Text 24] Bhisma’s Passing Away 467

sah—He; deva-devah—the Supreme Lord of the lords; bhagavan—the
Personality of Godhead; pratiksatam—may kindly wait; kalevaram—body;
yavat—as long as; idam—this material body; hinomi—may quit; aham—I,
prasanna--cheerful; hasa—smiling; aruna-locana—eyes red like the morning
sun; ullasat—beautifully decorated; mukha-ambujah—the lotus flower of
His face; dhyana-pathah—in the path of my meditation; catur-bhujah—
the four-handed form of Narayana (the worshipable Deity of Bhigmadeva).

TRANSLATION

May mv Lord, who is four-handed and whose beautifully decorated
lotus face, with eyes as red as the rising sun, is smiling, kindly await me at
that moment when [ quit this material body.

PURPORT

Bhismadeva knew well that Lord Krsna is the original Narayana. His
worshipable Deity was four-handed Narayana, but he knew that four-
handed Narayana is a plenary expansion of Lord Krsna. Indirectly he
desired Lord Sri Krsna to manifest Himself in His four-handed feature of
Narayana. A Vaisnava is always humble in his behavior. Although it was
cent percent certain that Bhismadeva was approaching Vaikuntha-dhama
just after leaving his material body, still as a humble Vaisnava he desired
to see the beautiful face of the Lord, for after quitting the present body
he might not be in a position to see the Lord any more. A Vaisnava is not
puffed up, although the Lord guarantees His pure devotee entrance into
His abode. Here Bhismadeva says, ‘‘as long as I do not quit this body.”
This means that the great General would quit the body by his own will;
he was not being forced by the laws of nature. He was so powerful that he
could stay in his body as long as he desired. He got this benediction from
his father. He desired that the Lord stay before him in His four-handed
Narayana feature so that he might concentrate upon Him and thus be in
trance in that meditation. Then his mind might be sanctified with thinking
of the Lord. Thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee
is never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely de-
pends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord
desires him to go to hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains
is that he may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet
of the Lord, regardless. Bhismadeva wanted this much only: that his mind
be absorbed in thinking of the Lord and that he pass away thus. That is the
highest ambition of a pure devotee.
