Bhishma Stuti
Song-Bhishma Stuti
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śrī-bhīṣma uvāca
iti matir upakalpitā vitṛṣṇā
bhagavati sātvata-puṅgave vibhūmni
sva-sukham upagate kvacid vihartuṁ
prakṛtim upeyuṣi yad-bhava-pravāhaḥ
śrī-bhīṣmaḥ uvāca—Śrī Bhīṣmadeva said; iti—thus; matiḥ—thinking, feeling and willing; upakalpitā—invested; vitṛṣṇā—freed from all sense desires; bhagavati—unto the Personality of Godhead; sātvata-puṅgave—unto the leader of the devotees; vibhūmni—unto the great; sva-sukham—self-satisfaction; upagate—unto Him who has attained it; kvacit—sometimes; vihartum—out of transcendental pleasure; prakṛtim—in the material world; upeyuṣi—do accept it; yat-bhava—from whom the creation; pravāhaḥ—is made and annihilated.
Bhīṣmadeva said: Let me now invest my thinking, feeling and willing, which were so long engaged in different subjects and occupational duties, in the all-powerful Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is always self-satisfied, but sometimes, being the leader of the devotees, He enjoys transcendental pleasure by descending to the material world, although it is from Him only that the material world is created.
tri-bhuvana-kamanaṁ tamāla-varṇaṁ
ravi-kara-gaura-varāmbaraṁ dadhāne
vapur alaka-kulāvṛtānanābjaṁ
vijaya-sakhe ratir astu me 'navadyā
tri-bhuvana—three statuses of planetary systems; kamanam—the most desirable; tamāla-varṇam—bluish like the tamāla tree; ravi-kara—sunrays; gaura—golden color; varāmbaram—glittering dress; dadhāne—one who wears; vapuḥ—body; alaka-kula-āvṛta—covered with paintings of sandalwood pulp; ānana-abjam—face like a lotus; vijaya-sakhe—unto the friend of Arjuna; ratiḥ astu—may attraction be reposed upon Him; me—my; anavadyā—without desire for fruitive results.
Srī Kṛṣṇa is the intimate friend of Arjuna. He has appeared on this earth in His transcendental body, which resembles the bluish color of the tamāla tree. His body attracts everyone in the three planetary systems [upper, middle and lower]. May His glittering yellow dress and His lotus face, covered with paintings of sandalwood pulp, be the object of my attraction, and may I not desire fruitive results.
yudhi turaga-rajo-vidhūmra-viṣvak-
kaca-lulita-śramavāry-alaṅkṛtāsye
mama niśita-śarair vibhidyamāna-
tvaci vilasat-kavace 'stu kṛṣṇa ātmā
yudhi—on the battlefield; turaga—horses; rajaḥ—dust; vidhūmra—turned an ashen color; viṣvak—waving; kaca—hair; lulita—scattered; śrama-vāri—perspiration due to labor; alaṅkṛta—decorated with; āsye—unto the face; mama—my; niśita—sharp; śaraiḥ—by the arrows; vibhidyamāna—pierced by; tvaci—in the skin; vilasat—enjoying pleasure; kavace—protective armor; astu—let there be; kṛṣṇe—unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa; ātmā—mind.
On the battlefield [where Śrī Kṛṣṇa attended Arjuna out of friendship], the flowing hair of Lord Kṛṣṇa turned ashen due to the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses. And because of His labor, beads of sweat wetted His face. All these decorations, intensified by the wounds on His skin dealt by my sharp arrows, were enjoyed by Him. Let my mind thus go unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
sapadi sakhi-vaco niśamya madhye
nija-parayor balayo rathaṁ niveśya
sthitavati para-sainikāyur akṣṇā
hṛtavati pārtha-sakhe ratir mamāstu
sapadi—on the battlefield; sakhi-vacaḥ—command of the friend; niśamya—after hearing; madhye—in the midst; nija—His own; parayoḥ—and the opposite party; balayoḥ—strength; ratham—chariot; niveśya—having entered; sthitavati—while staying there; para-sainika—of the soldiers on the opposite side; āyuḥ—duration of life; akṣṇā—by looking over; hṛtavati—act of diminishing; pārtha—of Arjuna, son of Pṛthā (Kuntī); sakhe—unto the friend; ratiḥ—intimate relation; mama—my; astu—let there be.
In obedience to the command of His friend, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the arena of the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra between the soldiers of Arjuna and Duryodhana, and while there He shortened the life spans of the opposite party by His merciful glance. This was done simply by His looking at the enemy. Let my mind be fixed upon that Kṛṣṇa.
vyavahita-pṛtanā-mukhaṁ nirīkṣya
sva-jana-vadhād vimukhasya doṣa-buddhyā
kumatim aharad ātma-vidyayā yaś
caraṇa-ratiḥ paramasya tasya me 'stu
vyavahita—standing at a distance; pṛtanā—soldiers; mukham—faces; nirīkṣya—by looking upon; sva-jana—kinsmen; vadhāt—from the act of killing; vimukhasya—one who is reluctant; doṣa-buddhyā—by polluted intelligence; kumatim—poor fund of knowledge; aharat—eradicated; ātma-vidyayā—by transcendental knowledge; yaḥ—He who; caraṇa—to the feet; ratiḥ—attraction; paramasya—of the Supreme; tasya—for Him; me—my; astu—let there be.
