Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)
माधवस्यास्य माहात्म्यं श्रुतं यत् कथितं मया । तदेव तावत् पर्याप्तं सज्जनस्य निदर्शनम्
bhīṣma uvāca | mādhavasyāsya māhātmyaṃ śrutaṃ yat kathitaṃ mayā | tadeva tāvat paryāptaṃ sajjanasya nidarśanam | ataḥ kuntīnandana tvam ātmabhrātṛbandhubhiḥ svajanair iha śokaṃ na kartum arhasi | kauravakulānandavardhana yudhiṣṭhira tvam sadā krodhahīnaḥ śāntaś ca bhava | mayā yathā śrutaṃ tathā mādhavasya śrī-kṛṣṇasya māhātmyaṃ kathitam | etāvatāiva tasya mahimnaḥ bodhāya paryāptaṃ sajjanānāṃ digdarśanamātram iti |
Bhishma berkata: “Sebagaimana dahulu aku mendengarnya, demikian pula telah kuceritakan kepadamu kebesaran Madhava (Sri Krishna). Sebatas ini saja sudah memadai sebagai petunjuk bagi orang mulia. Karena itu, wahai putra Kunti, janganlah engkau berduka di sini atas saudara-saudaramu, kaum kerabat, dan sanak keluarga. Wahai Yudhishthira, penambah sukacita wangsa Kuru, tetaplah senantiasa bebas dari amarah dan berdiam dalam damai. Apa yang kukatakan tentang kemuliaan Madhava cukup untuk membangkitkan pengertian; bagi insan baik, sekadar isyarat pun menjadi tuntunan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma urges Yudhishthira to abandon grief for kinsmen and to cultivate krodha-hīnatā (freedom from anger) and śānti (inner peace). He adds that even a brief account of Krishna’s greatness is enough to orient a noble person toward right understanding and conduct.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma concludes a praise/teaching about Madhava (Krishna) and turns directly to Yudhishthira with counsel: do not lament for family losses and remain calm and angerless, taking the narrated glory of Krishna as a sufficient moral-spiritual pointer.