Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure
पजञ्चाशतं षट् च कुरुप्रवीर शेष दिनानां तव जीवितस्य । तत: शुभै: कर्मफलोदयैस्त्व॑ समेष्यसे भीष्म विमुच्य देहम्
pañcāśataṃ ṣaṭ ca kurupravīra śeṣa-dinānāṃ tava jīvitasya | tataḥ śubhaiḥ karma-phalodayais tvaṃ sameṣyase bhīṣma vimucya deham ||
ヴァーユは言った。「クル族随一の勇士よ、汝の命にはなお五十六日が残る。その後、ビーシュマよ、この身を捨てれば、汝は善き行いの果報によって吉祥なる世界へと至り、そこへ昇るであろう。」
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse emphasizes karmic moral causality: the fruits of one’s auspicious actions mature in due time and lead the person to higher states after death. It also frames death as a conscious transition—abandoning the body—rather than mere annihilation.
Vāyudeva addresses Bhīṣma and foretells the exact remaining duration of his life—fifty-six days—assuring him that after that period he will relinquish his body and attain excellent realms as the result of his accumulated virtuous deeds.