SECTION LI
"Vaisampayana said, 'King Yudhishthira, hearing of those feats of Rama,
became filled with wonder and said unto Janardana, O thou of Vrishni's
race, the prowess of the high-souled Rama, who in wrath had freed the
earth of Kshatriyas, was like that of Sakra himself. The scions of
Kshatriyas, troubled with the fear of Rama, were concealed (and brought
up) by kine, Ocean, leopards, bears and apes. Worthy of every praise is
this world of men and fortunate are they that reside in it where a feat,
that, was again so righteous, was accomplished by a. Brahmana.' After
this discourse was ended, those two illustrious persons, viz., Krishna of
unfading glory and Yudhishthira proceeded thither where the puissant son
of Ganga lay on his bed of arrows. They then beheld Bhishma stretched on
his arrowy bed and resembling in splendour the evening San covered with
his own rays. The Kuru hero was surrounded by many ascetics like he of a
hundred sacrifices by the deities of heaven. The spot on which he lay was
highly sacred, being situate on the banks of the river Oghavati.
Beholding him from a distance, Krishna and Dharma's royal son, and the
four Pandavas, and the other headed by Saradwat, alighted from their
vehicles and collecting their restless minds and concentrating all their
senses, approached the great Rishis. Saluting those foremost of Rishis
headed by Vyasa. Govinda and Satyaki and the others approached the son of
Ganga. Beholding Ganga's son of great ascetic merit, the Yadu and Kuru
princes, those foremost of men, took their seats, surrounding him. Seeing
Bhishma looking like a fire about to die out, Kesava with a rather
cheerless heart addressed him as follows.'
"Kesava said, 'Are thy perceptions now as clear as before? I hope thy
understanding, O foremost of eloquent men, is not clouded. I hope thy
limbs are not tortured by the pain arising from the wounds by shafts.
From mental grief also the body becomes weak. In consequences of the boon
granted to thee by thy sire, the righteous Santanu, thy death, O puissant
hero, depends on thy own will. I myself have not that merit in
consequence of which thou hast obtained this boon. The minutest pin
(inserted) within the body produces pain. What need then be said, O king,
of hundreds of arrows that have pierced thee? Surely, pain cannot be said
to afflict thee. Thou art competent, O Bharata, to instruct the very gods
regarding the origin and dissolution of living creatures. Possessed of
great knowledge, everything belonging to the Past, the Future, and the
Present, is well known to thee. The dissolution of created beings and the
reward of righteousness are well known to thee, O thou of great wisdom,
for thou art an ocean of virtue and duty. While living in the enjoyment
of swelling sovereignty, I beheld thee forgo female intercourse though
sound of limbs and perfectly hale and though surrounded by female
companions. Except Santanu's son Bhishma of great energy and firmly
devoted to righteousness, possessed of heroism and having virtue for the
only object of his pursuit, we have never heard of any other person in
the three worlds that could, by his ascetic power, though lying on a bed
of arrows and at the point of death, still have such a complete mastery
over death (as to keep it thus at bay). We have never heard of anybody
else that was so devoted to truth, to penances, to gifts, to the
performances of sacrifices, to the science of arms, to the Vedas, and to
the protection of persons soliciting protection, and that was so harmless
to all creatures, so pure in behaviour, so self-restrained, and so bent
upon the good of all creatures, and that was also so great a car-warrior
as thee. Without doubt, thou art competent to subjugate, on a single car,
the gods, Gandharvas, Asuras, Yakshas, and Rakshasas. O mighty-armed
Bhishma, thou art always spoken of by the Brahmanas as the ninth of the
Vasus. By thy virtues, however, thou hast surpassed them all and art
equal unto Vasava himself. I know, O best of persons, that thou art
celebrated for thy prowess, O foremost of beings, among even the very
gods. Among men on earth, O foremost of men, we have never seen nor heard
of any one possessed of such attributes as thee. O thou of the royal
order, thou surpassest the gods themselves in respect of every attribute.
