Text 44]
Bhīṣma's Passing Away
501
the glories of the Lord, and by His sight he began to see the Lord personally present before him, and thus all his activities became concentrated upon the Lord without deviation. This is the highest stage of perfection, and it is possible for everyone to attain this stage by practice of devotional service. The devotional service of the Lord consists of nine principles of service activities, and they are 1) hearing, 2) chanting, 3) remembering, 4) serving the lotus feet, 5) worshiping, 6) praying, 7) executing the orders, 8) fraternizing, and 9) fully surrendering. Any one of them or all of them are equally competent to award the desired result, but they require to be practiced persistently under the guidance of an expert devotee of the Lord. The first item, hearing, is the most important item of all, and therefore hearing of the  Bhagavad-gītā  and, later on.  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is essential for the serious candidate who wants to attain the stage of Bhīṣmadeva at the end. The unique situation at Bhīṣmadeva's time of death can be attained, even though Lord Kṛṣṇa may not be personally present. His words of the  Bhagavad-gītā  or those of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  are identical with the Lord. They are sound incarnations of the Lord, and one can fully utilize them to be entitled to attain the stage of Śrī Bhīṣmadeva, who was one of the eight Vasus. Every man or animal must die at a certain stage of life, but one who dies like Bhīṣmadeva attains perfection, and one who dies forced by the laws of nature dies like an animal. That is the difference between a man and an animal, and the human form of life is especially meant for dying like Bhīṣmadeva.
TEXT 44
सम्पद्यमानमाज्ञाय भीष्मं ब्रह्मणि निष्कले । सर्वे बभूवुस्ते तूष्णीं वयांसीव दिनात्यये ॥४४॥
sampadyamānam ājñāya bhīṣmam brahmaṇi niṣkale sarve babhūvus te tūṣṇīm vayāmsīva dinātyaye
sampadyamānam —having merged into;  ājñāya —after knowing this;  bhīṣmam —about Śrī Bhīṣmadeva;  brahmaṇi —into the Supreme Absolute;  niṣkale —unlimited;  sarve —all present;  babhūvuḥ te —all of them became;  tūṣṇīm —silent;  vayāmsi iva —like the birds;  dina-atyaye —at the end of the day.