Shloka 11
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
पाण्डुपुत्रानुपासीनान् प्रश्रयप्रेमसङ्गतान् । अभ्याचष्टानुरागाश्रैरन्धीभूतेन चक्षुषा ॥ ११ ॥
pāṇḍu-putrān upāsīnān praśraya-prema-saṅgatān abhyācaṣṭānurāgāśrair andhībhūtena cakṣuṣā
Die Söhne Mahārāja Pāṇḍus saßen schweigend in der Nähe, erfüllt von Ehrfurcht und Liebe. Als Bhīṣmadeva sie sah, beglückwünschte er sie innig; seine Augen wurden durch Tränen der Verzückung vor Zuneigung getrübt.
When Mahārāja Pāṇḍu died, his sons were all small children, and naturally they were brought up under the affection of elderly members of the royal family, specifically by Bhīṣmadeva. Later on, when the Pāṇḍavas were grown up, they were cheated by cunning Duryodhana and company, and Bhīṣmadeva, although he knew that the Pāṇḍavas were innocent and were unnecessarily put into trouble, could not take the side of the Pāṇḍavas for political reasons. At the last stage of his life, when Bhīṣmadeva saw his most exalted grandsons, headed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, sitting very gently at his side, the great warrior-grandfather could not check his loving tears, which were automatically flowing from his eyes. He remembered the great tribulations suffered by his most pious grandsons. Certainly he was the most satisfied man because of Yudhiṣṭhira’s being enthroned in place of Duryodhana, and thus he began to congratulate them.
FAQs
Because intense devotional affection (anurāga) arose as he looked upon the Pāṇḍavas, and his tears of love obscured his vision.
Sūta Gosvāmī narrates how Bhīṣma, lying in his final moments, looked at the Pāṇḍavas seated near him and began to address them with deep affection.
Cultivate humility and loving regard for devotees and elders; genuine affection softens the heart and makes one receptive to dharma and spiritual guidance.