Bheeshma Stuti - Completed

Bheeshma Stuti

The meaning of Bhishma Stuti from the Shrimad Bhagavat on the festival of Makar Sankranti Makar Sankranti is an important Hindu festival which marks the transition of the sun from Dakshinayan(Tropic of Capricorn) to Uttarayan (Tropic of Cancer), where the sun begins to move towards the northern hemisphere marking the beginning of summer. This therefore indicates the start of an auspicious phase.

This festival is also known as Uttarayan.On this auspicious festival, it is described in the Shrimad Bhagavat that Shri Bhishmaji, who was lying on a bed of arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, declared his intent to leave the mortal body. At the time, he devotedly performed a divine stuti (prayer) of Shri Krishna, who stood in front of him to bless him with his grace.

Let us all understand the meaning of this prayer, Shri Bhishma Stuti.

इति मतिरुप कल्पिता वितृष्णा भगवति सात्वत पुङ्गवे विभूम्नि ।
स्वसुखमुपगते क्वचिद्विहर्तुं प्रकृतिमुपेयुषि यद्भव प्रवाहः ॥१॥

Iti matirupakalpita vitrishna bhagavati satvata pungave vibhumni,

Svasukhamupagate kvachidvihartum prakritimupeyushi yadbhavapravahah.

Shri Bhishmaji says, “O Krishna, I am the father of an unmarried girl, lying on a deathbed. I am worried that I still haven’t married my daughter.” Everyone present was surprised to hear that Shri Bhishmaji has a daughter despite having taken an oath of celibacy.

Shri Bhishmaji continued to describe that this unmarried daughter is his mind.

Our mind is not single; it is attached to wealth, name and people. Shri Bhishmaji claims that his mind is single and he would like to wed it to Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna asked, “Have you asked your daughter if she likes me and agrees?”

Shri Bhishmaji replied, “Yes, she likes you, as who is more handsome compared to you in this world?”

त्रिभुवन कमनं तमाल वर्णं रविकर गौरवराम्बरं दधाने ।
वपुरलककुला वृतान नाब्जं विजयसखे रतिरस्तु मे ऽनवद्या ॥२ ॥

Tribuvanakamanam tamalavarnam ravikaragauravarambaram dadhane,

Vapuralakakulavritananabjam vijayasakhe ratirastu me anavadya.

Shri Bhishmaji tells Lord Krishna that your complexion is dark like that of a bay leaf; you wear a pitambar which is as bright and yellow as the sun; your beautiful, black and curly hair dances on your face... O dear friend of Parth, let my love for you increasingly grow.However, which girl would marry a man who is handsome but not brave? My mind has done darshan of your bravery in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

युधि तुरगरजोविधूम्रविष्वक्कचलुलितश्रमवार्यलंकृतास्ये ।
मम निशितशरैर्विभिद्यमानत्वचि विलसत्कवचेऽस्तु कृष्ण आत्मा ॥३॥

Yudhi turagarajovidhumravishvak kachalulitashramavaryalamkritasye

Mama nishitasharairvibhidyamana tvachi vilasatkavache astu Krishna atma:

Your body was covered with dust spread from the running of horses, your forehead decorated with drops of sweat from the effort of riding the chariot and your armour was pierced with my arrows; my mind is attached to such admirable bravery of yours. What if one is handsome and courageous but without a good temperament? Your nature is so simple!

सपदि सखिवचो निशम्य मध्ये निजपरयोर्बलयो रथं निवेश्य ।
स्थितवति परसैनिकायुरक्ष्णा हृतवति पार्थसखे रतिर्ममास्तु ॥४॥

Sapadi sakhivacho nishamya madhye nijaparayorbalayo ratham niveshya

Sthitavati parasainikayurakshna hritvati partha sakhe ratirmamastu.

Arjun commanded you in Kurukshetra to take his chariot in the middle of the two armies. This was not a request, it was a command. You laughingly replied, “Yes definitely Parth.” And Indeed you did so. O Prabhu, Hari, dear friend of Parth, who took away the age of the Kaurava army merely with your looks, let my love for you grow. A girl likes a husband who is handsome, brave and has a good nature whereby he does as he is told. My mind-like daughter, in addition, has also seen how wise you are.

व्यवहितपृतनामुखं निरीक्ष्य स्वजनवधाद्विमुखस्य दोषबुद्ध्या।
कुमतिमहरदात्मविद्यया यश्चरणरतिः परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु ॥५॥

Vyavahita prithanamukham nirikshya svajanavadhadvimukhasya doshabuddhya

Kumatimaharadatmavidyaya yashcharanaratih paramsya tasya me astu.

When Arjun was surrounded with infatuation of his relatives on the Kaurava army in Kurukshetra, he began to sweat, felt dizzy, dropped his bow, sat down and said, “Keshav, I will not fight.” At that time, to take away Arjun’s infatuation and delusion of his mind, you sang the Gita in Kurukshetra. Let me develop love in the divine feet of such a singer of Gita. What if one has all the above qualities but no love? Such a marriage would fail. Where there is love, one thinks of the other’s happiness. You thought of my happiness and thus to keep my oath true, O Damodar, you broke your oath!

स्वनिगममपहाय मत्प्रतिज्ञामृतमधिकर्तुमवप्लुतो रथस्थः ।
धृतरथचरणोऽभ्ययाच्चलद्गुर्हरिरिव हन्तुमिभं गतोत्तरीयः ॥६॥

शितविशिखहतो विशीर्णदंशः क्षतजपरिप्लुत आततायिनो मे ।
प्रसभमभिससार मद्वधार्थं स भवतु मे भगवान् गतिर्मुकुन्दः ॥७॥

Svanigamapahaya matpratigna mritamadhikartumahavapluto rathasthah,

Dhritarathacharano abhyayachchalatguh haririva hantumibham gatottariyah. Shitavishikhahatovishirnadamshah kshatajaparipluta atatayino me,

Prasabhamabhisasara madvadhartham sa bhavatu me bhagavan gatirmukundah.

When Shri Bhishmaji started piercing Arjun’s body with his arrows, defeated, Arjun hid behind Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna was angry and his eyes became red. Angrily, he got out of his chariot, while his outer garment dropped, lifted the wheel of a broken chariot from the ground and ran like a lion would after a deer to kill Shri Bhishmaji and protect Arjun. Shri Bhishmaji dropped his weapons at this point and laughed as Shri Krishna had broken his oath of not using a weapon in the battle. Shri Bhishmaji began to shed tears of love while performing Shri Krishna’s divine prayer.This prayer is composed of 11 shlokas.

One shloka signifies presenting all one’s possessions to God thereby freeing oneself of attachments; another shloka represents presenting oneself to God thus taking away one’s ego and the rest of the nine shlokas represent the 9 types of bhakti (devotion) to unite oneself with God.At the end, Shri Bhishmaji said, “O Krishna, I seek your refuge having left all the worldly attachments. I am tired of the continuous circle of life and death. Let me rest at your divine feet.” Thereafter, he concentrated his senses and mind into Shri Krishna, united with Shri Krishna and left the mortal body at the auspicious time of Uttarayan. On this holy festival of Makar Sankranti.

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