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elephant.'" |
SECTION CLXVII |
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then the royal son of Kunti, having duly honoured the citizens and the inhabitants of the province, |
dismissed them to their respective homes. The Pandava king then consoled these women, who had lost their heroic husbands |
and sons in the battle, with abundant gift of wealth. Having recovered his kingdom, Yudhishthira of great wisdom caused |
himself to be duly installed on the throne. That foremost of men then assured all his subjects by diverse acts of good will. That |
foremost of righteous men then set himself to earn the substantial blessing of the Brahmanas, of the foremost military officers, |
and the leading citizens. The blessed monarch having passed fifty nights in the capital recollected the time indicated by his |
grandsire as the hour of his departure from this world. Accompanied by a number of priests he then set out of the city named |
after the elephant, having seen that the sun ceasing to go southwards had begun to proceed in his northward course. |
Yudhishthira the son of Kunti took with him a large quantity of clarified butter and floral garlands and scents and silken cloths |
and excellent sandalwood and Aquilaria Agallocha and dark sloe wood, for cremating the body of Bhishma. Diverse kinds of |
costly garlands and gems also were among those stores. Placing Dhritarashtra ahead and queen Gandhari celebrated for her |
virtues, and his own mother Kunti and all his brothers also, Yudhishthira of great intelligence, accompanied by Krishna and |
Vidura of great wisdom, as also by Yuyutsu and Yuyudhana, and by his other relatives and followers forming a large train, |
proceeded, his praises hymned the while by eulogists and bards. The sacrificial fires of Bhishma were also borne in the |
procession. Thus accompanied, the king set out from his city like a second chief of the deities. Soon he came upon the spot |
where the son of Santanu was till lying on his bed of arrows. He beheld his grandsire waited upon with reverence by Parasara's |
son Vyasa of great intelligence, by Narada, O royal sage, by Devala and Asita, and also by the remnant of unslain kings |
assembled from various parts of the country. Indeed, the king saw that his high-souled grandsire, as he lay on his heroic bed, |
was guarded on all sides by the warriors appointed for that duty. Alighting from his car, King Yudhishthira with his brothers |
saluted his grandsire, the chastiser of all foes. They also saluted the Rishis with the island-born Vyasa at their head. They were |
saluted in return by them. Accompanied by his priests each of whom resembled the grandsire Brahman himself, as also by his |
brothers, Yudhishthira of unfading glory then approached that spot whereon Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows surrounded by |
these reverend Rishis. Then king Yudhishthira the just, at the head of his brothers, addressed that foremost one of Kuru's race, |
viz., the son of the River Ganga, as he lay on that bed of his, saying, 'I am Yudhishthira, O king! Salutations to thee, O son of |
the River Janhavi! If thou hearest me still, tell me what I am to do for thee! Bearing with me thy sacrificial fires, I have come |
here, O king, and wait upon thee at the hour indicated! Preceptors of all branches of learning, Brahmanas, Ritwiks, all my |
brothers, thy son, viz., king Dhritarashtra of great energy, are all here with my counsellors as also Vasudeva of great prowess. |
The remnant of unslain warriors, and all the denizens of Kurujangala, are also here. Opening thy eyes, O chief of Kuru's race, |
do thou behold them! Whatever should be done on this occasion has all been arranged and provided for by me. Indeed, at this |
hour which thou hadst indicated, all things have been kept ready!' |
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Kunti's son of great intelligence, the son of Ganga opened his eyes and saw all |
the Bharatas assembled there and standing around him. The mighty Bhishma then, taking the strong hand of Yudhishthira, |
addressed him in a voice deep as that of the clouds. That thorough master of words said, 'By good luck, O son of Kunti, thou |
hast come here with all thy counsellors, O Yudhishthira! The thousand-rayed maker of day, the holy Surya has begun his |
northward course. I have been lying on my bed here for eight and fifty nights. Stretched on these sharp-pointed arrows I have |
felt this period to be as long as if it was a century. O Yudhishthira, the lunar month of Magha has come. This is, again, the |
lighted fortnight and a fourth part of it ought by this (according to my calculations) be over.' Having said so unto Yudhishthira |
the son of Dharma, Ganga's son Bhishma then saluted Dhritarashtra and said unto him as follows.' |
"Bhishma said, 'O king, thou art well-conversant with duties. All thy doubts, again, relating to the science of wealth have been |
well-solved. Thou hast waited upon many Brahmanas of great learning. The subtle sciences connected with the Vedas, all the |
duties of religion, O king, and the whole of the four Vedas, are well-known to thee! Thou shouldst not grieve, therefore, O son |
of Kuru! That which was pre-ordained has happened. It could not be otherwise. Thou hast heard the mysteries relating to the |
