504 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 1, Ch. 9

planets, and all of them knew Bhismadeva as a great warrior and devotee of
the Lord. As a mahdjana (or authority) he was on the level of Brahma,
Narada and Siva, although he was a human being. Qualification on a par
with the great demigods is possible only on attainment of spiritual per-
fection. Thus Bhismadeva was known all over the universes, and during his
time interplanetary travel was effected by finer methods than the futile
endeavors of mechanical spacecraft. When the distant planets were in-
formed of the passing away of Bhismadeva, all the inhabitants of the
upper planets as well as of the earth dropped showers of flowers to show
due respect to the departed great personality. This showering of flowers
from heaven is a sign of recognition by great demigods, and it should
never be compared to the decoration of the dead body. The body of
Bhismadeva lost its material effects due to being surcharged with spiritual
realization, and thus the body was spiritualized as when iron becomes
red-hot when in contact with fire. The body of a fully self-realized
soul is not, therefore, accepted as material. Special ceremonies are
observed for such spiritual bodies. The respect and recognition of Bhisma-
deva are never to be imitated by artificial means, as it has become a fashion
to observe the so-called jayanti ceremony for any and every common man.
According to authorized sastras, such a jayanti ceremony for an ordinary
man, however exalted he may be materially, is an offense to the Lord
because jayanti is reserved for the day when the Lord appears on the
earth. Bhismadeva was unique in his activities, and his passing away to the
kingdom of God is also unique.

TEXT 46

wa frewndifs arta ani |
afathe: arfien ged Z:Racisvag We§

tasya nirharanddini
samparetasya bhargava

yudhisthirah karayitva
muhirtarn duhkhito’bhavat

tasya—his; nirharanadini—funeral ceremony; samparetasya—of the dead
body; bhdrgava—O descendant of Bhrgu; yudhisthirah— Maharaja
Yudhisthira; kdrayitva—having performed it; muhiirtam—for a moment;
duhkhitah—sorry; abhavat—became.
