Shanti Parva

After the conclusion of this terrible great war and this immense loss of all his elders, kinsmen, and friends, Yudhishthira, even amid this extraordinary victory, broke down completely under deep grief and self-reproach, and he refused outright to accept the royal throne.

Yudhishthira carried within him this deep question, of at what price this kingdom, gained after the loss of so many countless innocent lives and this terrible slaughter of his own elders and kinsmen, had truly been won, and whether it was, in truth, even worth it.

Before his brothers and Krishna, he expressed his deep wish to go to the forest to perform penance and to renounce the kingdom entirely, saying that he no longer considered himself worthy of sitting upon this blood-stained throne.

Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva, though understanding this deep grief and renunciation of their eldest brother's, began, with exceeding humility, reminding him that a king's first duty is toward his subjects, and that renouncing the kingdom would prove to be nothing but a flight from this duty.

Krishna too, understanding this deep grief of Yudhishthira's with exceeding compassion, began counseling him that he should now certainly obtain, from Maharishi Vyasa and from Bhishma the grandsire himself, a proper resolution to these deepest questions of dharma.

Maharishi Vyasa, seeing this unbearable grief and self-reproach of his beloved grandson Yudhishthira's, himself presented himself before him, and, giving him exceedingly profound, philosophical counsel, tried once again to make him understand that duty of a Kshatriya and the unavoidability of this war.

Vyasa reminded Yudhishthira that this war had become unavoidable not because of any personal greed of his own, but because of Duryodhana's countless unrighteous acts and the necessity of protecting dharma, and that the victory gained in it was the victory of dharma itself.

He also explained to Yudhishthira that renouncing the king's throne would, in truth, prove to be a great unrighteousness toward his subjects, since the entire empire now awaited only his own righteous leadership.

Along with this, Vyasa also gave Yudhishthira this profound counsel, that he should certainly go to Bhishma the grandsire, who still lay alive upon his bed of arrows, and obtain from him that vast, profound knowledge of statecraft, of conduct in adversity, and of the path to liberation, which no one other than him could now give.

Yudhishthira, somewhat calmed by this profound counsel and guidance of Maharishi Vyasa's, finally resolved to go, along with Krishna and his brothers, to Bhishma the grandsire, to that bed of arrows.

Yudhishthira, along with his brothers, Krishna, and many sages, arrived at that battlefield of Kurukshetra, where Bhishma the grandsire, by the power of his extraordinary ability to choose the time of his own death, still lay alive upon his bed of arrows, awaiting the sun's turn toward its northern course.

Bhishma the grandsire, even in this exceedingly painful, unbearable state of his, seeing Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas before him, experiencing exceeding affection and joy, gave them an affectionate invitation to come near him.

Yudhishthira, seeing this exceedingly poignant, painful state of his grandsire's, was filled with deep grief and anguish, and with exceeding humility requested of Bhishma that he now certainly grant him the benefit of his vast, immense knowledge.

Bhishma the grandsire, in Krishna's presence, and by this special sign and permission of the Lord himself, agreed with exceeding joy to give Yudhishthira that vast, unparalleled discourse on statecraft, on conduct in adversity, and on the path to liberation.

Thus the backdrop was set for this exceedingly extraordinary, historic occasion, in which a dying warrior, yet full of knowledge, was, in his final days, to reveal the deepest secrets of dharma for the welfare of the entire world.

Bhishma the grandsire, beginning this profound discourse, first began explaining to Yudhishthira in detail the duties of an ideal king and the conduct expected of him, making clear that statecraft is itself the foundation of all other dharmas.

He explained to Yudhishthira that a true king should always give the welfare of his subjects far greater priority than his own personal joy and sorrow, and that he should govern his kingdom with justice, equality, and compassion.

Bhishma also shed detailed light on the importance of the policy of punishment, making clear that without a proper, just system of punishment, no society or kingdom can be run in an orderly manner for long, and that anarchy would be its unavoidable result.

He also gave Yudhishthira exceedingly practical, profound counsel on the proper selection and proper use of ministers, advisors, and spies, explaining that a king should never make decisions entirely alone.

Yudhishthira, listening to this profound, practical knowledge of his grandsire's with exceeding concentration and reverence, began trying to understand these complex, subtle nuances of statecraft, experiencing how difficult a task it is to become an ideal ruler.

Bhishma the grandsire, after this, began giving discourse on that exceedingly subtle, complex subject of conduct in adversity — that is, the dharma which, in exceedingly difficult, crisis-ridden circumstances, may be adopted even while differing from the ordinary rules.

He explained to Yudhishthira that dharma is not merely some set of rigid, unchangeable rules, but that it should be applied justly, according to circumstance, time, and purpose, with exceedingly subtle intelligence and discernment.

In this very context, Bhishma also told the famous story of a sage who, in a time of terrible famine, in exceeding helplessness, took ordinarily forbidden meat in order to protect his own life and that of his family, and made clear that in such an exceedingly difficult circumstance, this act was not considered unrighteous.

Bhishma also made clear that this principle of conduct in adversity should not become a simple excuse for justifying any improper act, but that it should be used only in exceedingly extraordinary, life-and-death circumstances, and with exceeding care.

Yudhishthira, through this profound, subtle discourse, began to understand that the true observance of dharma is not merely blind adherence to the words of scripture, but a continuous, profound discipline of making discerning decisions according to circumstance.

Bhishma the grandsire, going further, shed detailed light on the importance of the dharma of charity, explaining to Yudhishthira that charity given selflessly, to the proper recipient, at the proper time, is an exceedingly important, virtue-bestowing duty of a person's life.

