Shloka 18
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
एष वै भगवान्साक्षादाद्यो नारायण: पुमान् । मोहयन्मायया लोकं गूढश्चरति वृष्णिषु ॥ १८ ॥
eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣād ādyo nārāyaṇaḥ pumān mohayan māyayā lokaṁ gūḍhaś carati vṛṣṇiṣu
Dieser Śrī Kṛṣṇa ist wahrlich Bhagavān selbst: die ursprüngliche Person, der erste Nārāyaṇa, der höchste Genießer. Mit seiner eigenen Māyā betört er die Welt, und doch wandelt er verborgen unter den Vṛṣṇis, als wäre er einer von uns.
The Vedic system of acquiring knowledge is the deductive process. The Vedic knowledge is received perfectly by disciplic succession from authorities. Such knowledge is never dogmatic, as ill conceived by less intelligent persons. The mother is the authority to verify the identity of the father. She is the authority for such confidential knowledge. Therefore, authority is not dogmatic. In the Bhagavad-gītā this truth is confirmed in the second verse of the Fourth Chapter, and the perfect system of learning is to receive it from authority. The very same system is accepted universally as truth, but only the false arguer speaks against it. For example, modern spacecraft fly in the sky, and when scientists say that they travel to the other side of the moon, men believe these stories blindly because they have accepted the modern scientists as authorities. The authorities speak, and the people in general believe them. But in the case of Vedic truths, they have been taught not to believe. Even if they accept them they give a different interpretation. Each and every man wants a direct perception of Vedic knowledge, but foolishly they deny it. This means that the misguided man can believe one authority, the scientist, but will reject the authority of the Vedas. The result is that people have degenerated.
FAQs
This verse states that Krishna present before Bhishma is directly Bhagavan—the primeval Nārāyaṇa Himself—confirming Krishna’s supreme, original divinity.
Bhishma points out that although the Supreme Lord has appeared in the Yadu/Vṛṣṇi dynasty, He remains concealed by His own māyā, so ordinary people mistake Him for a mere human relative of the Vṛṣṇis.
Recognize that appearances can mask the divine; cultivate devotion and scriptural hearing so that māyā’s confusion lessens and you learn to see Krishna’s presence behind events and relationships.