Anushasana Parva

Even after that vast, profound discourse of the Shanti Parva, Bhishma the grandsire still lay alive upon his bed of arrows, and while awaiting that final, awaited hour of the sun's turn toward its northern course, he was gladly ready to extend his knowledge further for Yudhishthira.

Yudhishthira, wishing to take full advantage of this immense, unparalleled treasury of knowledge of his grandsire's, presented himself before him once again, and requested of him still deeper, more detailed knowledge on the dharma of charity, the duties of caste and stage of life, and the dharma of women.

Bhishma, even amid his unbearable physical pain, with exceeding enthusiasm and affection, accepted this request of Yudhishthira's, and agreed to begin this new, extensive session of discourse.

Krishna and many other sages were present on this occasion as well, knowing that every word of this immense knowledge of Bhishma's was to prove a priceless, eternal treasure for the generations to come.

Thus this next, important stage of this exceedingly extraordinary session of discourse began, in which Bhishma, even in these final days of his life, was to reveal many of the profoundest, subtlest aspects of dharma.

Bhishma the grandsire, in this detailed discourse on the dharma of charity, gave Yudhishthira exceedingly profound teaching on the specific importance and proper method of various kinds of charity — the gift of cows, the gift of land, the gift of grain, and the gift of gold.

He especially stressed the extraordinary importance of the gift of cows, making clear that the cow is not merely an animal, but an exceedingly sacred, divine symbol of the nourishment and welfare of the entire creation, and that gifting one is considered exceedingly virtue-bestowing.

Bhishma also made clear that charity should always be given to the proper recipient, at the proper time, and with complete devotion and a selfless spirit, otherwise it loses its true, virtuous fruit.

Through many poignant stories, he also made clear that sometimes even a small but devout charity given by an exceedingly poor person proves far superior and more virtue-bestowing than the vast, arrogant charity of some wealthy person.

Yudhishthira, listening to this detailed discourse, fully absorbed this profound, spiritual importance of charity, and resolved that throughout his reign he would observe this dharma of charity fully and faithfully.

Bhishma the grandsire, after this, explained in detail that fundamental principle of the varna-ashrama system, making clear that this system had been established precisely for the orderly division and harmonious operation of the various duties within society.

He gave detailed discourse on the specific duties and social responsibilities of the four varnas — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra — making clear that each varna, by remaining faithful to its own duty, can contribute to the welfare of the entire society.

Bhishma also made clear that this system of varna should, in truth, be determined not by birth but by a person's quality, deeds, and nature, and that a person's true worth should be judged only by the purity and faithfulness of their deeds.

He also gave detailed discourse on the ashrama system — celibate studenthood, householder life, forest-dwelling, and renunciation — making clear that each stage of life has its own specific purpose and duty, which it is exceedingly necessary to observe.

Yudhishthira, listening to this profound discourse, began to understand how necessary it is, for the establishment of a well-ordered, beneficent society, for each person to faithfully observe their duties in accordance with their varna and ashrama.

Bhishma the grandsire, going further, also gave detailed discourse on that exceedingly important subject of the dharma of women, making clear that the role of women in the stability and prosperity of family and society is exceedingly important and indispensable.

He made clear that a wife, holding faithfulness, love, and respect toward her husband, is a principal cornerstone of the prosperity and peace of a family, and that giving her proper respect is the unavoidable duty of every man.

Bhishma also stressed that in the home where women are not respected, and where they are tormented or insulted, happiness, prosperity, or divine grace can never remain permanently.

He also gave special description of that extraordinary, incomparable glory of the mother, making clear that a mother's place is considered far above even that of a guru or the gods, and that serving and honoring her is a person's supreme duty.

Yudhishthira, remembering his own duties toward his mother Kunti and toward Draupadi, began absorbing this discourse with exceeding depth, resolving that in his kingdom he would give the highest priority to the honor and protection of women.

Bhishma the grandsire, after this, also gave detailed discourse on that unavoidable duty of a person toward their ancestors — shraddha and the offering of tarpan to the departed — making clear that repaying the debt owed to one's ancestors is a sacred duty of every person.

He also explained in detail the proper method of the shraddha rite, its proper time, and the importance of the grain and charity given within it, making clear that this rite is not merely a ritual, but a symbol of profound reverence and gratitude toward one's ancestors.

Bhishma also made clear that a person who does not properly repay this debt to their ancestors may face many kinds of obstacles and unrest in their life, and that even their future generations may be affected by this.

Through some poignant stories, he also made clear that the true satisfaction of ancestors is attained not merely through material offerings, but through the true devotion, affection, and remembrance of their descendants.

Yudhishthira, listening to this discourse, began to understand deeply his own duty toward his ancestors and toward his elders who had died in the war, and resolved to observe this rite with complete faithfulness.

In an exceedingly important, divine moment of this vast series of discourses, Yudhishthira asked Bhishma the grandsire what single supreme name or hymn there was, by whose constant remembrance alone a person could be freed from all sins and sorrows.

