Shloka 39
Bhīṣmadeva’s Passing Away in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa
विजयरथकुटुम्ब आत्ततोत्रे धृतहयरश्मिनि तच्छ्रियेक्षणीये । भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षो- र्यमिह निरीक्ष्य हता गता: स्वरूपम् ॥ ३९ ॥
vijaya-ratha-kuṭumbha ātta-totre dhṛta-haya-raśmini tac-chriyekṣaṇīye bhagavati ratir astu me mumūrṣor yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ sva-rūpam
മരണനിമിഷത്തിൽ എന്റെ പരമാസക്തി ഭഗവാൻ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനിൽ തന്നെ നിലനില്ക്കട്ടെ. കുരുക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ അർജുനന്റെ സാരഥിയായി, വലങ്കയ്യിൽ ചാട്ടയും ഇടങ്കയ്യിൽ കുതിരലഗാമും പിടിച്ച്, എല്ലാതരത്തിലും രഥസംരക്ഷണത്തിൽ ജാഗ്രതയോടെ നിന്ന, ശ്രീമയ ദർശനീയനായ പ്രഭുവിനെ ഞാൻ ധ്യാനിക്കുന്നു. അവനെ കണ്ടവർ ദേഹാന്തരത്തിൽ തങ്ങളുടെ സ്വസ്വരൂപം പ്രാപിച്ചു.
A pure devotee of the Lord constantly sees the presence of the Lord within himself because of being transcendentally related by loving service. Such a pure devotee cannot forget the Lord for a moment. This is called trance. The mystic ( yogī ) tries to concentrate upon the Supersoul by controlling the senses from all other engagements, and thus he ultimately attains samādhi. A devotee more easily attains samādhi, or trance, by constantly remembering the Lord’s personal feature along with His holy name, fame, pastimes, etc. Therefore, the concentration of the mystic yogī and that of the devotee are not on the same level. The concentration of the mystic is mechanical, whereas that of the pure devotee is natural in pure love and spontaneous affection. Bhīṣmadeva was a pure devotee, and as a military marshal he constantly remembered the battlefield feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, the chariot driver of Arjuna. Therefore, the Lord’s pastime as Pārtha-sārathi is also eternal. The pastimes of the Lord, beginning from His birth at the prison house of Kaṁsa up to the mauśala-līlā at the end, all move one after another in all the universes, just as the clock hand moves from one point to another. And in such pastimes His associates like the Pāṇḍavas and Bhīṣma are constant eternal companions. So Bhīṣmadeva never forgot the beautiful feature of the Lord as Pārtha-sārathi, which even Arjuna could not see. Arjuna was behind the beautiful Pārtha-sārathi while Bhīṣmadeva was just in front of the Lord. As far as the military feature of the Lord is concerned, Bhīṣmadeva observed this with more relish than Arjuna.
FAQs
Bhishmadeva prays that, as he is about to die, his loving devotion may be fixed on Krishna standing before him—showing that the final moment is perfected by direct remembrance and absorption in the Lord.
Bhishma glorifies Krishna’s intimate, humble service as Arjuna’s charioteer (Partha-sarathi), revealing the Lord’s beauty and mercy that captivates a devotee’s heart even at the time of departure.
Practice daily Krishna-smaraṇa (remembrance)—through hearing, chanting, and prayer—so that devotion naturally arises at life’s final moment, just as Bhishma fixes his mind on Krishna’s form and service.