The great Bhīṣma, lying on his bed of arrows, spoke with the wisdom of a true yogi. He declared that the one who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon the Supreme Lord and utters His holy name with his voice is freed from all desires and actions at the time of death. As his own end approached, Bhīṣma prayed that Bhagavān, the Lord of the gods, would remain before him until his final breath. He described the Lord’s radiant form: a smiling face, eyes red like lotuses, a countenance shining with divine beauty, and four resplendent arms—this is the vision that filled Bhīṣma’s meditation. Hearing these profound words, King Yudhiṣṭhira, surrounded by attentive sages, began to question Bhīṣma about the various duties of life. He asked about the responsibilities appropriate to different natures, classes, and stages of life, and sought to understand the scriptural teachings on attachment and detachment. Yudhiṣṭhira further inquired, both in summary and detail, about the duties of charity, the nature of kingship, the path of liberation, the roles of women, devotion to God, and their divisions and yogic aspects. Bhīṣma, wise and learned, explained to Yudhiṣṭhira the aims of dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kāma (desire), and mokṣa (liberation), along with their means, drawing upon various stories and histories. As he was expounding on dharma, the auspicious time arrived—the very moment that yogis desire, when one may leave the body at will, during the northern course of the sun. Sensing his end, Bhīṣma withdrew his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, and fixed his mind—free from all attachments—upon the Primeval Person, Kṛṣṇa, who stood before him in yellow garments, four-armed, and unblinking. With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle gone just from beholding the Lord, Bhīṣma, his senses stilled, praised Janārdana, the creator, as he was about to depart. Bhīṣma spoke: “Now my mind, freed from thirst, is firmly established in the Lord, the foremost of the Sātvatas, the all-pervading one, who, having attained His own bliss, sometimes enters 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—the friend of Arjuna. I remember Him in battle, His face adorned with sweat, His hair dusted by the smoke of horses, His armor gleaming even as my sharp arrows pierced His skin. May Kṛṣṇa, my true self, be present for me. When He heard His friend’s words in the midst of battle, He placed the chariot between the two armies. Protecting even the enemy soldiers, He stood as Pārtha’s friend, taking away their strength. May my love be fixed on Him. When Arjuna saw his kin on the opposing side and faltered, Kṛṣṇa dispelled his 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, whip in hand, rushing forward like Hari to slay an elephant. Though pierced by sharp arrows, my bow shattered and my body drenched in blood, He who came as my aggressor—may that Lord Mukunda be my refuge. At the time of death, may my devotion be fixed upon that Lord, whose beauty was seen as He stood on Arjuna’s chariot, holding the reins and whip, whom those slain there, upon seeing, attained their true form. The cowherd women, their movements graceful, laughter charming, and glances full of love and feigned anger, imitated His playful acts, lost in Him, 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 me—He who reveals His true self to me. Now I realize that unborn One, present in the hearts of all beings, 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.” As Bhīṣma fixed his mind, speech, and sight on Lord Kṛṣṇa, absorbing his very self in the Supreme Self, he drew in his breath and became utterly still. All present perceived that Bhīṣma was merging into the indivisible Brahman, and a deep silence fell, as if birds had quieted at sunset. In that sacred moment, drums resounded in the heavens and on earth, the virtuous praised Bhīṣma, 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 time he remained deeply sorrowful. The delighted sages praised Kṛṣṇa with secret names and, their hearts devoted to Him, returned to their hermitages. Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by Kṛṣṇa, then went to Gajāhvaya to comfort his father and the ascetic Gāndhārī. With his father’s approval and Kṛṣṇa’s consent, the mighty king Yudhiṣṭhira ruled the kingdom righteously, as inherited from his father and grandfather. His mother, the mother of heroes, blessed him repeatedly, her breasts flowing with milk and her eyes with auspicious tears. The people rejoiced, telling the queen, “By good fortune, your son, the remover of distress, has returned after a long absence and will protect the earth.” They praised her, saying, “O queen, surely 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 cherished by the people, Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers entered the city, the joyful king riding the royal elephant, praised by all. At every entrance were splendid makara-archways, clusters of banana trunks, and heaps of betel nuts, all beautifully arranged. Each gateway was adorned with pitchers of water with lamps, garlands of fresh mango leaves, and strings of pearls. The city shone with ramparts, gateways, and houses adorned with golden ornaments and the spires of mansions. Courtyards, streets, and crossroads were swept clean and sprinkled with sandal paste, and offerings of parched rice, unbroken grains, flowers, fruits, and rice were everywhere. As the steadfast king passed along the road, the women of the city brought auspicious items—rice, unbroken grains, curd, water, sacred grass, flowers, and fruits—to greet him. Out of affection, these virtuous women offered their blessings as he entered his father’s palace, their sweet, childish songs filling his ears. In that splendid palace, adorned with clusters of great jewels, Yudhiṣṭhira was cherished exceedingly by his father and dwelled there like a god in heaven. The beds were white as milk foam, decorated with gold, the seats were precious, and all the furnishings were made of gold. Crystal walls and great emeralds sparkled with jeweled lamps, shining with gems from women’s ornaments, illuminating the king’s return and the city’s joy.