The Blessed Lord Krishna, accompanied by Dhananjaya (Arjuna), arrived in a chariot, and among their company, King Yudhishthira shone with a splendor like that of Kubera amidst the Yakshas. As they approached, the Pandavas, their followers, and Krishna—the wielder of the discus—beheld Bhishma lying upon the ground, fallen like a god from heaven. Overcome with reverence, they bowed low before him. At that sacred place, a great multitude of sages had assembled, drawn by the desire to see Bhishma, the chief among the Bharatas. Among them were the most eminent Brahmanas, the foremost of divine and royal sages. Parvata, Narada, Dhaumya, the revered Badarayana, Brihadasva, Bharadvaja with his disciples, and the son of Renuka were present. Vasishtha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakshivan, Gautama, Atri, Kaushika, and Sudarshana also graced the gathering. Many other pure-hearted sages arrived with their disciples—such as Brahmarata, Kashyapa, Angiras, and others. Perceiving this assembly of supremely fortunate souls, Bhishma—the best of the Vasus and knower of righteousness—honored them all, mindful of the proper distinctions of time and place. He then worshipped Krishna, who, though seated as a member of their company, was truly the Lord of the universe, present in the hearts of all, having assumed form through His own divine power. Turning with affection to the sons of Pandu, who sat humbly before him, their eyes blinded with tears of deep attachment, Bhishma spoke. “Alas, how grievous and unjust it is that you, O sons of Dharma, who are so devoted to the Brahmanas, to righteousness, and to Acyuta (Krishna), should suffer affliction and distress—you who are not fit for such sorrow. With the great warrior Pandu gone, your mother Kunti, left widowed with young children, has endured many hardships for your sake, time and again, like a mother protecting her offspring. “All that is unpleasant for you, I see, is brought about by Time itself; for the world and its rulers are under its sway, just as clouds are driven by the wind. Yet here, where the son of Dharma is king, where Bhima wields the mace, Arjuna the Gandiva bow, and Krishna Himself is your friend—how can there be adversity? O King, no one knows His intention; even those who inquire deeply, even the wise, are bewildered by it. “Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, understand this as the arrangement of destiny. Thus ordained, you, though feeling unprotected, must act as the protector and lord of the people. For this is Bhagavan Himself, the original Narayana, who, concealing His true nature among the Vrishnis, moves through the world, bewildering all by His maya. His most secret power is known only to Bhagavan Shiva, the divine sage Narada, and Bhagavan Kapila, O King. “The One whom you see as your maternal cousin, your dear friend and well-wisher, whom you made your minister, messenger, and charioteer out of affection—He is the soul of all, seeing all equally, nondual and free from ego; in Him, there is never any fault, even in the differences He causes in the minds of people. Yet, O King, behold His compassion for those with exclusive devotion: as I am about to leave this world, Krishna Himself stands before me. “The yogi who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon Him and utters His name with his voice, 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 very path of my meditation.” Hearing these words, Yudhishthira respectfully questioned Bhishma, who lay upon his bed of arrows, about the various duties of life. The assembled sages listened attentively as Yudhishthira asked about the duties prescribed for people according to their nature, class, and stage of life, and about the qualities of detachment and attachment as taught in the scriptures. He inquired, both in summary and detail, about charity, kingship, liberation, the duties of women, devotion to God, and their divisions and yogic aspects. In response, the wise sage Bhishma explained the aims of dharma, wealth, desire, and liberation, along with their means, drawing upon stories and histories to illuminate their meaning. As he expounded on dharma, the auspicious time approached—the time sought by yogis who wish to depart at will, when the sun begins its northern course. Withdrawing his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, Bhishma fixed his mind—now free from all attachments—upon the Primeval Person, Krishna, who stood before him in yellow garments, four-armed, with unblinking eyes. With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle vanished just by beholding Him, Bhishma, with all his senses stilled, praised Janardana, the creator, as he prepared to depart. Bhishma spoke: “Thus, my mind, freed from thirst, is established in the Lord, foremost of the Sātvatas, all-pervading, 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 sun’s rays, with curling locks and a lotus face—Arjuna’s dearest friend. “In battle, His face was adorned with 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 ever 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 Partha’s friend, who sapped their strength. “When Arjuna, troubled by the thought of killing his own kin, turned away from battle, Krishna dispelled his confusion with the wisdom of the Self—may I have supreme devotion to His lotus feet. To fulfill my vow, He abandoned His own, leaping from the chariot, His upper garment falling, whip in hand, like Hari advancing to slay an elephant. “Though pierced by sharp arrows, my bow broken, my body drenched in blood, He rushed upon me—the aggressor—to kill me. May that Lord Mukunda be my refuge. May my devotion, at the time of death, be fixed upon that Lord, whose beauty is seen as He stands on Arjuna’s chariot, holding the reins and whip, whom those slain here, upon seeing, attained their true form. “The cowherd women, their movements graceful, their laughter charming, their sidelong glances full of love and feigned anger, imitated His playful acts in madness and blindness, for they were absorbed in His very nature. In the royal assembly at Yudhishthira’s Rājasūya sacrifice, surrounded by sages and kings, He alone was worthy of worship and became visible to my eyes—He who reveals His true self to me. “I have now realized the Unborn One, present in the hearts of all embodied beings, who is conceived differently by each according to their mind, just as the one sun appears manifold in many reflections. My delusion of difference has been dispelled.” Thus, in the presence of Krishna and the assembled sages and kings, Bhishma, the great devotee and knower of dharma, prepared to leave his mortal body, his mind fixed unwaveringly upon the Lord.