Bhagavatapurana 1.9: atha navamo'dhyāyaḥ

1.9.1

/0 sūta uvāca
iti bhītaḥ prajādrohāt sarvadharmavivitsayā /
tato vinaśanaṃ prāgādyatra devavrato 'patat //

Sūta said: / Thus terrified of harm done to living beings, and desiring to know all duties, / he then went to the place of dissolution where Devavrata [Bhīṣma] had fallen.

1. Suta said:—Thus troubled by the fear of sin for the wrongs done to the people, and seeking to know (desirous of knowing) all Dharmas (courses of righteous duties), Yudhishtira then went to Kurukshetra, the field of Destruction where Bhishma had fallen (lay dying.)

1.9.2

tadā te bhrātaraḥ sarve sadaśvaiḥ svarṇabhūṣitaiḥ /
anvagacchan rathairviprā vyāsadhaumyādayastathā //

Then all his brothers on chariots with excellent horses adorned with gold / followed him, O brāhmaṇas, as did Vyāsa, Dhaumya, and others.

2. Then, O Brahmins, all his brothers followed him in chariots decked in gold and drawn by excellent horses; as also Vyasa, Dhaumya and others.

1.9.3

bhagavān api viprarṣe rathena sadhanañjayaḥ /
sa tairvyarocata nṛpaḥ kuvera iva guhyakaiḥ //

The Lord too, with Dhanañjaya [Arjuna], [followed] on a chariot, O brāhmaṇa-seer; / and surrounded by them, the king shone like Kuvera among the Guhyakas.

3. O Brahmin sage, even the glorious Krishna and Arjuna went in a chariot. Accompanied by them all, Yudhishtira shone like Kubera in the midst of _Guhyakas_.

1.9.4

dṛṣṭvā nipatitaṃ bhūmau divaścyutam ivāmaram /
praṇemuḥ pāṇḍavā bhīṣmaṃ sānugāḥ saha cakriṇā //

Seeing him fallen upon the earth like an immortal fallen from heaven, / the Pāṇḍavas with their retinue and along with the bearer of the discus bowed down to Bhīṣma.

4. Seeing Bhishma who lay on the ground, (brilliant) like a celestial dropped from Swarga, the Pandavas, their attendants and Sri Krishna (all) made obeisance to him. 5. At that time, O Saunaka the foremost among the righteous, Brahmin sages, Divine sages, and Royal sages, all met there to see the foremost warrior among the Bharatas, (viz., Bhishma).

1.9.5

tatra brahmarṣayaḥ sarve devarṣayaśca sattama /
rājarṣayaśca tatrāsan draṣṭuṃ bharatapuṅgavam //

All the seer-brāhmaṇas and seer-gods, O best of men, / and royal seers were present there to see the bull of the Bharatas:

1.9.6

parvato nārado dhaumyo bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ /
bṛhadaśvo bharadvājaḥ saśiṣyo reṇukāsutaḥ //

Parvata, Nārada, Dhaumya, the venerable Bādarāyaṇa, / Bṛhadaśva, Bharadvāja, and the son of Reṇukā [Paraśurāma] with his disciples,

6. Parvata, Narada, Dhaumya, the glorious Badarayana, Brihadasva, Bharadwaja with his pupils, the son of Renuka,

1.9.7

vasiṣṭha indrapramadastrito gṛtsamado 'sitaḥ /
kakṣīvān gautamo 'triśca kauśiko 'tha sudarśanaḥ //

Vasiṣṭha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gṛtsamada, Asita, / Kakṣīvat, Gautama, Atri, and Kauśika, as well as Sudarśana,

7. Vasishta, Indrapramada, Trita, Gritsamada, Asita, Kakshivan, Gautama, Atri, Visvamitra, and Sudarsana and,

1.9.8

anye ca munayo brahman brahmarātādayo 'malāḥ /
śiṣyairupetā ājagmuḥ kaśyapāṅgirasādayaḥ //

and other pure sages, O brāhmaṇa—Brahmarāta and others— / Kaśyapa, Aṅgiras, and others arrived, accompanied by their disciples.

