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Pancharatra: Hymns of praise sung by Bhishma on Lord Krishna, composed by Vyasa. Krishna along with the Pandavas start their journey towards Bhishma.
Janamejaya said:
While lying on the bed of arrows, how did the grandsire of the Bharatas give up his body, and what yoga did he sustain?
Vaiśampāyana said:
O king, listen attentively, having purified and concentrated yourself, to the account of the great-souled Bhīṣma's abandonment of his body, O tiger among the Kurus.
When the sun had just set in the north, you, being absorbed, merged your self only in your own self.
Bhishma, pierced by hundreds of arrows and shining with supreme splendor, lay on his bed of arrows like the Sun with scattered rays, surrounded by the foremost Brahmanas.
This was (also) recited by Vyāsa, Vedashravas, Nārada, the sage of the gods, Devasthāna, Vātsyeya, and likewise by Aśmaka Sumantu.
He was surrounded by these and other groups of sages, who were greatly fortunate and great-souled, all of whom were led by faith and self-restraint, just as the moon is surrounded by planets.
But Bhīṣma, the tiger among men, standing with folded hands, lying on the bed of arrows, meditated upon Kṛṣṇa by action, mind, and speech.
He praised Madhusūdana, the lord of yoga, Padmanābha, Viṣṇu, the victorious, the lord of the world, with a strong and melodious voice.
Bhīṣma, pure and with joined palms, the foremost among those skilled in speech and of supremely righteous soul, then praised Lord Vāsudeva.
Desiring to please Kṛṣṇa, I wish to offer this speech composed by Vyāsa; may the Supreme Person be pleased.
I seek refuge in Prajāpati, the supreme lord, who is pure, the abode of purity, the swan, devoted to that; having united my self with the whole self.
All beings, having the nature of qualities, stand and enter into the Lord of beings, just as groups of jewels are strung on a thread.
The universe, consisting of both the existent and non-existent, remains firmly bound like a garland on the eternal loom and thread, within the all-creator whose limbs are all things.
They call Hari, who has a thousand heads, feet, and eyes, as Narayana, the god who is the supreme refuge of the universe.
He is the smallest among the smallest, the greatest among the greatest, the heaviest among the heaviest, and the best among the best.
He whom they praise in words, repetitions, assemblies, and secret gatherings, whose actions are true, who is truth among truths in the Sāma hymns.
The lord of the Sātvatas, who abides in sattva and possesses four forms, is worshipped by the gods with divine, secret, and supreme names.
Devakī, the goddess, gave birth from Vasudeva to that god, just as a fire-stick produces blazing fire, for the protection of Brahman and the son of the earth (Bhauma).
He who, with all desires removed and his self freed from impurity, having worshipped Govinda for the sake of the infinite, sees Govinda situated within his own self.
In the Purāṇa, it is said that the primordial being is Brahmā at the beginning of the yugas, and Saṅkarṣaṇa at the time of dissolution; him, who is to be worshipped, we worship.
I take refuge in Prajāpati, who surpasses the actions of wind and Indra, the radiance of the Sun and Fire, and transcends intellect, senses, and self.
He whom they call the creator of the universe, the lord of the world and all that is stationary, the overseer of the world, the imperishable, the supreme state.
Salutations to the Sun-self, the golden-colored one whom Aditi bore as an embryo, the destroyer of Daityas, who was born as one in twelve forms.
Salutations to Soma-ātman, who, in the bright fortnight, satisfies the gods, and in the dark fortnight, the ancestors with nectar, and who is the king of the twice-born.
Salutations to the self to be known, who is beyond the great darkness, the person of fiery radiance; having known whom, one crosses over death.
Salutations to Him, the one whose essence is the Veda, whom the assemblies of sages sing in the great hymn, in Agni, in the great sacrifice.
Salutations to the one whose essence is sacrifice, who is the abode of the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, who embodies the ten and a half offerings, and whom the seven threads extend towards.
Salutations to Him who is the beautiful-winged, called Yajur, whose limbs are Chāndogya, whose head is Trivṛt, whose axle is Rathantara and Bṛhat, and whose essence is hymn.
Obeisance to Him, who was born as the golden-hued bird, the sage among the creators of the universe, in the thousand-offering sacrifice; to that Swan-souled One, I offer my salutations.
Salutations to that essence of speech, the eternal, imperishable syllable, which is the limb of a word, composed of joints and sections, and characterized by vowels and consonants.
Salutations to him whose essence is truth, who builds the bridge for the virtuous by truth, by the immortal source, and by the limbs of dharma, artha, and conduct.
Salutations to him who is the soul of dharma, whom those who follow various dharmas and seek their fruits worship in their own ways.
Salutations to that soul of the field, the knower of the field, who is seated in the field, whom the great sages seek as abiding in both the manifest and the unmanifest.
Salutations to that essence of Sāṅkhya, whom the Sāṅkhyas declare as the seventeenth, the self as the seer, abiding in the self, enveloped by sixteen qualities.
