Shloka 14
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 ||
Vāyu disse: “Ó mais eminente herói dos Kurus, ainda te restam cinquenta e seis dias de vida. Depois disso, ó Bhīṣma, ao deixares este corpo, alcançarás reinos auspiciosos, elevando-te a eles pela frutificação de teus nobres feitos.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.