When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the soldiers and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated his ignorance by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always remain the object of my attraction.
sva-nigamam apahāya mat-pratijñām
ṛtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthaḥ
dhṛta-ratha-caraṇo 'bhyayāc caladgur
harir iva hantum ibhaṁ gatottarīyaḥ
sva-nigamam—own truthfulness; apahāya—for nullifying; mat-pratijñām—my own promise; ṛtam—factual; adhi—more; kartum—for doing it; avaplutaḥ—getting down; ratha-sthaḥ—from the chariot; dhṛta—taking up; ratha—chariot; caraṇaḥ—wheel; abhyayāt—went hurriedly; caladguḥ—trampling the earth; hariḥ—lion; iva—like; hantum—to kill; ibham—elephant; gata—leaving aside; uttarīyaḥ—covering cloth.
Fulfilling my vow and sacrificing His own promise, He got down from the chariot, took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on the way.
śita-viśikha-hato viśīrṇa-daṁśaḥ
kṣataja-paripluta ātatāyino me
prasabham abhisasāra mad-vadhārthaṁ
sa bhavatu me bhagavān gatir mukundaḥ
śita—sharp; viśikha—arrows; hataḥ—wounded by; viśīrṇa-daṁśaḥ—scattered shield; kṣataja—by wounds; pariplutaḥ—smeared with blood; ātatāyinaḥ—the great aggressor; me—my; prasabham—in an angry mood; abhisasāra—began to move on; mat-vadha-artham—for the purpose of killing me; saḥ—He; bhavatu—may become; me—my; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; gatiḥ—destination; mukundaḥ—who awards salvation.
May He, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who awards salvation, be my ultimate destination. On the battlefield He charged me, as if angry because of the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows. His shield was scattered, and His body was smeared with blood due to the wounds.
vijaya-ratha-kuṭumba ātta-totre
dhṛta-haya-raśmini tac-chriyekṣaṇīye
bhagavati ratir astu me mumūrṣor
yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ sva-rūpam
vijaya—Arjuna; ratha—chariot; kuṭumbe—the object of protection at all risk; ātta-totre—with a whip in the right hand; dhṛta-haya—controlling the horses; raśmini—ropes; tat-śriyā—beautifully standing; īkṣaṇīye—to look at; bhagavati—unto the Personality of Godhead; ratiḥ astu—let my attraction be; me—my; mumūrṣoḥ—one who is about to die; yam—upon whom; iha—in this world; nirīkṣya—by looking; hatāḥ—those who died; gatāḥ—attained; sva-rūpam—original form.
At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon Arjuna's chariot driver, who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, and who was very careful to give protection to Arjuna's chariot by all means. Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original forms after death.
lalita-gati-vilāsa-valguhāsa-
praṇaya-nirīkṣaṇa-kalpitorumānāḥ
kṛtam anukṛtavatya unmadāndhāḥ
prakṛtim agan kila yasya gopa-vadhvaḥ
lalita—attractive; gati—movements; vilāsa—fascinating acts; valguhāsa—sweet smiling; praṇaya—loving; nirīkṣaṇa—looking upon; kalpita—mentality; urumānāḥ—highly glorified; kṛtam anukṛtavatyaḥ—in the act of copying the movements; unmada-andhāḥ—gone mad in ecstasy; prakṛtim—characteristics; agan—underwent; kila—certainly; yasya—whose; gopa-vadhvaḥ—the cowherd damsels.
Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose motions and smiles of love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhāma [the gopīs]. The damsels imitated the characteristic movements of the Lord [after His disappearance from the rāsa dance].
muni-gaṇa-nṛpa-varya-saṅkule 'ntaḥ-
sadasi yudhiṣṭhira-rājasūya eṣām
arhaṇam upapeda īkṣaṇīyo
mama dṛśi-gocara eṣa āvir ātmā
muni-gaṇa—the great learned sages; nṛpa-varya—the great ruling kings; saṅkule—in the great assembly of; antaḥ-sadasi—conference; yudhiṣṭhira—of Emperor Yudhiṣṭhira; rāja-sūye—a royal performance of sacrifice; eṣām—of all the great elites; arhaṇam—respectful worship; upapeda—received; īkṣaṇīyaḥ—the object of attraction; mama—my; dṛśi—sight; gocaraḥ—within the view of; eṣaḥ āviḥ—personally present; ātmā—the soul.
At the Rājasūya yajña [sacrifice] performed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there was the greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal and learned orders, and in that great assembly Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was worshiped by one and all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during my presence, and I remember the incident in order to keep my mind upon the Lord.
tam imam aham ajaṁ śarīra-bhājāṁ
hṛdi hṛdi dhiṣṭhitam ātma-kalpitānām
pratidṛśam iva naikadhārkam ekaṁ
samadhigato 'smi vidhūta-bheda-mohaḥ
tam—that Personality of Godhead; imam—now present before me; aham—I; ajam—the unborn; śarīra-bhājām—of the conditioned soul; hṛdi—in the heart; hṛdi—in the heart; dhiṣṭhitam—situated; ātma—the Supersoul; kalpitānām—of the speculators; pratidṛśam—in every direction; iva—like; na ekadhā—not one; arkam—the sun; ekam—one only; samadhigataḥ asmi—I have undergone trance in meditation; vidhūta—being freed from; bheda-mohaḥ—misconception of duality.
Now I can meditate with full concentration upon that one Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, now present before me because now I have transcended the misconceptions of duality in regard to His presence in everyone's heart, even in the hearts of the mental speculators. He is in everyone's heart. The sun may be perceived differently, but the sun is one.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Bhishma Stuti?
Bhishma Stuti was composed by Bhishma Deva. It appears in Songs of Vaishnava Acaryas.
Where can I listen to Bhishma Stuti?
You can listen to 3 recordings of Bhishma Stuti on this page, including versions sung by HG Amarendra Prabhu, HG Amarendra Prabhu (01), HG Gauranga Darshan Prabhu.
How many verses does Bhishma Stuti have?
Bhishma Stuti has 11 verses.