8. O Brahmana, (many) other holy (sages of whom) Suka (Brahmarata) was the foremost, Kasyapa and the son of Angiras and others—accompanied by their disciples, all went thither.

1.9.9

tān sametān mahābhāgān upalabhya vasūttamaḥ /
pūjayām āsa dharmajño deśakālavibhāgavit //

Perceiving those illustrious ones gathered together, the foremost of the Vasus [Bhīṣma], / knower of dharma and conversant with the distinctions of place and time, honored them.

9. Seeing those highly blessed sages that assembled there, Bhishma the foremost of the Vasus, versed in Dharmas, and, with due regard to time and place, gave them all a reverential reception.

1.9.10

kṛṣṇaṃ ca tatprabhāvajña āsīnaṃ jagadīśvaram /
hṛdisthaṃ pūjayām āsa māyayopāttavigraham //

And knowing His greatness, he honored Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the universe, who was seated [there], / dwelling in the heart, having assumed a form by His creative power.

10. He also worshipped Krishna, the Lord of the world, who had taken his seat in the assembly and was enthroned in his heart as well, and who had assumed a personality through Maya; for he (Bhishma) knew His glorious nature.

1.9.11

pāṇḍuputrān upāsīnān praśrayapremasaṅgatān /
abhyācaṣṭānurāgāśrairandhībhūtena cakṣuṣā //

Looking upon the sons of Pāṇḍu seated near Him, full of modesty and love, / he addressed them with eyes blinded by tears of affection:

11. Eyes dimmed with tears of affection, he looked at the sons of Pandu who were seated near, possessed of modesty and affection, and spoke to them (thus).

1.9.12

aho kaṣṭam aho 'nyāyyaṃ yadyūyaṃ dharmanandanāḥ /
jīvituṃ nārhatha kliṣṭaṃ vipradharmācyutāśrayāḥ //

“Ah, what hardship! Ah, what injustice, that you, the sons of Dharma, / having taken shelter in brāhmaṇas, dharma, and Acyuta, should not have lived without suffering!

12. Ah! what a painful thing it is! Ah! what an unjust thing it is! It is not fit that you the son of righteousness depending upon (devoted to) Brahmins, Dharma and Sri Krishna, should live a life of troubles.

1.9.13

saṃsthite 'tirathe pāṇḍau pṛthā bālaprajā vadhūḥ /
yuṣmatkṛte bahūn kleśān prāptā tokavatī muhuḥ //

When the great car-warrior Pāṇḍu passed away, Pṛthā, a young woman with small children, / underwent many hardships time and again for your sake, burdened with sons.

13. When the great warrior Pandu died, the young lady Kunti, as the mother of young children, was frequently put to many difficulties on your account.

1.9.14

sarvaṃ kālakṛtaṃ manye bhavatāṃ ca yadapriyam /
sapālo yadvaśe loko vāyoriva ghanāvaliḥ //

I consider all that was unpleasant to you to be the work of Time, / under whose control is the world along with its guardians, like a mass of clouds before the wind.

14. All this distress which has been so painful to you (and to others), I think, is the work of Time (Kala), it is the ruler, in whose power the world and its protectors rest, as the clouds in the power of the wind.

1.9.15

yatra dharmasuto rājā gadāpāṇirvṛkodaraḥ /
kṛṣṇo 'strī gāṇḍivaṃ cāpaṃ suhṛt kṛṣṇastato vipat //

Where the king is the son of Dharma, the mace-bearer is Vṛkodara, / the archer is Arjuna, the bow is Gāṇḍīva, and the friend is Kṛṣṇa—yet from that, misfortune [befalls]!