Bhishma the grandsire, in answer to this exceedingly profound, important question, meditating upon Lord Vishnu himself, began reciting in detail, in an exceedingly devoted, profound voice, those thousand divine names of his — the Vishnu Sahasranama.

This Vishnu Sahasranama presents an exceedingly beautiful, profound description of the Lord's infinite, divine qualities, his powers of creation, preservation, and destruction, and his all-pervading, all-powerful nature, and it is still read with exceeding devotion throughout the entire world today.

Yudhishthira and all the sages present, listening to this exceedingly sacred, divine hymn with exceeding devotion and reverence, began experiencing a profound spiritual peace and joy, which was exceedingly difficult even to describe in words.

This Vishnu Sahasranama, in time, became an exceedingly important, immortal pillar of devotion and spiritual practice throughout all of India, which even today millions of devotees read daily with exceeding devotion.

Bhishma the grandsire, after this divine discourse on the Vishnu Sahasranama, also gave Yudhishthira profound discourse on those two exceedingly important qualities of forgiveness and truth, making clear that both these qualities are the mark of a truly righteous person.

He made clear that forgiveness is not merely a symbol of weakness, but is, in truth, a quality only of the most powerful, courageous persons, since giving up anger and revenge is the supreme test of self-control.

Bhishma also placed exceeding stress on the importance of truth, making clear that truth alone is the fundamental basis of all dharmas, and that a person who always walks the path of truth is ultimately victorious everywhere, however much suffering they may have to bear for it.

He also made clear that sometimes, in exceedingly difficult circumstances, a sweet, compassionate silence protecting someone's feelings may be more important than a harsh truth, but that this exception should never become the rule.

Yudhishthira, who was himself renowned throughout all of India for his own faithfulness to truth and dharma, upon hearing this discourse, began understanding the importance of these very qualities of his own with even greater depth.

After the completion of this vast, prolonged session of discourse, Bhishma the grandsire, now in an exceedingly calm, satisfied state of mind, began awaiting that final, awaited hour of the sun's turn toward its northern course, which he had, years before, received from his father as a special boon of choosing the time of his own death.

Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas, during this time, kept coming regularly to Bhishma, kept serving him, and stood by him with their complete devotion and affection during this final, painful time of his.

Bhishma, even amid his unbearable physical pain, with exceeding patience and spiritual peace, kept awaiting that proper, divine hour of giving up his life, knowing that this was itself the result of his long-sustained penance and self-restraint.

Throughout the entire Kuru empire, this extraordinary patience, knowledge, and self-control of Bhishma the grandsire's began to be discussed with exceeding reverence and wonder, and he began to be seen as a living ideal.

At last, after a long wait, that auspicious, divine hour drew near, when the sun-god gave up his southward course and began his journey toward the north, and that final, historic moment of Bhishma the grandsire's giving up his life had now drawn near.

In this auspicious hour of the sun's turn toward its northern course, Yudhishthira, the rest of the Pandavas, Krishna, and many sages and other members of the Kuru dynasty gathered before Bhishma the grandsire, to take his final darshan and to bear witness to this historic giving up of his life.

Bhishma the grandsire, in his final moments, gave his last, affectionate blessing to all those present, and again reminded Yudhishthira to remain always steadfast upon the path of dharma, truth, and compassion.

Bhishma, employing that extraordinary yogic power of his, in an exceedingly calm, satisfied state of mind, began slowly releasing his life from his body — this was an exceedingly divine, otherworldly sight, seeing which all those present were filled with profound reverence and wonder.

Thus Bhishma the grandsire, after his long-sustained, painful wait, finally departed this world, exceedingly peacefully, by his own will, and this end of his is forever remembered as one of the most dignified, unparalleled events of the entire Mahabharata.

The entire Kuru empire sank into deep grief at this end of this extraordinary, knowledgeable warrior, though everyone also felt profound satisfaction that Bhishma, even in these final moments of his life, had granted the entire world a priceless, eternal knowledge.

After this exceedingly dignified, historic giving up of Bhishma the grandsire's life, Yudhishthira and the rest of the Pandavas performed the final rites for his body with complete royal honor and in the proper, prescribed manner.

Yudhishthira, resolving to always cherish in his heart this immense, priceless knowledge received from his grandsire — statecraft, conduct in adversity, the path to liberation, the dharma of charity, the duties of caste and stage of life, the dharma of women, and the Vishnu Sahasranama — returned to Hastinapur.

Krishna, having borne witness to this entire course of events, now began preparing to set out to complete his journey toward Dwarka, though he assured Yudhishthira that he would always be present to help him whenever needed.

The entire Kuru empire, with this end of Bhishma the grandsire's, had now lost the last, greatest pillar of that generation of the Mahabharata, who had directly shaped the history of the Kuru dynasty from his own birth to his own end.

Thus the Anushasana Parva reaches its conclusion with that extensive discourse on the dharma of charity, the duties of caste and stage of life, the dharma of women, and the Vishnu Sahasranama, and finally with the exceedingly dignified giving up of Bhishma the grandsire's life. In the next parva, the Ashvamedhika Parva, the story of Yudhishthira's horse sacrifice will be told.