Bhīṣma, lying upon his bed of arrows, spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira with deep wisdom and compassion. He said, “All that is unpleasant for you, my dear, is brought by the force of time. The entire world, with its rulers and powers, is governed by time’s sway—just as clouds are driven by the wind. Consider: where the son of Dharma rules as king, Bhīma wields the mighty mace, Arjuna holds the Gandiva bow, and Kṛṣṇa, your dearest friend, stands at your side—how could adversity possibly arise? Yet, O King, none can truly know the intention of the Lord. Even those blessed with inquiry and wisdom are bewildered by His ways. Therefore, best of the Bharatas, understand that all this is the arrangement of destiny. As ordained, you—once left without protector—must now protect the people as their lord. Before you stands Bhagavān Himself, the original Nārāyaṇa, who, concealing His true self among the Vrishnis, moves through the world, bewildering all by His māyā. His most secret power is known only to Bhagavān Śiva, the divine sage Nārada, and Bhagavān Kapila, O King. The one you regard as your maternal cousin, your dear friend and best 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. For Him, there is never any fault in the differences He causes in people’s minds. But see, O King, His compassion for those who have exclusive devotion: as I prepare to give up my life, Kṛṣṇa 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 moment of leaving his body. May that Lord of gods, Bhagavān, wait until I relinquish this body; with a smiling face, reddish eyes, radiant lotus-like countenance, and four arms, He stands before me as the path of my meditation. Sūta then recounts that Yudhiṣṭhira, hearing Bhīṣma’s words, questioned him further about various duties, as the gathered sages listened with reverence. Yudhiṣṭhira inquired 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 asked, 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. Bhīṣma, wise and 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 was expounding on dharma, the auspicious time arrived—the time sought by yogis who wish to leave their bodies at will, the northern course. Then, withdrawing his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, Bhīṣma fixed his mind, free from all attachments, upon the Primeval Person—upon Kṛṣṇa, shining in yellow garments, four-armed, standing before him with unblinking eyes. With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle vanished simply by beholding Him, Bhīṣma ceased all activities of his senses and praised Janārdana, the creator, as he prepared 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 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 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, He 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. May my devotion, at the time of death, be fixed upon that Lord, the beauty of whom is to be 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 Yudhiṣṭhira’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 that 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.” Sūta continues: Thus, fixing his mind, speech, and sight on Lord Kṛṣṇa, and absorbing his self in the Supreme Self, Bhīṣma drew in his breath and became still. All present, recognizing that Bhīṣma was merging into the indivisible Brahman, became silent, like birds at the end of the day. At that moment, drums resounded, played by gods and humans; the virtuous praised him, and showers of flowers fell from the sky upon the king. After Bhīṣma’s passing, Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Bhārgava, performed the proper rites for the departed; yet for a while, he remained deeply sorrowful. The delighted sages praised Kṛṣṇa with secret names, and then, their hearts devoted to Kṛṣṇa, returned to their own hermitages. Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by Kṛṣṇa, went to Gajāhvaya and comforted his father and the ascetic Gāndhārī. With his father’s approval and Kṛṣṇa’s consent, the mighty king ruled the kingdom righteously, as inherited from his father and grandfather. From her breasts flowed milk, and from her eyes, auspicious tears, as the mother of heroes repeatedly anointed her son. The people said to the queen: “By good fortune, your son, the remover of distress, has been restored after long absence, and will protect the circle of the earth.” They added, “Surely, O queen, you have worshipped the Lord, the remover of the distressed, for those who meditate on Him with steady mind conquer even death, which is so hard to overcome.” Thus, as the people cherished him and his brothers, the joyful king mounted the elephant and, praised by all, entered the city.