15. For, it is really inexplicable that there was calamity even there where the son of Dharma is the King, where Bhima-

sena stands armed with Gada and Arjuna with his missiles, where the bow is the Gandiva and their friend is Sri Krishna;

1.9.16

na hyasya karhicidrājan pumān veda vidhitsitam /
yadvijijñāsayā yuktā muhyanti kavayo 'pi hi //

Indeed, O King, no man ever knows His design; / even wise men, engaged in inquiry into it, are truly bewildered.

16. Indeed, no man, O king, ever knows what He (Sri Krishna) intends to do; and in endeavouring to investigate into it, even wise men are seen bewildered.

1.9.17

tasmādidaṃ daivatantraṃ vyavasya bharatarṣabha /
tasyānuvihito 'nāthā nātha pāhi prajāḥ prabho //

Therefore, O bull of the Bharatas, concluding this to be dependent on providence, / and complying with it, O protector, protect your helpless subjects, O master!

17. Therefore, conclusively understand that this is in the power of the Deity; O the best of Bharatas, O powerful king by right of inheritance, abide by His Will and protect these people who are helpless.

1.9.18

eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣādādyo nārāyaṇaḥ pumān /
mohayan māyayā lokaṃ gūḍhaścarati vṛṣṇiṣu //

This is indeed the Lord Himself, the primal person Nārāyaṇa; / deluding the world by His creative power, He moves hidden among the Vṛṣṇis.

18. He (this Krishna) is, indeed, the All-powerful Supreme Being Narayana, the First Person (the first cause of all), who, deluding the world by His Maya and concealing His Supreme Nature, remains as one among the Vrishnis.

1.9.19

asyānubhāvaṃ bhagavān veda guhyatamaṃ śivaḥ /
devarṣirnāradaḥ sākṣādbhagavān kapilo nṛpa //

The venerable Śiva knows His most secret majesty, / as do the divine seer Nārada, and the venerable Kapila in person, O King.

19-20. O King, God Siva, the divine sage Narada, and Kapila the glorious Lord know the most hidden power and glory of Him whom you think to be your aunt's son, the object of your affection, your friend, and your disinterested benefactor, and whom through affection you made your minister, messenger and charioteer, too.

1.9.20

yaṃ manyase mātuleyaṃ priyaṃ mitraṃ suhṛttamam /
akaroḥ sacivaṃ dūtaṃ sauhṛdādatha sārathim //

He whom you consider your maternal cousin, your dear friend, your closest companion, / you made your counselor, your messenger, and out of affection, your charioteer.

1.9.21

sarvātmanaḥ samadṛśo hyadvayasyānahaṅkṛteḥ /
tatkṛtaṃ mativaiṣamyaṃ niravadyasya na kvacit //

In Him who is the Self of all, impartial, non-dual, free from ego, / faultless, no partiality of intellect caused by that ever exists.

21. In no manner or in no respect is the mind of the Lord affected thereby; for there is no defect in Him, there is no Ahankara in Him; He has no quality; He looks equally upon all; He is the Ruler of all from within.

1.9.22

tathāpyekāntabhakteṣu paśya bhūpānukampitam /
yan me 'sūṃstyajataḥ sākṣāt kṛṣṇo darśanam āgataḥ //

Even so, behold, O King, His compassion for His exclusive devotees, / since Kṛṣṇa has come directly before my sight as I cast off my life-breaths!

22. Still, O King, note His mercy towards those that are really devoted to Him; for Sri Krishna Himself has come on a visit to me (now) when I am about to depart from life.

1.9.23

bhaktyāveśya mano yasmin vācā yannāma kīrtayan /
tyajan kalevaraṃ yogī mucyate kāmakarmabhiḥ //

Fixing his mind with devotion on Him and chanting His name with his voice, / a yogin, casting off his body, is released from desires and karmic acts.

23. A yogin who casts off his body giving his mind wholly to Him in devotion and uttering His (blessed) name with his tongue,—that Yogin becomes free from (all) passions and Karma (Punya and Papa and their consequences.)

