The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Verse 17 (SB 1.9.17)

SB 1.9.16

SB 1.9.18

SB 1.9.17 • मूल श्लोक

तस्मादिदं दैवतन्त्रं व्यवस्य भरतर्षभ । तस्यानुविहितोऽनाथा नाथ पाहि प्रजा: प्रभो ॥ १७ ॥

Transliteration

tasmād idaṁ daiva-tantraṁ vyavasya bharatarṣabha tasyānuvihito ’nāthā nātha pāhi prajāḥ prabho

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

tasmāt — therefore; idam — this; daiva-tantram — enchantment of providence only; vyavasya — ascertaining; bharata-ṛṣabha — O best among the descendants of Bharata; tasya — by Him; anuvihitaḥ — as desired; anāthāḥ — helpless; nātha — O master; pāhi — just take care of; prajāḥ — of the subjects; prabho — O Lord.

Translation

“O best among the descendants of Bharata [Yudhiṣṭhira], I maintain, therefore, that all this is within the plan of the Lord. Accepting the inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it. You are now the appointed administrative head, and, my lord, you should now take care of those subjects who are now rendered helpless.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda

The popular saying is that a housewife teaches the daughter-in-law by teaching the daughter. Similarly, the Lord teaches the world by teaching the devotee. The devotee does not have to learn anything new from the Lord because the Lord teaches the sincere devotee always from within. Whenever, therefore, a show is made to teach the devotee, as in the case of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, it is for teaching the less intelligent men. A devotee’s duty, therefore, is to ungrudgingly accept tribulations from the Lord as a benediction. The Pāṇḍavas were advised by Bhīṣmadeva to accept the responsibility of administration without hesitation. The poor subjects were without protection due to the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and they were awaiting the assumption of power by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. A pure devotee of the Lord accepts tribulations as favors from the Lord. Since the Lord is absolute, there is no mundane difference between the two.