Shloka 9
Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure
त्वत्प्रपन्नाय भक्ताय गतिमिष्टां जिगीषवे । यच्छेय: पुण्डरीकाक्ष तद् ध्यायस्व सुरोत्तम
tvatprapannāya bhaktāya gatimiṣṭāṃ jigīṣave | yaccheyaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣa tad dhyāyasva surottama ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ມາພຶ່ງພາພຣະອົງ ໃນຖານະຜູ້ຮັກພັກດີ ແລະປາຖະໜາຈະບັນລຸເສັ້ນທາງອັນສູງສຸດທີ່ປາດຖະໜາ. ໂອ ຜູ້ມີນະຍະນາດັ່ງດອກບົວ, ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດສຸດໃນໝູ່ເທວະ—ຂໍໃຫ້ພຣະອົງພິຈາລະນາໃນພຣະທັຍ ວ່າສິ່ງໃດເປັນກຸສົນທີ່ແທ້ຈິງສໍາລັບຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ ແລະປະທານວິທີຊ່ວຍໃຫ້ພົ້ນນັ້ນ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) and the pursuit of śreyas (true, lasting good). Bhīṣma, facing the end of life, does not ask for worldly gain but for the divinely guided means to attain the highest desired gati—implying ethical and spiritual welfare over transient pleasure.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows and instructing Yudhiṣṭhira—turns in devotion to the supreme Lord addressed as Puṇḍarīkākṣa and Surottama. He declares himself surrendered and asks the deity to determine and grant what is truly beneficial for him, reflecting a moment of personal supplication within the broader discourse on dharma.