1.9.24

sa devadevo bhagavān pratīkṣatāṃ kalevaraṃ yāvadidaṃ hinomyaham /
prasannahāsāruṇalocanollasan mukhāmbujo dhyānapathaścaturbhujaḥ //

May that God of gods, the Lord, await me until I cast off this body— / He whose lotus face is radiant with a gentle smile and red eyes, the object of meditation, four-armed!”

24. May that God of gods, the Almighty Krishna of four arms, whose lotus-like face beams with gracious smiles and (brilliant eyes,) be pleased to look on me and be the object of my contemplation, till I cast off this body.

1.9.25

/0 sūta uvāca
yudhiṣṭhirastadākarṇya śayānaṃ śarapañjare /
apṛcchadvividhān dharmān ṛṣīṇāṃ cānuśṛṇvatām //

Sūta said:
Having heard that, Yudhiṣṭhira, while the sages listened along,
questioned [Bhīṣma] lying on his bed of arrows about the various dharmas:

25. Suta said:—After listening to that (glowing praise of Sri Krishna), Yudhishtira asked Bhishma lying on the bed of arrows about the various courses of Dharma (righteousness), while all the Rishis attended to the discourse.

1.9.26

puruṣasvabhāvavihitān yathāvarṇaṃ yathāśramam /
vairāgyarāgopādhibhyām āmnātobhayalakṣaṇān //

those prescribed according to human nature, for each class and stage of life,
and handed down with both characteristics through the conditions of dispassion and passion;

26.—28. Bhishma who knew the truth, described (discoursed upon) them, O sage, as contained in the several Akhyanas and Itihasas; described the Dharmas which are laid down according to the nature of men, their caste and Asrama or stage of life; the twofold Dharmas, Pravritta and Nivritta, laid down with reference to the conditions of renunciation or attachment; the Dharmas or duties of charitable gifts, those imposed upon Kings, those leading to salvation, those laid down for women, and also those that delight the Lord, and in general he described Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, and their accessory means,—he described all these distinctly, without confusion, both briefly and in detail.

1.9.27

dānadharmān rājadharmān mokṣadharmān vibhāgaśaḥ /
strīdharmān bhagavaddharmān samāsavyāsayogataḥ //

the dharmas of charity, the dharmas of kings, and the dharmas of liberation in their divisions,
and the dharmas of women and the dharmas of devotion to the Lord, in brief and in full detail;

1.9.28

dharmārthakāmamokṣāṃśca sahopāyān yathā mune /
nānākhyānetihāseṣu varṇayām āsa tattvavit //

and dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation, together with their means, O sage;
he who knew the truth related these through various ancient tales and histories.

1.9.29

dharmaṃ pravadatastasya sa kālaḥ pratyupasthitaḥ /
yo yoginaśchandamṛtyorvāñchitastūttarāyaṇaḥ //

While he was expounding dharma, that time arrived,
which is desired by a yogi who dies at will—namely, the northern course of the sun.

29. To him (Bhishma) who was (thus) discoursing on Dharma, that time came which is specially desired by a Yogin, who can, however, depart from the body at his will, viz., the Uttarayana, the sun's course to the north of the equator.

1.9.30

tadopasaṃhṛtya giraḥ sahasraṇīr vimuktasaṅgaṃ mana ādipūruṣe /
kṛṣṇe lasatpītapaṭe caturbhuje puraḥ sthite 'mīlitadṛg vyadhārayat //

Then, drawing in his speech, the commander of thousands fixed his unattached mind,
with eyes wide open, upon Kṛṣṇa, the primal Person, clad in shining yellow garments, four-armed, standing before him.

30. Then the leader of the thousand legions closed his discourse, fixed his mind free from all attachments, and his eyes wide open, on Sri Krishna, present before him, the First and the Supreme Person, with four arms and clad in brilliant Pitambara.

