भीष्म कृत श्रीकृष्ण स्तुति
This stuti is sung by Bhishma when he is about to depart. Here are the verses before this stuti from Srimad Bhagwat:
Sûta said: "Yudhishthhira, who heard that from him who was lying on a bed of arrows, asked him, with the rishis listening, about the diverse religious duties. Bhîshma described to him the different stages of life and the vocations as determined by the qualities of the person next to the way how one should deal systematically with both the symptoms of attachment and detachment. He explained about the duties of charity, rulership and liberation by giving their divisions and gave the general outline of the duties of women and devotional service. Knowing the truth he described, o sages, the [four basic civil virtues of] religious dutifulness, economy, fulfilment of desires and liberation, to which he cited various known histories. During the time Bhîshma described the duties, the sun ran over the northern hemisphere, which is precisely the desired time preferred by the mystics when they want to leave this world. Bhîshmadeva, the protector of thousands of sciences and arts, then fell silent and with a mind freed from all bondage he fixed his eyes wide open upon the Original Person Lord S'rî Krishna, the Fourhanded One who was standing before him in yellow garments. Simply looking at Him, the Annihilator of the Inauspicious, his meditation purified and his pain from the arrows disappeared instantly. And while he prayed before the material tabernacle all the activities of his senses ceased when he departed for the Controller of All Living Beings.
श्री भीष्म उवाच -
इति मतिरुपकल्पिता वितृष्णा भगवति सात्वत पुङ्गवे विभूम्नि ।
स्वसुखमुपगते क्वचिद्विहर्तुं प्रकृतिमुपेयुषि यद्भवप्रवाहः ॥१॥
स्वसुखमुपगते क्वचिद्विहर्तुं प्रकृतिमुपेयुषि यद्भवप्रवाहः ॥१॥
Let me being freed from desires prepare my mind for the Supreme Lord, the Leader of the Devotees, the Great Self-contented One who in the realization of His transcendental joy at times [as an avâtara] takes pleasure in accepting this material world with her creation and destruction.
त्रिभुवनकमनं तमालवर्णं रविकरगौरवराम्बरं दधाने ।
वपुरलककुलावृताननाब्जं विजयसखे रतिरस्तु मेऽनवद्या ॥२ ॥
वपुरलककुलावृताननाब्जं विजयसखे रतिरस्तु मेऽनवद्या ॥२ ॥
He is the most desirable person of the higher, lower and middle worlds. Bluish like a tamâla tree, He wears His dress that shines like the golden rays of the sun. He has a body decorated with sandalwood pulp and a face like a lotus. May my love free from material motives repose in the friend of Arjuna.
युधि तुरगरजोविधूम्रविष्वक्कचलुलितश्रमवार्यलंकृतास्ये ।
मम निशितशरैर्विभिद्यमानत्वचि विलसत्कवचेऽस्तु कृष्ण आत्मा ॥३॥
मम निशितशरैर्विभिद्यमानत्वचि विलसत्कवचेऽस्तु कृष्ण आत्मा ॥३॥
Let the mind be directed towards S'rî Krishna who, with His scattered hair that on the battlefield turned ashen from the dust of the hoofs, with His face decorated with perspiration and His skin pierced by my sharp arrows, wearing His protective armor took pleasure in all of it.
सपदि सखिवचो निशम्य मध्ये निजपरयोर्बलयो रथं निवेश्य ।
स्थितवति परसैनिकायुरक्ष्णा हृतवति पार्थ सखे रतिर्ममास्तु ॥४॥
स्थितवति परसैनिकायुरक्ष्णा हृतवति पार्थ सखे रतिर्ममास्तु ॥४॥
After hearing the command of His friend He drove His chariot between the opposing forces, where positioned He diminished the lifespan of the enemy by simply looking at them. Let there be my love for that friend of Arjuna.