deities from the lips of the island-born Rishi himself. Yudhishthira and his brothers are morally as much thy sons as they are |
the sons of Pandu. Observant of the duties of religion, do thou cherish and protect them. In their turn, they are always devoted |
to the service of their seniors. King Yudhishthira the just is pure-souled. He will always prove obedient to thee! I know that he |
is devoted to the virtue of compassion or abstention from injury. He is devoted to his seniors and preceptors. Thy sons were all |
wicked-souled. They were wedded to wrath and cupidity. Overwhelmed by envy, they were all of wicked behavior. It behoveth |
thee not to grieve for them!' |
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said this much unto Dhritarashtra of great wisdom, the Kuru hero then addressed Vasudeva |
of mighty arms.' |
"Bhishma said, 'O holy one, O god of all gods, O thou that art worshipped by all the deities and Asuras, O thou that didst cover |
the three worlds with three steps of thine, salutations to thee, O wielder of the conch, the discus, and the mace! Thou art |
Vasudeva, thou art of golden body, thou art the one Purusha (or active agent), thou art the creator (of the universe), thou art of |
vast proportions. Thou art Jiva. Thou art subtle. Thou art the Supreme and eternal Soul. Do thou, O lotus-eyed one, rescue me, |
O foremost of all beings! Do thou, give me permission, O Krishna, to depart from this world, O thou that art Supreme felicity, |
O foremost of all beings! The sons of Pandu should ever be protected by thee. Thou art, indeed, already their sole refuge. |
Formerly, I spoke to the foolish Duryodhana of wicked understanding that thither is Righteousness where Krishna is, and that |
there is victory where Righteousness is. I further counselled him that relying on Vasudeva as his refuge, he should make peace |
with the Pandavas. Indeed, I repeatedly told him, 'This is the fittest time for thee to make peace! The foolish Duryodhana of |
wicked understanding, however, did not do my bidding. Having caused a great havoc on earth, at last, he himself laid down his |
life. Thee, O illustrious one, I know to be that ancient and best of Rishis who dwelt for many years in the company of Nara, in |
the retreat of Vadari. The celestial Rishi Narada told me this, as also Vyasa of austere penances. Even they have said unto me |
that. Thyself and Arjuna are the old Rishis Narayana and Nara born among men. Do thou, O Krishna, grant me leave, I shall |
cast off my body. Permitted by thee, I shall attain to the highest end!' |
"Vasudeva said, 'I give thee leave, O Bhishma! Do thou, O king, attain to the status of the Vasus, O thou of great splendour, |
thou hast not been guilty of a single transgression in this world. O royal sage, thou art devoted to thy sire. Thou art, therefore, |
like a second Markandeya! It is for that reason that death depends upon thy pleasure even as thy slave expectant of reading thy |
pleasure!' |
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said these words, the son of Ganga once more addressed the Pandavas headed by |
Dhritarashtra, and other friends and well-wishers of his, 'I desire to cast off my lifebreaths. It behoveth you to give me leave. |
Ye should strive for attaining to truth. Truth constitutes the highest power. Ye should always live with Brahmanas of righteous |
conduct, devoted to penances, ever abstaining from cruel behaviour, and who have their souls under control!' Having said these |
words unto his friends and embraced them all, the intelligent Bhishma once more addressed Yudhishthira, saying, 'O king, let |
all Brahmanas, especially those that are endued with wisdom, let them who are preceptors, let those who are priests capable of |
assisting as sacrifices, be adorable in thy estimation.'" |
SECTION CLXVIII |
"Vaisampayana said, 'Having said so unto all the Kurus, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, remained silent for sometime, O |
chastiser of foes He then held forth his life-breaths successively in those parts of his body which are indicated in Yoga. The |
life-breaths of that high-souled one, restrained duly, then rose up. Those parts of the body of Santanu's son, in consequence of |
the adoption, of Yoga, from which the life-breaths went up, became soreless one after another. In the midst of those high- |
souled persons, including those great Rishis with Vyasa at their head, the sight seemed to be a strange one, O king. Within a |
short time, the entire body of Bhishma became shaftless and soreless. Beholding it, all those distinguished personages with |
Vasudeva at their head, and all the ascetics with Vyasa, became filled with wonder. The life-breaths, restrained and unable to |
escape through any of the outlets, at last pierced through the crown of the head and proceeded upwards to heaven. The celestial |
kettle-drums began to play and floral showers were rained down. The Siddhas and regenerate Rishis, filled with delight, |
exclaimed, 'Excellent, Excellent!' 'The life-breaths of Bhishma, piercing through the crown of his head, shot up through the |
welkin like a large meteor and soon became invisible. Even thus, O great king, did Santanu's son, that pillar of Bharata's race, |
united himself with eternity. Then the high-souled Pandavas and Vidura, taking a large quantity of wood and diverse kinds of |
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