|| Srimad Bhagavath
Mahapuran||
|| Om Namo Bhagavathe
Vasudevaya||
Chapter – 9 – The supreme
Lord contemplating upon Bhishma Pithamaha
King Yudhishtira was in deep meditation envisaged
Lord Krishna, he asked “ Oh! Prabho, Oh! Krishna, the whole of the universe is contemplating upon you. Whom
are you meditating upon?” Krishna says “The
Bhishma Pithamaha who is the son of Goddess Ganga and King Shathanu is lying on the bed of
arrows, waiting for his death in Uththarayana, he is contemplating upon me, and
I shall reciprocate the people who surrender to me. Bhishma Pithamaha is an ardent devotee of me,
even though he fought with Kauravas against my favorites; he followed strict
celibacy all through his life, he was always speaking the truth and
righteousness, he was performing his responsibilities to protect the throne of
Hastinapura and he was a passionate devotee as well. He is one of great twelve souls, he
contemplates upon the pastimes of me performed in the Vraja, whenever I take the
cows for grazing, my body would be smeared in the dust from the hoof of the
cows. In the Kurukshethra while the dust
particles from the hoof of the horses and elephants fell on me, he thought of
the pastime in the Vraja. He did not
take the side of you all; he wanted to glorify the pastimes of me. He wanted to expose the devotion and faith
upon me, he wanted to enhance the devotion upon me, even though he was fighting
against you all, he wanted to prove the world that I am with you all to protect
from the evils and I am enough to safeguard you from all the troubles. He was aware of the aftermath of the great
war of Kurukshethra, that he would kill in the battlefield, all the wicked
Kauravas would put an end to their clan.
As you know, he was severely wounded with several arrows that were shot
on him by Arjuna in the battlefield, his body did not touch the ground, the arrows stood as a bed
for him, all he has to think about me and my various pastimes at that moment too. I have promised Arjuna that I won’t touch any
weapons in the battlefield. Bhishma Pithamaha
proclaimed that he would compel me to touch the weapons in the battlefield, I
have to uphold the vow of my ardent devotee, and therefore I have broken my
promise to Arjun. I took the wheel of
chariot and approached to kill him.
Bhishma praised the marvelous form of me with a wheel of chariot in my hand;
in this way I have fulfilled his quest to witness my glorious form, Bhishma
Pithamaha contemplating upon that form of me while he is in the bed of arrows
too. He continued to meditate upon me
for almost six months now; therefore I am obliged to meditate upon him.”
