Bhagavata Purana

तत्र ब्रह्मर्षयः सर्वे देवर्षयश्च सत्तम । राजर्षयश्च तत्रासन् द्रष्टुं भरतपुङ्गवम्

There, all the great sages among the Brahmanas, the foremost among the divine sages, and the royal sages assembled to see the chief of the Bharatas.

पर्वतो नारदो धौम्यो भगवान् बादरायणः । बृहदश्वो भरद्वाजः सशिष्यो रेणुकासुतः

Parvata, Narada, Dhaumya, the venerable Badarayana, Brihadasva, Bharadvaja with his disciples, and the son of Renuka were present.

वसिष्ठ इन्द्रप्रमदः त्रितो गृत्समदोऽसितः । कक्षीवान् गौतमोऽत्रिश्च कौशिकोऽथ सुदर्शनः

Vasishtha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakshivan, Gautama, Atri, Kaushika, and Sudarshana were also there.

अन्ये च मुनयो ब्रह्मन् ब्रह्मरातादयोऽमलाः । शिष्यैरुपेता आजग्मुः कश्यपाङ्‌गिरसादयः

Other sages as well, O Brahman, pure-hearted ones like Brahmarata and others, arrived with their disciples—Kashyapa, Angiras, and the rest.

तान् समेतान् महाभागान् उपलभ्य वसूत्तमः । पूजयामास धर्मज्ञो देशकालविभागवित्

Having perceived those assembled, most fortunate ones, the best of the Vasus, who knew righteousness and the proper distinctions of place and time, honored them.

कृष्णं च तत्प्रभावज्ञ आसीनं जगदीश्वरम् । हृदिस्थं पूजयामास माययोपात्त विग्रहम्

He also worshipped Krishna, who knew His own majesty, seated there as Lord of the universe, present in the heart, having assumed a form through His own maya.

पाण्डुपुत्रान् उपासीनान् प्रश्रयप्रेमसङ्गतान् । अभ्याचष्टानुरागाश्रैः अन्धीभूतेन चक्षुषा

He addressed the sons of Pandu, who were seated with humility and affection, with eyes blinded by tears of deep attachment.

अहो कष्टमहोऽन्याय्यं यद् यूयं धर्मनन्दनाः । जीवितुं नार्हथ क्लिष्टं विप्रधर्माच्युताश्रयाः

Alas, how grievous, how unjust it is that you, O sons of Dharma, who are afflicted, devoted to the Brahmanas, to righteousness, and to Acyuta, are not fit to suffer or to live in distress.

संस्थितेऽतिरथे पाण्डौ पृथा बालप्रजा वधूः । युष्मत्कृते बहून् क्लेशान् प्राप्ता तोकवती मुहुः

With the great warrior Pandu gone, Kunti, left with young children and as a widow, has endured many hardships for your sake, time and again, like one with a child.

सर्वं कालकृतं मन्ये भवतां च यदप्रियम् । सपालो यद्वशे लोको वायोरिव घनावलिः

I consider all that is unpleasant for you to be caused by time; the world, with its rulers, is under its sway, just as clouds are driven by the wind.

यत्र धर्मसुतो राजा गदापाणिर्वृकोदरः । कृष्णोऽस्त्री गाण्डिवं चापं सुहृत् कृष्णः ततो विपत्

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?

न ह्यस्य कर्हिचित् राजन् पुमान् वेद विधित्सितम् । यत् विजिज्ञासया युक्ता मुह्यन्ति कवयोऽपि हि

O King, no one ever knows His intention; even those endowed with inquiry are bewildered by it, as are the wise.

तस्मात् इदं दैवतंत्रं व्यवस्य भरतर्षभ । तस्यानुविहितोऽनाथा नाथ पाहि प्रजाः प्रभो

Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, understand this to be the arrangement of destiny; being thus ordained, O protectorless one, you, as the lord, protect the people.

एष वै भगवान् साक्षात् आद्यो नारायणः पुमान् । मोहयन् मायया लोकं गूढश्चरति वृष्णिषु

This indeed is Bhagavan Himself, the original Narayana, who, concealing Himself among the Vrishnis, moves about, bewildering the world by His maya.

अस्यानुभावं भगवान् वेद गुह्यतमं शिवः । देवर्षिर्नारदः साक्षात् भगवान् कपिलो नृप

His most secret power is known by Bhagavan Shiva, the divine sage Narada, and Bhagavan Kapila, O King.