व्यवहित पृथनामुखं निरीक्ष्य स्वजनवधाद्विमुखस्य दोषबुद्ध्या।
कुमतिमहरदात्मविद्यया यश्चरणरतिः परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु ॥५॥
कुमतिमहरदात्मविद्यया यश्चरणरतिः परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु ॥५॥
While the troops were looking at a distance, He with His transcendental knowledge eradicated the ignorance of him who, because of a polluted intelligence, was reluctant to kill his kinsmen. Let there be the transcendence of my attraction for His feet.
स्वनिगममपहाय मत्प्रतिज्ञा मृतमधिकर्तुमवप्लुतो रथस्थः ।
धृतरथचरणोऽभ्ययाच्चलत्गुः हरिरिव हन्तुमिभं गतोत्तरीयः ॥६॥
धृतरथचरणोऽभ्ययाच्चलत्गुः हरिरिव हन्तुमिभं गतोत्तरीयः ॥६॥
For the sake of the fulfillment of my duty factually to be more of violence and against His own sworn principle [to stay out of the fray], He got down from His chariot, took up it's wheel and - while dropping His outer garment - paced towards me like a lion that is about to kill an elephant.
शितविशिखहतोविशीर्णदंशः क्षतजपरिप्लुत आततायिनो मे ।
प्रसभमभिससार मद्वधार्थं स भवतु मे भगवान् गतिर्मुकुन्दः ॥७॥
प्रसभमभिससार मद्वधार्थं स भवतु मे भगवान् गतिर्मुकुन्दः ॥७॥
Wounded by the sharp arrows and without His shield He, smeared with blood, in the angry mood of the great aggressor moved towards me in order to kill me. May that Supreme Lord who awards salvation become my destination.
विजयरथकुटुम्ब आत्ततोत्रे धृतहयरश्मिनि तच्छ्रियेक्षणीये।
भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षोः यमिह निरीक्ष्य हताः गताः सरूपम् ॥८॥
भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षोः यमिह निरीक्ष्य हताः गताः सरूपम् ॥८॥
Let me, at this hour of death, be of love for the Personality of Godhead who, controlling the horses with a whip in His right hand and the reins in the left, so elegant to behold by all means protected the chariot of Arjuna. It was by looking at Him that those who died at this place realized their original form.
ललित गति विलास वल्गुहास प्रणय निरीक्षण कल्पितोरुमानाः ।
कृतमनुकृतवत्य उन्मदान्धाः प्रकृतिमगन् किल यस्य गोपवध्वः ॥९॥
कृतमनुकृतवत्य उन्मदान्धाः प्रकृतिमगन् किल यस्य गोपवध्वः ॥९॥
Watching the attractive movements of His supremely spirited, fascinating acts and sweet smiles, the gopîs of Vrajadhâma [the village of Krishna's youth] imitating Him in ecstasy, found their original nature.
मुनिगणनृपवर्यसंकुलेऽन्तः सदसि युधिष्ठिरराजसूय एषाम् ।
अर्हणमुपपेद ईक्षणीयो मम दृशि गोचर एष आविरात्मा ॥१०॥
अर्हणमुपपेद ईक्षणीयो मम दृशि गोचर एष आविरात्मा ॥१०॥
When King Yudhishthhira performed the [Râjasûya] royal sacrifice where the great sages and kings were assembled, He received the respectful worship of all the members of the elite. I present there recognized Him at the time [and still remember Him now] als the spirit soul, as the object of worship.
तमिममहमजं शरीरभाजां हृदिहृदि धिष्टितमात्मकल्पितानाम् ।
प्रतिदृशमिव नैकधाऽर्कमेकं समधिगतोऽस्मि विधूतभेदमोहः ॥११॥
Having experienced the absorption of being freed from the misconceptions of duality, I know [ever since] that He, now present before me, is the One Unborn in the heart of the conditioned soul. It is He who in His being situated as the Supersoul in the heart of all who are created by Him, just like the one sun, is looked upon different from every angle.
Note: These verses are from Srimadbhagavatam, First Canto, and Ninth chapter verses 32 -42
