Bhagavata Purana

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.

युधि तुरगरजो विधूम्र विष्वक् कचलुलितश्रमवारि अलङ्कृतास्ये । मम निशितशरैर्विभिद्यमान त्वचि विलसत्कवचेऽस्तु कृष्ण आत्मा

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.

सपदि सखिवचो निशम्य मध्ये निजपरयोर्बलयो रथं निवेश्य । स्थितवति परसैनिकायुरक्ष्णा हृतवति पार्थसखे रतिर्ममास्तु

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.

व्यवहित पृतनामुखं निरीक्ष्य स्वजनवधात् विमुखस्य दोषबुद्ध्या । कुमतिम अहरत् आत्मविद्यया यः चश्चरणरतिः परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु

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.

स्वनिगममपहाय मत्प्रतिज्ञां ऋतमधि कर्तुमवप्लुतो रथस्थः । धृतरथ चरणोऽभ्ययात् चलद्‍गुः हरिरिव हन्तुमिभं गतोत्तरीयः

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.

शितविशिखहतो विशीर्णदंशः क्षतजपरिप्लुत आततायिनो मे । प्रसभं अभिससार मद्वधार्थं स भवतु मे भगवान् गतिर्मुकुन्दः

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.

विजयरथकुटुम्ब आत्ततोत्रे धृतहयरश्मिनि तत् श्रियेक्षणीये । भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षोः यमिह निरीक्ष्य हता गताः स्वरूपम्

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.

ललित गति विलास वल्गुहास प्रणय निरीक्षण कल्पितोरुमानाः । कृतमनुकृतवत्य उन्मदान्धाः प्रकृतिमगन् किल यस्य गोपवध्वः

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.

मुनिगण नृपवर्यसङ्कुलेऽन्तः सदसि युधिष्ठिर राजसूय एषाम् । अर्हणं उपपेद ईक्षणीयो मम दृशिगोचर एष आविरात्मा

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.

तमिममहमजं शरीरभाजां हृदि हृदि धिष्ठितमात्म कल्पितानाम् । प्रतिदृशमिव नैकधार्कमेकं समधिगतोऽस्मि विधूत भेदमोहः

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.

सूत उवाच । (अनुष्टुप्) कृष्ण एवं भगवति मनोवाक् दृष्टिवृत्तिभिः । आत्मनि आत्मानमावेश्य सोऽन्तःश्वास उपारमत्

Sūta said: Thus, fixing his mind, speech, and sight on Lord Kṛṣṇa, and absorbing his self in the Supreme Self, he drew in his breath and became still.

सम्पद्यमानमाज्ञाय भीष्मं ब्रह्मणि निष्कले । सर्वे बभूवुस्ते तूष्णीं वयांसीव दिनात्यये

Recognizing that Bhīṣma was merging into the indivisible Brahman, all present became silent, like birds at the end of the day.

तत्र दुन्दुभयो नेदुः देवमानव वादिताः । शशंसुः साधवो राज्ञां खात्पेतुः पुष्पवृष्टयः

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.

तस्य निर्हरणादीनि सम्परेतस्य भार्गव । युधिष्ठिरः कारयित्वा मुहूर्तं दुःखितोऽभवत्

After Bhīṣma’s passing, Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Bhārgava, performed the proper rites for the departed; yet for a while, he remained deeply sorrowful.

तुष्टुवुर्मुनयो हृष्टाः कृष्णं तत् गुह्यनामभिः । ततस्ते कृष्णहृदयाः स्वाश्रमान्प्रययुः पुनः

The delighted sages praised Kṛṣṇa with secret names, and then, their hearts devoted to Kṛṣṇa, they returned to their own hermitages.

ततो युधिष्ठिरो गत्वा सहकृष्णो गजाह्वयम् । पितरं सान्त्वयामास गान्धारीं च तपस्विनीम्

Then Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by Kṛṣṇa, went to Gajāhvaya and comforted his father and the ascetic Gāndhārī.

पित्रा चानुमतो राजा वासुदेवानुमोदितः । चकार राज्यं धर्मेण पितृपैतामहं विभुः

With his father’s approval and Kṛṣṇa’s consent, the mighty king ruled the kingdom righteously, as inherited from his father and grandfather.

पयः स्तनाभ्यां सुस्राव नेत्रजैः सलिलैः शिवैः । तदाभिषिच्यमानाभ्यां वीर वीरसुवो मुहुः

From her breasts flowed milk, and from her eyes, auspicious tears, as the mother of heroes repeatedly anointed her son.

तां शशंसुर्जना राज्ञीं दिष्ट्या ते पुत्र आर्तिहा । प्रतिलब्धश्चिरं नष्टो रक्षिता मण्डलं भुवः

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.'

अभ्यर्चितस्त्वया नूनं भगवान् प्रणतार्तिहा । यदनुध्यायिनो धीरा मृत्युं जिग्युः सुदुर्जयम्

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.

लाल्यमानं जनैरेवं ध्रुवं सभ्रातरं नृपः । आरोप्य करिणीं हृष्टः स्तूयमानोऽविशत्पुरम्

Thus, as the people cherished him and his brothers, the joyful king mounted the elephant and, praised by all, entered the city.