12.046
Pancharatra: Understanding Bhishma is meditating on him, Lord Krishna readies to visit him, also asks Yudhisthira to ask the most knowledgeable Bhishma about the duties pertaining to the four Vedas, the four officiating priests, the four stages of life, and the four social classes.
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said:
kimidaṃ paramāścaryaṃ dhyāyasyamitavikrama। kaccillokatrayasyāsya svasti lokaparāyaṇa ॥12-46-1॥
What is this supreme wonder you are contemplating, O hero of immeasurable valor? Is everything well with these three worlds, O protector of all?
caturthaṃ dhyānamārgaṃ tvamālambya puruṣottama। apakrānto yato deva tena me vismitaṃ manaḥ ॥12-46-2॥
O Supreme Person, when you resorted to the fourth path of meditation and departed, O Lord, my mind was astonished by that.
nigṛhīto hi vāyus te pañcakarmā śarīragaḥ। indriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi manasi sthāpitāni te ॥12-46-3॥
Your breath, which performs five functions and moves within the body, is indeed restrained; and all your senses have been placed in your mind.
indriyāṇi manaścaiva buddhau saṃveśitāni te। sarvaścaiva gaṇo deva kṣetrajñe te niveśitaḥ ॥12-46-4॥
O divine one, all your senses, mind, and intellect are established in your knower of the field.
neṅganti tava romāṇi sthirā buddhis tathā manaḥ। sthāṇukuḍyaśilābhūto nirīhaś cāsi mādhava ॥12-46-5॥
O Mādhava, your hairs do not stand on end, your intellect and mind remain steady; you have become like a pillar, a wall, or a stone, and are without initiative.
yathā dīpo nivātastho niriṅgo jvalate'cyuta। tathāsi bhagavandeva niścalo dṛḍhaniścayaḥ ॥12-46-6॥
Just as a lamp burns steadily in a windless place without flickering, O Acyuta, so you, O Lord, O God, are unwavering and firm in your resolve.
yadi śrotum ihārhāmi na rahasyaṃ ca te yadi। chindhi me saṃśayaṃ deva prapannāyābhiyācate ॥12-46-7॥
If I am worthy to hear it here, and if your secret is not to be withheld, O divine one, dispel my doubt for I am one who has taken refuge and am earnestly requesting.
tvaṃ hi kartā vikartā ca tvaṃ kṣaraṃ cākṣaraṃ ca hi। anādinidhanaścādyastvameva puruṣottama ॥12-46-8॥
You are truly the creator and transformer; you are both the perishable and the imperishable. You are without beginning or end, the primal one; you alone are the Supreme Person.
tvat-prapannāya bhaktāya śirasā praṇatāya ca। dhyānasya asya yathā-tattvaṃ brūhi dharma-bhṛtām vara ॥12-46-9॥
O best of the upholders of dharma, to one who has surrendered to you, who is devoted and has bowed his head, please explain the true nature of this meditation as it truly is.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tataḥ svagocare nyasya mano buddhīndriyāṇi ca। smitapūrvam uvācedaṃ bhagavān vāsavānujaḥ ॥12-46-10॥
Then, the revered younger brother of Vāsava (Indra), having composed his mind, intellect, and senses in his own domain, spoke these words with a gentle smile.
śaratalpagato bhīṣmaḥ śāmyanniva hutāśanaḥ। māṃ dhyāti puruṣavyāghrastato me tadgataṃ manaḥ ॥12-46-11॥
Bhishma, lying on his bed of arrows and calming like a dying fire, is meditating on me, O tiger among men; therefore, my mind is with him.
yasya jyātalanirghoṣaṃ visphūrjitam ivāśaneḥ। na saheddēvarājo'pi tam asmi manasā gataḥ॥12-46-12॥
The one whose bowstring's twang resounds like the thunderbolt's roar—even the king of the gods could not withstand him; my mind has already gone to him.
yenābhidrutya tarasā samastaṃ rājamaṇḍalam। ūḍhāstisraḥ purā kanyāstamasmi manasā gataḥ ॥12-46-13॥
He, by whom the entire royal circle was swiftly overcome and who once carried away three maidens, to him my mind has gone.
trayoviṃśatirātraṃ yo yodhayāmāsa bhārgavam। na ca rāmeṇa nistīrṇastamasmi manasā gataḥ ॥12-46-14॥
I fought Bhārgava (Paraśurāma) for twenty-three nights, but I have not overcome him by Rāma; in my mind, I have departed from that.
yaṃ gaṅgā garbhavidhinā dhārayāmāsa pārthivam। vasiṣṭhaśiṣyaṃ taṃ tāta manasāsmi gato nṛpa ॥12-46-15॥
O father, my mind has gone to him whom Gaṅgā bore by the process of conception, the king, the disciple of Vasiṣṭha, O king.
divyāstrāṇi mahātejā yo dhārayati buddhimān। sāṅgāṃśca caturo vedāṃstamasmi manasā gataḥ ॥12-46-16॥
I have mentally approached the wise one who possesses divine weapons of great brilliance and who has mastered the four Vedas along with their auxiliaries.
rāmasya dayitaṃ śiṣyaṃ jāmadagnyasya pāṇḍava। ādhāraṃ sarvavidyānāṃ tamasmi manasā gataḥ ॥12-46-17॥
O Pāṇḍava, I have mentally reached him who is the beloved disciple of Rāma, of Jāmadagnya, and the support of all knowledge.
ekīkṛtyendriyagrāmaṃ manaḥ saṃyamya medhayā। śaraṇaṃ māmupāgacchattato me tadgataṃ manaḥ ॥12-46-18॥
Having controlled his senses and mind by intelligence, he sought refuge in me; then my mind became absorbed in him.
