Shloka 44
मृत्युश्वैव प्राणिनामन्तकाले साक्षात् कृष्ण: शाश्वतो धर्मवाह: | भूतं च यच्चेह न विद्या किंचिद् विष्वक्सेनात् सर्वमेतत् प्रतीहि
mṛtyuś caiva prāṇinām antakāle sākṣāt kṛṣṇaḥ śāśvato dharmavāhaḥ | bhūtaṃ ca yac ceha na vidyā kiṃcid viṣvaksenāt sarvam etat pratīhi ||
Bhīṣma dit : À l’ultime instant des êtres vivants, la Mort elle-même n’est autre que Kṛṣṇa se manifestant devant eux. Il est l’éternel porteur et gardien du Dharma. Ce qui est déjà advenu, et ce qui ici demeure inconnu et non encore saisi, sache avec certitude que tout procède de Viṣvaksena (Kṛṣṇa) seul.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the ultimate power encountered at death is not separate from the Supreme—Kṛṣṇa himself. As the eternal sustainer of dharma, he governs both what is already known (the past) and what remains unknown, implying that all events and knowledge arise under divine sovereignty.
Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, identifies Kṛṣṇa with Death at the end-time of beings and affirms Kṛṣṇa (as Viṣvaksena) as the source from whom all manifested and unmanifested/unknown matters proceed.