Wednesday, 05 February 2025 [Mayapur, West Bengal, India Time]
Sri Bhīṣma Aṣṭamī

Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Paraśurāma fought with Bhīṣmadeva when Bhīṣma neglected his warning. Both of them fought very severely, and at last Paraśurāma was pleased with Bhīṣma and gave him the benediction of becoming the greatest fighter in the world.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.6-7, Purport | 1972 Edition)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “The appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa at the deathbed of Bhīṣmajī is due to his being an unflinching devotee of the Lord. Arjuna had some bodily relation with Kṛṣṇa because the Lord happened to be his maternal cousin. But Bhīṣma had no such bodily relation.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.22, Purport | 1972 Edition)
Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Śrī Bhīṣmadeva is a great devotee of the Lord in the relation of servitorship. Thus, his throwing of sharp arrows at the transcendental body of the Lord is as good as the worship of another devotee who throws soft roses upon Him.[…]
Therefore, Bhīṣmadeva’s piercing of the body of Lord Kṛṣṇa is a sort of bewildering problem for the nondevotee atheist, but those who are devotees, or liberated souls, are not bewildered.[…]
Therefore, the fighting as an exchange of transcendental pleasure between the Lord and His pure devotee, Śrī Bhīṣmadeva, was not at all mundane.[….]
The Lord enjoyed the wounds created by His great devotee Bhīṣmadeva, and because Bhīṣmadeva is a devotee in the chivalrous relation, he fixes up his mind on Kṛṣṇa in that wounded condition.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.34, Purport | 1972 Edition)
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Bhismadeva was unique in his activities, and his passing away to the kingdom of God is also unique
The process of Bhishmadev leaving his body is described in Srimad Bhagavatam (43rd sloka from the 9th chapter of the 1st canto) as follows: “Suta Gosvami said: Thus Bhishmadeva merged himself in the Supersoul, Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.” Srimad-Bhagavatam (45th sloka from the 9th chapter of the 1st canto) further glorifies his passing away as follows: “Thereafter, both men and demigods sounded drums in honor, and the honest royal order commenced demonstrations of honor and respect. And from the sky fell showers of flowers.”
Bhishmadev was respected by human beings, heavenly beings and devas for his determination, valour, righteousness and devotion. He was a warrior and an ascetic too
Read More: https://krishnaconsciousnessmovement.com/?p=13655