यं मन्यसे मातुलेयं प्रियं मित्रं सुहृत्तमम् । अकरोः सचिवं दूतं सौहृदादथ सारथिम्

He whom you consider your maternal cousin, dear friend, best well-wisher, whom you made your minister, messenger, and charioteer out of affection—

सर्वात्मनः समदृशो ह्यद्वयस्यानहङ्कृतेः । तत्कृतं मतिवैषम्यं निरवद्यस्य न क्वचित्

For the one who is the soul of all, who sees all equally, who is nondual and free from ego, there is never any fault in the differences He causes in people's minds.

तथाप्येकान्तभक्तेषु पश्य भूपानुकम्पितम् । यत् मे असून् त्यजतः साक्षात् कृष्णो दर्शनमागतः

Yet, see, O King, His compassion for those with exclusive devotion: as I am giving up my life, Krishna Himself has come before me.

भक्त्यावेश्य मनो यस्मिन् वाचा यन्नाम कीर्तयन् । त्यजन् कलेवरं योगी मुच्यते कामकर्मभिः

The yogi who, with devotion, fixes his mind upon Him and utters His name with his voice, is freed from desires and actions when he leaves his body.

(वंशस्थ) स देवदेवो भगवान् प्रतीक्षतां कलेवरं यावदिदं हिनोम्यहम् । प्रसन्नहासारुणलोचनोल्लसन् मुखाम्बुजो ध्यानपथश्चतुर्भुजः

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.

सूत उवाच । (अनुष्टुप्) युधिष्ठिरः तत् आकर्ण्य शयानं शरपञ्जरे । अपृच्छत् विविधान् धर्मान् ऋषीणां चानुश्रृण्वताम्

Sūta said: Yudhiṣṭhira, having heard this, questioned the one lying upon the bed of arrows about various duties, as the sages listened attentively.

पुरुषस्वभावविहितान् यथावर्णं यथाश्रमम् । वैराग्यरागोपाधिभ्यां आम्नातोभयलक्षणान्

He asked about duties prescribed for people according to their nature, class, and stage of life, and about the characteristics of both detachment and attachment as taught in the scriptures.

दानधर्मान् राजधर्मान् मोक्षधर्मान् विभागशः । स्त्रीधर्मान् भगवद्धर्मान् समासव्यास योगतः

He inquired, in summary and detail, about the duties of charity, kingship, liberation, women, and devotion to God, as well as their divisions and yogic aspects.

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षांश्च सहोपायान् यथा मुने । नानाख्यानेतिहासेषु वर्णयामास तत्त्ववित्

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.

धर्मं प्रवदतस्तस्य स कालः प्रत्युपस्थितः । यो योगिनः छन्दमृत्योः वाञ्छितस्तु उत्तरायणः

As he was expounding on dharma, that auspicious time arrived—the time desired by yogis who wish for death at will, the northern course.

(वंशस्थ) तदोपसंहृत्य गिरः सहस्रणीः विमुक्तसङ्गं मन आदिपूरुषे । कृष्णे लसत्पीतपटे चतुर्भुजे पुरः स्थितेऽमीलित दृग् व्यधारयत्

Then, withdrawing his speech, which had flowed like a thousand streams, he fixed his mind, free from all attachments, upon the Primeval Person—upon Kṛṣṇa, shining in yellow garments, four-armed, standing before him, with eyes unblinking.

विशुद्धया धारणया हताशुभः तदीक्षयैवाशु गतायुधश्रमः । निवृत्त सर्वेन्द्रिय वृत्ति विभ्रमः तुष्टाव जन्यं विसृजन् जनार्दनम्

With pure concentration, all inauspiciousness destroyed, and the fatigue of battle gone just by beholding Him, with all the activities of his senses ceased, he praised Janārdana, the creator, as he was about to depart.

श्रीभीष्म उवाच । (पुष्पिताग्रा) इति मतिरुपकल्पिता वितृष्णा भगवति सात्वतपुङ्गवे विभूम्नि । स्वसुखमुपगते क्वचित् विहर्तुं प्रकृतिमुपेयुषि यद्‍भवप्रवाहः

Śrī Bhīṣma 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.

त्रिभुवनकमनं तमालवर्णं रविकरगौरवराम्बरं दधाने । वपुरलककुलावृत आननाब्जं विजयसखे रतिरस्तु मेऽनवद्या

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.