Shloka 16
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
न ह्यस्य कर्हिचिद्राजन् पुमान् वेद विधित्सितम् । यद्विजिज्ञासया युक्ता मुह्यन्ति कवयोऽपि हि ॥ १६ ॥
na hy asya karhicid rājan pumān veda vidhitsitam yad vijijñāsayā yuktā muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi
O König, niemand kann den Plan des Herrn Śrī Kṛṣṇa erkennen. Selbst große Weise und Philosophen, so gründlich sie auch forschen, werden davon verwirrt.
The bewilderment of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira over his past sinful acts and the resultant sufferings, etc., is completely negated by the great authority Bhīṣma (one of the twelve authorized persons). Bhīṣma wanted to impress upon Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that since time immemorial no one, including such demigods as Śiva and Brahmā, could ascertain the real plan of the Lord. So what can we understand about it? It is useless also to inquire about it. Even the exhaustive philosophical inquiries of sages cannot ascertain the plan of the Lord. The best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without argument. The sufferings of the Pāṇḍavas were never due to their past deeds. The Lord had to execute the plan of establishing the kingdom of virtue, and therefore His own devotees suffered temporarily in order to establish the conquest of virtue. Bhīṣmadeva was certainly satisfied by seeing the triumph of virtue, and he was glad to see King Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, although he himself fought against him. Even a great fighter like Bhīṣma could not win the Battle of Kurukṣetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot conquer virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. Bhīṣmadeva was a great devotee of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the Pāṇḍavas by the will of the Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like Bhīṣma cannot win on the wrong side.
FAQs
This verse says that Krishna’s intention cannot be fully known by any human being; even great sages become bewildered when they try to grasp His plan.
Bhishma was consoling and instructing Yudhishthira after the Kurukshetra war, teaching him humility and faith: the outcomes of events rest in the Lord’s inscrutable will, beyond ordinary calculation.
Do your duty sincerely, but release obsession over outcomes—cultivating steadiness, prayerful dependence on Krishna, and humility when life’s events exceed your understanding.