1.9.31

viśuddhayā dhāraṇayā hatāśubhas tadīkṣayaivāśu gatāyudhaśramaḥ /
nivṛttasarvendriyavṛttivibhramas tuṣṭāva janyaṃ visṛjañ janārdanam //

His impurities destroyed by pure meditation, the fatigue of weapons quickly gone through merely looking upon Him,
with the wandering movements of all his senses stilled, shedding his mortal body, he praised Janārdana:

31. Bhishma, cleansed of all evil tendencies by pure meditation and concentration, soon ceased to feel the pain caused by weapons, on seeing Sri Krishna; and being free from the distraction of the senses, and intending to cast off the body, he praised Janardana (who puts an end to the series of births).

1.9.32

/0 śrībhīṣma uvāca
iti matirupakalpitā vitṛṣṇā bhagavati sātvatapuṅgave vibhūmni /
svasukham upagate kvacidvihartuṃ prakṛtim upeyuṣi yadbhavapravāhaḥ //

Śrī Bhīṣma said:
May my mind, thus fashioned free of desire, be fixed upon the Lord, the eminent Sātvata, the boundless One,
who abides in His own bliss, yet at times takes recourse to nature to sport, from whom arises the stream of creation;

32. Bhishma said:—Thus (perceiving by such glorious deeds), settled is my mind, lifted from wordly passions, on the Almighty and perfect Lord, who has appeared as the foremost among the Satvatas, who, essentially blissful as He is, resorts sometimes to Prakriti out of Lila—Prakriti from which the stream of Samsara flows.

1.9.33

tribhuvanakamanaṃ tamālavarṇaṃ ravikaragauravarāmbaraṃ dadhāne /
vapuralakakulāvṛtānanābjaṃ vijayasakhe ratirastu me 'navadyā //

upon Him who wears a body desired throughout the three worlds, colored like the tamāla tree, clothed in a splendid garment bright as sunbeams,
whose lotus-like face is fringed with clusters of curly hair—upon Arjuna’s friend, may I have faultless loving attachment;

33. May I find delight, induced by no (other) motive, in the friend of Vijaya (Arjuna), who has assumed a personality that is charming to the three worlds by its Tamala complexion, by robes of brilliant white (dazzling) like the rays of the sun and by the lotus-like face with curling locks of hair floating about it.

1.9.34

yudhi turagarajovidhūmraviṣvak kacalulitaśramavāryalaṅkṛtāsye /
mama niśitaśarairvibhidyamāna tvaci vilasatkavace 'stu kṛṣṇa ātmā //

upon Him whose face was adorned with perspiration from battle exertion, ruffled by hair scattered all around and greyed with dust from horses’ hooves,
whose skin, beneath His glittering armor, was pierced by my sharp arrows—upon Kṛṣṇa, may my self be fixed;

34. May my mind rest in Krishna whose face is bedecked with drops of perspiration disturbed on all sides by His curly hair, and dimmed with the dust raised by the horses in the battlefield, whose skin is being pierced by my sharp arrows, whose armour is (thereby) brilliant, (who is clad in brilliant armour).

1.9.35

sapadi sakhivaco niśamya madhye nijaparayorbalayo rathaṃ niveśya /
sthitavati parasainikāyurakṣṇā hṛtavati pārthasakhe ratirmamāstu //

upon Him who at once, hearing the words of His friend, stationed the chariot between the two armies of friend and foe,
and standing there took away the lifespans of the enemy warriors with His glance—upon Pārtha’s friend, may I have loving attachment;

35. May I find delight in the friend of Partha, who hearing the words (at the request) of his friend, instantly led the chariot to the middle of the two armies, and by His sight reduced the span of life of those in the enemies’ army.

1.9.36

vyavahitapṛtanāmukhaṃ nirīkṣya svajanavadhādvimukhasya doṣabuddhyā /
kumatim aharadātmavidyayā yaś caraṇaratiḥ paramasya tasya me 'stu //

upon Him who, seeing [Arjuna] turning away from slaying his kin out of a sense of sin upon looking at the front of the facing army,
dispelled his confused thinking through knowledge of the self—may I have loving attachment to the feet of that Supreme One;

36. May I find delight in the feet of that Supreme Being who, by imparting the knowledge of Atman, removed the mistaken notion of Arjuna, who, at the sight of Bhishma and others in the van of the distant army, became reluctant to slay his kith and kin through a sense of sinfulness.