By thy ascetic power thou canst create a universe of mobile and immobile
creatures. What need then be said of thy having acquired many blessed
regions by means of thy foremost of virtues? Dispel now the grief of the
eldest son of Panda who is burning with sorrow on account of the
slaughter of his kinsmen. All the duties that have been declared in
respect of the four orders about the four modes of life are well known to
thee. Everything again that is indicated in the four branches of
knowledge, in the four Hotras, O Bharata, as also those eternal duties
that are laid down in Yoga and Sankhya philosophy, the duties too of the
four orders and these duties that are not inconsistent with their
declared practices,--all these, along with their interpretations, O son
of Ganga, are known to thee. The duties that have been laid down for
those sprang from an intermixture of the four orders and those laid down
for particular countries and tribes and families, and those declared by
the Vedas and by men of wisdom, are all well known to thee. The subjects
of histories and the Puranas are all known to thee. All the scriptures
treating of duty and practice dwell in thy mind. Save thee, O bull among
men, there is no other person that can remove the doubts that may arise
in respect of those subjects of knowledge that are studied in the world.
With the aid of thy intelligence, do thou, O prince of men, drive the
sorrow felt by the son of Pandu. Persons possessed of so great and such
varied knowledge live only for comforting men whose minds have been
stupefied.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing those words of Vasudeva of great
intelligence, Bhishma, raising his head a little, said these words with
joined hands.'
"Bhishma said, 'Salutations to thee, O divine Krishna! Thou art the
origin and thou art the dissolution of all the worlds. Thou art the
Creator and thou art the Destroyer. Thou, O Hrishikesa, art incapable of
being vanquished by any one. The universe is the handiwork. Thou art the
soul of the universe and the universe hath sprung from thee. Salutations
to thee! Thou art the end of all created things. Thou art above the five
elements. Salutations to thee that art the three worlds and that art
again above the three worlds. O lord of Yogins, salutations to thee that
art the refuge of everything. O foremost of beings, those words which
thou hast said regarding me have enabled me to behold thy divine
attributes as manifest in the three worlds. (In consequence of that
kindness), O Govinda, I also behold thy eternal form. Thou standest
shutting up the seven paths of the Wind possessed of immeasurable energy.
The firmament is occupied by thy head, and the earth by thy feet. The
points of the compass are thy two arms, and the Sun is thy eye, and Sakra
constitutes thy prowess. O thou of unfading glory, thy Person, attired in
yellow robes that resemble the hue of the Atasi flower, seem to us to be
like a cloud charged with flashing of lightning. Think of that, O best of
gods, which would be good, O thou of lotus eyes, for my humble self, that
am devoted to thee, that seek thy protection, and that am desirous of
obtaining a blissful end.'
"Vasudeva said, 'Since, O bull among men, thy devotion to me is very
great, for this, O prince, I have displayed my celestial form to thee. I
do not, O foremost of kings, display myself unto one that is not devoted
to me, or unto a devotee that is not sincere, or unto one, O Bharata,
that is not of restrained soul. Thou art devoted to me and art always
observant of righteousness. Of a pure heart, thou art always
self-restrained and ever observant of penances and gifts. Through thy own
penances, O Bhishma, thou art competent to behold me. Those regions, O
king, are ready for thee whence there is no return.[156] Six and fifty
days, O foremost one of Kuru's race, still remain for thee to live!
Casting off thy body, thou shalt then, O Bhishma, obtain the blessed
reward of thy acts. Behold, those deities and the Vasus, all endued with
forms of fiery splendour, riding on their cars, are waiting for thee
invisibly till the moment of the sun's entering on northerly course.
Subject to universal time, when the divine Surya turns to his northerly
course, thou, O foremost of men, shalt go to those regions whence no man
of knowledge ever returns to this earth! When thou, O Bhishma, wilt leave
this world for that, all Knowledge, O hero, will expire with thee. It is
for this, that all these persons, assembled together, have approached
thee for listening to discourses on duty and morality. Do thou then speak
words of truth, fraught with morality and Yoga, unto Yudhishthira who as
firm in truth but whose learning has been clouded by grief on account of
the slaughter of his kinsmen, and do thou, by this, quickly dispel that
grief of his!'