He also made clear that the true importance of charity lies not merely in the quantity of the thing given, but in the purity of the heart hidden behind it, and in the selflessness of the purpose behind giving it.

Bhishma also gave detailed discourse on the importance of sacrificial rites and their proper method, explaining that a sacrifice is not merely a ritual, but a profound, spiritual means of establishing the welfare of the entire creation and a balanced relationship between man and nature.

Through some exceedingly poignant stories, he also made clear that sometimes even a small charity given by a poor person with exceeding devotion proves far more virtue-bestowing than the vast, ostentatious charity of some wealthy person.

Yudhishthira, absorbing all these teachings with exceeding depth, began to understand that the dharma of an ideal king and of an ideal human being lies not in the accumulation of power and wealth, but in its generous, selfless distribution.

After this vast, profound discourse on statecraft and conduct in adversity, Bhishma the grandsire now began giving discourse on that supreme, subtlest subject of the path to liberation, which was related to the ultimate goal of human life — liberation.

He explained to Yudhishthira about that eternal, indestructible nature of the soul, making clear that this body is perishable, but the soul, beyond this cycle of birth and death, always remains unchanged and eternal.

Bhishma also gave profound discourse about that supreme, all-pervading reality of Brahman, explaining that the entire creation is but an expansion of that one supreme truth, and that understanding this truth is itself the attainment of true knowledge.

He also explained in detail the various paths of yoga, meditation, and self-discipline, making clear that to attain liberation, a person must gain complete control over their mind and senses through long, sustained practice.

Yudhishthira, listening to this exceedingly profound, spiritual knowledge, began to experience that beyond worldly statecraft, there also exists such a profound truth, which can free a person from all the bonds of this world.

Bhishma the grandsire, during this vast discourse, to make his point simpler and more effective, also generously used many ancient, poignant stories and parables, each of which made clear some profound principle of dharma.

He told the story of a hunter and an ascetic Brahmin, in which that hunter, through his own dutiful, honest life, taught that arrogant Brahmin that true dharma is determined not by birth or caste, but by the purity of one's deeds.

Bhishma also made clear that true devotion and righteousness are not limited to any caste, class, or social position, but depend only on the purity of each person's heart and the truthfulness of their deeds.

Through all these stories, Bhishma presented a satisfying resolution, through exceedingly simple yet profound examples, to the many deep, complex questions arising in Yudhishthira's mind, by which Yudhishthira's mind gradually grew calm.

This session of discourse continued unbroken for many days, during which Yudhishthira and the other sages present continued to benefit from this immense, encyclopedic knowledge of Bhishma's, with exceeding concentration and reverence.

Yudhishthira, during this vast discourse, also kept presenting, with exceeding humility, before Bhishma the grandsire the many deep, personal questions and doubts arising in his mind, particularly regarding the propriety of the terrible slaughter that had occurred in this war.

Yudhishthira asked Bhishma whether bringing about the end of one's own elders and kinsmen, for the sake of gaining a kingdom and power, could be justified under any circumstance at all — this question had been gnawing at his heart for a long time.

Bhishma, with exceeding patience and compassion, explained to Yudhishthira that this war was not the result of his personal greed, but an unavoidable, inescapable duty for the protection of dharma and the end of unrighteousness, and that he had committed no improper sin in it.

With this answer, that deep self-reproach and sense of guilt pervading Yudhishthira's mind gradually began to lessen, though it never fully ended, and it remained a profound anguish that kept him conscious throughout his life.

This profound, personal guidance of Bhishma's ultimately helped Yudhishthira accept that he must now take up the responsibility of this vast empire with complete righteousness and dedication.

At the conclusion of this vast, prolonged session of discourse, Bhishma the grandsire, with exceeding affection and pride, gave Yudhishthira his final, heartfelt blessing to rule as a righteous, ideal king.

Bhishma also gave Yudhishthira this final, important counsel, that throughout his reign he should always keep dharma, justice, and compassion as his supreme guiding principles, and never lose himself in the arrogance of power.

Yudhishthira, deeply overwhelmed by this immense knowledge, affection, and blessing of his grandsire's, bowing to him with exceeding humility, returned to Hastinapur, and had the proper preparations for his coronation begun.

Throughout Hastinapur and the entire Kuru empire, on the occasion of Yudhishthira's coronation, after a long time, a new hope, enthusiasm, and peace spread, and the subjects gave a grand welcome to this new, righteous emperor of theirs.

Yudhishthira, on this occasion of his coronation, resolved firmly to always remember Bhishma's vast discourse and to observe it fully throughout his entire reign, knowing that this knowledge would prove a priceless treasure for him.

Bhishma the grandsire, having completed this vast, historic discourse, now began waiting, in an exceedingly calm and satisfied state of mind, for that final, awaited hour of the sun's turn toward its northern course.

Yudhishthira, with his coronation and this immense knowledge received from Bhishma, now became ready to accept, with complete dedication, this heavier responsibility of rebuilding this vast, war-scarred empire and of the welfare of his subjects.

Krishna, throughout this entire course of events, having played the role of guide and witness amid this self-reflection of Yudhishthira's and this discourse of Bhishma's, now set about preparing for his next journey toward Dwarka.

The entire Kuru empire, after this terrible war, gradually began moving toward peace, reconstruction, and a new beginning, though Bhishma's life still clung on, upon that bed of arrows, awaiting that final, awaited hour.

Thus the Shanti Parva reaches its conclusion with Yudhishthira's deep grief, Bhishma's vast discourse on statecraft, conduct in adversity, and the path to liberation, and finally Yudhishthira's righteous coronation. In the next parva, the Anushasana Parva, the story of Bhishma's further, profound discourse will be told.