1.9.37

svanigamam apahāya matpratijñām ṛtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthaḥ /
dhṛtarathacaraṇo 'bhyayāc caladgur haririva hantum ibhaṃ gatottarīyaḥ //

upon Him who, abandoning His own vow to make my vow true, leaped down from the chariot,
and, holding a chariot wheel, rushed forward, shaking the earth, like a lion running to kill an elephant, His upper garment fallen away;

37. Sri Krishna abandoned his own resolve to make my resolve true, jumped down from the chariot, took up the wheel

and, even as a lion springs upon an elephant to kill him, He dashed against me, the whole Earth trembling (under His feet), and His upper garment falling off.

1.9.38

śitaviśikhahato viśīrṇadaṃśaḥ kṣatajaparipluta ātatāyino me /
prasabham abhisasāra madvadhārthaṃ sa bhavatu me bhagavān gatirmukundaḥ //

struck by my sharp arrows, His armor shattered, drenched in blood from me, His assailant,
He violently rushed forward to kill me—may that Lord, Mukunda, be my destination;

38. May that glorious Mukunda be my asylum (goal) who hit by the sharp arrows, of such a ruffian as I, with his armour shattered, and bathed in blood, rushed forward to knock me down.

1.9.39

vijayarathakuṭumba āttatotre dhṛtahayaraśmini tacchriyekṣaṇīye /
bhagavati ratirastu me mumūrṣor yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ svarūpam //

in Arjuna's chariot companion, who held the whip, grasped the horses' reins, and was beautiful to behold in that splendor—
upon that Lord, may I, desiring to die, have loving attachment, looking upon whom those slain in this [battle] attained His own form;

39. Let me now in my dying moments find delight in that glorious Lord who looked upon Arjuna's chariot as a house under His protection, took the whip and assumed the reins of his horses, and looked most winning in that splendid attitude (of a charioteer)—for, those that died in battle here with a last look at Him have attained *Sarupya* .

1.9.40

lalitagativilāsavalguhāsa praṇayanirīkṣaṇakalpitorumānāḥ /
kṛtamanukṛtavatya unmadāndhāḥ prakṛtim agan kila yasya gopavadhvaḥ //

the cowherd women, who deemed themselves greatly honored by His charming graceful movements, playfulness, sweet smiles, and loving glances,
and, blinded by ecstatic love, imitated His deeds—they indeed attained His nature;

40. The Gopa damsels who in their grand worship dedicated to Him their lovely gait, charming movements, sweet smiles, and looks brimming with love, and who, in their mad ecstasy, imitated what Sri Krishna did (as if identifying themselves with Him), really attained *Sarupya*. [May I find delight in such Krishna.]

1.9.41

munigaṇanṛpavaryasaṅkule 'ntaḥ sadasi yudhiṣṭhirarājasūya eṣām /
arhaṇam upapeda īkṣaṇīyo mama dṛśigocara eṣa āvirātmā //

at Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya sacrifice, in the inner assembly crowded with the best of sages and kings,
He received the worship of all, glorious to behold—that very embodied One has now come within range of my sight;

41. Here, in the range of my vision stands the glorious Lord in visible form, who, being the feast of all eyes, received the honour of being first worshipped in the *sabha* thronged with great sages and princes, during Yudhishtira's *Rajasuya*. [May He be manifest to my eyes till I depart].

1.9.42

tam imam aham ajaṃ śarīrabhājāṃ hṛdi hṛdi dhiṣṭhitam ātmakalpitānām /
pratidṛśam iva naikadhārkam ekaṃ samadhigato 'smi vidhūtabhedamohaḥ //

That very unborn Lord, stationed in the heart of each embodied being fashioned by Himself,
who appears manifold like the one sun to every eye—Him I have attained, with the delusion of duality shaken off.

