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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“我以虔诚的仆从之心归依于你，愿得所求的至上归趣。噢莲华眼者，诸神之最胜者——请在心中裁定何者于我真正有益，并赐我那救度之道。”
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.