sa hi bhūtaṃ ca bhavyaṃ ca bhavacca puruṣarṣabha। vetti dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭhastato me tadgataṃ manaḥ ॥12-46-19॥
He, O bull among men, indeed knows the past, the future, and the present, being the best among the upholders of dharma; therefore, my mind has gone to him.
tasmin hi puruṣavyāghre karmabhiḥ svair divaṃ gate। bhaviṣyati mahī pārtha naṣṭacandreva śarvarī ॥12-46-20॥
O Pārtha, when that tiger among men has gone to heaven by his own actions, the earth will become like a night bereft of the moon.
tadyudhiṣṭhira gāṅgeyaṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhīmaparākramam। abhigamyopasaṅgṛhya pṛccha yatte manogatam ॥12-46-21॥
O Yudhiṣṭhira, approach and salute Bhishma, the son of Ganga and of mighty prowess, and ask him whatever is in your mind.
cāturvedyaṃ cāturhotraṃ cāturāśramyameva ca। cāturvarṇyasya dharmaṃ ca pṛcchainaṃ pṛthivīpate ॥12-46-22॥
O king, ask him about the duties pertaining to the four Vedas, the four officiating priests, the four stages of life, and the four social classes.
tasminnastamite bhīṣme kauravāṇāṃ dhurandhare। jñānānyalpībhaviṣyanti tasmāttvāṃ codayāmyaham ॥12-46-23॥
When Bhishma, the chief pillar of the Kauravas, has departed, wisdom will diminish; therefore, I urge you.
tacchrutvā vāsudevasya tathyaṃ vacanamuttamam। sāśrukaṇṭhaḥ sa dharmajño janārdanamuvāca ha ॥12-46-24॥
When he heard that true and excellent speech of Vāsudeva, the dharma-knowing one, his throat choked with tears, spoke to Janārdana.
yad bhavān āha bhīṣmasya prabhāvaṃ prati mādhava। tathā tan nātra saṃdeho vidyate mama mānada ॥12-46-25॥
O Mādhava, what you have said about Bhīṣma's power, I have no doubt about that here, O giver of honor.
mahābhāgyaṃ hi bhīṣmasya prabhāvaś ca mahātmanaḥ। śrutaṃ mayā kathayatāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ mahātmanām ॥12-46-26॥
Indeed, I have heard of the great fortune and power of Bhīṣma from the Brāhmaṇas, those great-souled narrators.
bhavāṁś ca kartā lokānāṁ yad bravīty arisūdana। tathā tad anabhidhyeyaṁ vākyaṁ yādavanandana ॥12-46-27॥
O delight of the Yādavas, you are the doer of the worlds; whatever you say, O destroyer of enemies, that statement is not to be disregarded.
yatastvanugrahakṛtā buddhiste mayi mādhava। tvāmagrataḥ puraskṛtya bhīṣmaṃ paśyāmahe vayam ॥12-46-28॥
O Mādhava, because my intellect is made by your favor, having placed you before us, we see Bhīṣma.
āvṛtte bhagavaty arke sa hi lokān gamiṣyati। tvad-darśanaṃ mahābāho tasmād arhati kauravaḥ ॥12-46-29॥
When the divine Sun returns, he will depart for the worlds. Therefore, O mighty-armed one, the Kaurava deserves to see you.
tava hy ādyasya devasya kṣarasyaiva akṣarasya ca। darśanaṃ tasya lābhaḥ syāt tvaṃ hi brahmamayo nidhiḥ॥12-46-30॥
Truly, you are the primordial god, both the perishable and the imperishable; to see you is the highest attainment, for you are indeed the treasure composed of Brahman.
śrutvaitaddharmarājasya vacanaṃ madhusūdanaḥ। pārśvasthaṃ sātyakiṃ prāha ratho me yujyatāmiti ॥12-46-31॥
After hearing these words of Dharmarāja, Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa) said to Sātyaki, who was standing nearby, "Let my chariot be yoked."
sātyakistūpaniṣkramya keśavasya samīpataḥ। dārukaṃ prāha kṛṣṇasya yujyatāṃ ratha ityuta ॥12-46-32॥
Sātyaki, having come out from near Keśava, said to Dāruka, 'Let Kṛṣṇa's chariot be yoked.'
sa sātyakerāśu vaco niśamya; rathottamaṃ kāñcanabhūṣitāṅgam। masāragalvarkamayair vibhaṅgair; vibhūṣitaṃ hemapinaddhacakram ॥12-46-33॥
He, upon quickly hearing Sātyaki's words, saw the finest chariot, its body adorned with gold, decorated with divisions of pearl and coral, and wheels bound in gold.
divākarāṃśu-prabham āśu-gāminam; vicitra-nānā-maṇi-ratna-bhūṣitam। navoditaṃ sūryam iva pratāpinam; vicitra-tārkṣya-dhvajinam patākinam ॥12-46-34॥
It shone with the brilliance of the sun's rays and moved swiftly, adorned with many kinds of variegated gems and jewels. Newly risen and radiant like the sun, it bore a flag with a variegated Garuda emblem.
sugrīvasainyapramukhair varāśvaiḥ manojavaiḥ kāñcanabhūṣitāṅgaiḥ। suyuktam āvedayad acyutāya kṛtāñjalir dāruko rājasiṃha ॥12-46-35॥
Dāruka, the lion among kings, with joined palms, reported to Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) that the well-yoked chariot, adorned with gold and drawn by excellent horses as swift as the mind, was ready, accompanied by the chiefs of Sugrīva's army.