42. Freed from the delusion of *Differences* (Bheda), I have fully realised this Krishna to be that *Unborn* (Supreme Being) who is seated in the hearts of all the souls occupying the bodies created by Him, and who, though one, manifests Himself as many, even as the sun does to the eyes of various observers.

1.9.43

/0 sūta uvāca
kṛṣṇa evaṃ bhagavati manovāgdṛṣṭivṛttibhiḥ /
ātmanyātmānam āveśya so 'ntaḥśvāsa upāramat //

Sūta said:
Having thus fixed his self in the self, the Lord Kṛṣṇa, through the activities of his mind, speech, and sight,
he ceased his inner breath and passed away.

43. Suta said:—Having thus fixed his Atman with all the activities of the mind, the tongue and the eyes, on Krishna, the Supreme Lord, Bhishma suspended his breath and ceased to live.

1.9.44

sampadyamānam ājñāya bhīṣmaṃ brahmaṇi niṣkale /
sarve babhūvuste tūṣṇīṃ vayāṃsīva dinātyaye //

Recognizing that Bhīṣma had merged into the undivided Brahman,
they all fell silent, like birds at the end of the day.

44. Perceiving that Bhishma was retiring into the absolute Brahman, they all remained silent, even as birds do at the close of the day.

1.9.45

tatra dundubhayo nedurdevamānavavāditāḥ /
śaśaṃsuḥ sādhavo rājñāṃ khāt petuḥ puṣpavṛṣṭayaḥ //

There drums sounded, played by gods and mortals;
the virtuous among the kings uttered praises, and showers of flowers fell from the sky.

45. Then resounded the Dundubhis, beaten by mortals and immortals; the right-minded kings in the assembly uttered praises of Bhishma; and from the sky fell showers of flowers.

1.9.46

tasya nirharaṇādīni samparetasya bhārgava /
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ kārayitvā muhūrtaṃ duḥkhito 'bhavat //

Having had the funeral rites and other duties performed for the deceased, O descendant of Bhṛgu,
Yudhiṣṭhira was grief-stricken for a moment.

46. After the removal of the dead body and other (funeral) rites for the deceased Bhishma, O Bhargava, Yudhishtira remained for an hour overwhelmed with grief.

1.9.47

tuṣṭuvurmunayo hṛṣṭāḥ kṛṣṇaṃ tadguhyanāmabhiḥ /
tataste kṛṣṇahṛdayāḥ svāśramān prayayuḥ punaḥ //

Rejoicing, the sages praised Kṛṣṇa with His secret names;
then, their hearts fixed on Kṛṣṇa, they departed again to their own hermitages.

47. Then the sages, being highly rejoiced, praised Sri Krishna, uttering His mysterious names; and shortly after, with Krishna in their hearts, they returned to their hermitages.

1.9.48

tato yudhiṣṭhiro gatvā sahakṛṣṇo gajāhvayam /
pitaraṃ sāntvayām āsa gāndhārīṃ ca tapasvinīm //

Then Yudhiṣṭhira, having gone to Gajāhvaya together with Kṛṣṇa,
consoled his uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the ascetic Gāndhārī.

48. Thereupon, Yudhishtira went with Krishna to Hastina and consoled his father (uncle) Dhritarashtra and poor Gandhari in their grief.

1.9.49

pitrā cānumato rājā vāsudevānumoditaḥ /
cakāra rājyaṃ dharmeṇa pitṛpaitāmahaṃ vibhuḥ //

Permitted by his uncle and encouraged by Vāsudeva,
the mighty king ruled the ancestral kingdom according to dharma.

49. Permitted by his father, with (the approval of) Sri Krishna, the able king Yudhishtira ruled over the kingdom of his fathers and forefathers, treading the path of righteousness.