Salutations to the soul of yoga, whom those who are free from sleep, have conquered their breath, are established in purity, and have controlled their senses—those engaged in yoga—see as the light.
Salutations to that One who is beyond merit and demerit, whom peaceful and fearless renunciates, free from rebirth, approach; to Him whose very nature is liberation.
Salutations to him of terrible nature, who, as the blazing-flame fire at the end of a thousand yugas, completely devours all beings.
Salutations to Him whose nature is māyā, who, having devoured all beings and made the world into one ocean, sleeps alone as a child.
Salutations to that thousand-headed Puruṣa, the immeasurable self, whose domain is encircled by the four oceans and whose nature is yogic sleep.
Salutations to Padmātmā, the lotus-souled one, the lotus of the lotus-eyed, in whose navel, the one limit of the unborn, the universe is established.
Salutations to Him whose hairs are clouds, whose joints contain rivers, and whose belly holds the four oceans, whose very essence is water.
Salutations to Him whose essence is time, who revolves through the ages by divisions of days, seasons, solstices, and years, and who is the agent of creation and dissolution.
Salutations to Him whose essence is the castes: Brahmins are His mouth, Kṣatriyas are His arms, Vaiśyas are His thighs and belly, and Śūdras are those who have taken refuge in His feet.
Obeisance to him, the soul of the world, whose mouth is fire, whose head is heaven, whose navel is the sky, whose feet are the earth, whose eye is the sun, and whose ears are the directions.
Salutations to Him who, being the protector of the object and the self as protector, is called by the special qualities as the one whom those existing in the object recognize.
Obeisance to the soul of life-breath, who, consisting of food, drink, and fuel, increases essence and life-breath and supports all beings.
Obeisance to Him who transcends time, sacrifice, and both being and non-being, who is both beginningless and the origin of the universe, the very soul of the universe.
Salutations to him whose very nature is delusion, who, for the protection of creation, deludes beings through the bonds of affection and attachment.
Salutations to that one whose nature is knowledge, who is realized by the knowers, having understood this self-knowledge established in the five.
Salutations to that inconceivable self, whose body is immeasurable, whose eyes are infinite in all directions, who is boundless and beyond measure.
Salutations to him, the matted-haired, staff-bearing ascetic, ever with a large-bellied body and a water-pot at his side, whose very self is Brahman.
Salutations to Rudra, the wielder of the trident, lord of the gods, the three-eyed, the great-souled, whose raised liṅga is smeared with ashes.
Salutations to the peaceful self, who is the essence of the five elements, whose being extends from creation to dissolution, and who is free from anger, hostility, and delusion.
Salutations to that all-pervading Self in whom all exists, from whom all arises, who is all, who is everywhere, and who is the eternal, all-formed one.
O Universal Creator, salutations to you! O Soul and Origin of the Universe, you are liberation, established beyond the five elements of beings.
Salutations to you in the three worlds, beyond the three worlds, and in all directions; for you are truly the ultimate refuge of all.
Salutations to you, O Lord Viṣṇu, source and end of all worlds. Truly, you are the creator, O Hṛṣīkeśa, the destroyer, and the unconquered one.
By that, I behold your divine forms indeed in the three paths. And I truly see that which is your eternal form.
O goddess, your head pervades the heavens, your feet the earth; by your prowess, you are the eternal person encompassing the three worlds.
Those who bow to Govinda, who is like the flower of the flax plant and wears yellow garments, the infallible one, have no fear.
Just as truth, the offering, and all things are pervaded by Viṣṇu, so may my sin be destroyed.
O best of the gods, O lotus-eyed one, meditate upon that highest good which is the desired goal for the devotee who has taken refuge and for one who wishes to conquer.
Thus, may Janārdana, Viṣṇu—the source of knowledge and austerity, without origin, praised and worshipped by the sacrifice of speech—be pleased with me.
Having spoken thus, Bhishma, his mind fixed on that, then made a salutation of obeisance to Krishna.
Mādhava (Hari) approached, by means of yoga, the devotion of Bhīṣma; he went to grant Bhīṣma the divine knowledge and vision of the three times.
When the sound had ceased, then those speakers on Brahman, their throats choked with tears, worshipped Bhīṣma, the great-minded, with words.
The foremost among the Brāhmaṇas praised Keśava, the Supreme Person, and all of them slowly praised Bhīṣma again and again.
Having understood Bhīṣma's path of devotion, the Supreme Person suddenly rose joyfully and ascended the vehicle.
Kṛṣṇa and Sātyaki went together in one chariot; in another chariot went the noble Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna.
Bhīmasena, together with both sons of Yama, were mounted on one chariot; Kṛpa, Yuyutsu, the charioteer, and Sañjaya were on another chariot.
The mighty heroes set out in city-like chariots, shaking the earth with the thunderous sound of their wheels.
Then the best of men, having heard the words spoken by the twice-born on the path, with a pleased mind, the slayer of Keśi, with joined palms, bowed and joyfully greeted another person.
