Devanagari
सूत उवाच
इति भीत: प्रजाद्रोहात्सर्वधर्मविवित्सया ।
ततो विनशनं प्रागाद् यत्र देवव्रतोऽपतत् ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
sūta uvāca
iti bhītaḥ prajā-drohāt
sarva-dharma-vivitsayā
tato vinaśanaṁ prāgād
yatra deva-vrato ’patat
Synonyms
sūtaḥ uvāca
—
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said
;
iti
—
thus
;
bhītaḥ
—
being afraid of
;
prajā
—
drohāt — because of killing the subjects
;
sarva
—
all
;
dharma
—
acts of religion
;
vivitsayā
—
for understanding
;
tataḥ
—
thereafter
;
vinaśanam
—
the place where the fight was held
;
prāgāt
—
he went
;
yatra
—
where
;
deva
—
vrataḥ — Bhīṣmadeva
;
apatat
—
lay down for passing away .
Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira went to the scene of the massacre. There, Bhīṣmadeva was lying on a bed of arrows, about to pass away.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Sūta said: Being fearful because of having committed violence against the population, Yudhiṣṭhira, desiring to examine all dharmas, went to Kurukṣetra where Bhīṣma had fallen.
Purport
In this Ninth Chapter, as it is willed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Bhīṣmadeva will impart instructions to King Yudhiṣṭhira on the subject of occupational duties. Bhīṣmadeva will also offer his last prayer to the Lord on the verge of passing away from this mortal world and thus become liberated from the bondage of further material engagements. Bhīṣmadeva was endowed with the power of leaving his material body at will, and his lying down on the bed of arrows was his own choice. This passing away of the great warrior attracted the attention of all the contemporary elites, and all of them assembled there to show their feelings of love, respect and affection for the great soul.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In the ninth chapter Bhīṣma sees Kṛṣṇa, and at his request speaks on dharma. Being praised profusely, filled with devotion, he attains the Lord.
When all present agreed that the correct advice was to ask Bhīṣma - who knew all dharmas - whether Yudhiṣṭhira had lost his sense of judgment, Yudhiṣṭhira went to Kurukṣetra to meet Bhīṣma. Vivitsayā means with a desire to examine. Vinaśanam refers to Kurukṣetra. Devavrataḥ is Bhīṣma.