhīṣma expounded on dharma, that auspicious time arrived—the time desired by yogis who wish to die at will, the northern course. Then, Bhīṣma withdrew his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, and fixed his mind, free from all attachments, upon the Primeval Person—upon Krishna, shining in yellow garments, four-armed, standing before him, with eyes unblinking. With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle gone simply by beholding Him, with all the activities of his senses ceased, Bhīṣma praised Janārdana, the creator, as he was about to depart. He said: “Thus, my mind, freed from 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 with garments shining like the rays of the sun, whose form is encircled by curling locks, and whose lotus face is the 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 Krishna, 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 of the enemy soldiers, may my love be fixed on Pārtha’s friend, who took away their strength. “Seeing the opposing army and, out of a sense of fault, turning away from killing his own kin, Krishna dispelled Arjuna’s confusion with knowledge of the Self—may I have supreme devotion to His lotus feet. Abandoning His own vow to fulfill mine, He leapt from the chariot, His upper garment falling, and rushed forward, whip in hand, like Hari advancing to slay an elephant. Pierced by sharp arrows, my bow shattered, my body drenched in blood, the aggressor rushed upon me to kill me—may that Lord Mukunda be my refuge.” Thus, with his mind fixed upon the Lord, Bhīṣma prepared to depart, his heart filled with devotion and praise for Krishna, who stood before him as the path of liberation.