Shloka 24
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
स देवदेवो भगवान् प्रतीक्षतां कलेवरं यावदिदं हिनोम्यहम् । प्रसन्नहासारुणलोचनोल्लस- न्मुखाम्बुजो ध्यानपथश्चतुर्भुज: ॥ २४ ॥
sa deva-devo bhagavān pratīkṣatāṁ kalevaraṁ yāvad idaṁ hinomy aham prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanollasan- mukhāmbujo dhyāna-pathaś catur-bhujaḥ
Möge mein Herr, der Gott der Götter, vierarmig, mit herrlich geschmücktem Lotusantlitz und Augen rot wie die aufgehende Sonne, im Glanz eines gütigen Lächelns, mich barmherzig erwarten, wenn ich diesen Leib verlasse.
Bhīṣmadeva knew well that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Nārāyaṇa. His worshipable Deity was four-handed Nārāyaṇa, but he knew that four-handed Nārāyaṇa is a plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Indirectly he desired Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to manifest Himself in His four-handed feature of Nārāyaṇa. A Vaiṣṇava is always humble in his behavior. Although it was cent-percent certain that Bhīṣmadeva was approaching Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma just after leaving his material body, still as a humble Vaiṣṇava he desired to see the beautiful face of the Lord, for after quitting the present body he might not be in a position to see the Lord any more. A Vaiṣṇava is not puffed up, although the Lord guarantees His pure devotee entrance into His abode. Here Bhīṣmadeva says “as long as I do not quit this body.” This means that the great general would quit the body by his own will; he was not being forced by the laws of nature. He was so powerful that he could stay in his body as long as he desired. He got this benediction from his father. He desired that the Lord stay before him in His four-handed Nārāyaṇa feature so that he might concentrate upon Him and thus be in trance in that meditation. Then his mind might be sanctified with thinking of the Lord. Thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee is never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires him to go to hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains is that he may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord, regardless. Bhīṣmadeva wanted this much only: that his mind be absorbed in thinking of the Lord and that he pass away thus. That is the highest ambition of a pure devotee.
FAQs
This verse shows Bhishmadeva consciously giving up his body while fixing his meditation on the Lord’s beautiful form—teaching that remembrance of Bhagavan at the final moment is a perfected culmination of bhakti.
Bhishma was blessed with the power to choose his time of departure; seeing Krishna personally present, he requested the Lord to remain so he could leave his body while fully absorbed in the Lord’s darshan.
Practice daily remembrance—japa, prayer, and contemplation of the Lord’s form and qualities—so that in crisis or at life’s end the mind naturally turns toward Krishna, as Bhishma demonstrates.