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Prayer by Bheeshm

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Prayer by Bheeshm

Before dying Bheeshm prays Krishn. In this prayer some words are used for Hari. Their meanings are given here. They can be used to understand other concepts elsewhere too.

(1) Attributes - All created things have attributes, only Brahm is without attributes - means that there is no attribute for Him with which we are familiar with and we can assign it to Him.
(2) Vaak are Mantra;
(3) Anuvaak are the portions of Ved called Braahman;
(4) Nishad are those portions of the Vaidik ritual that lead to an acquaintance with God;
(5) The Upanishad are those portions which treat exclusively of the knowledge of soul
(6) Quadruple soul - Brahm, Jeev, mind and consciousness. The four names under which the Supreme Being is adored by faithful are Vaasudev, Sankarshan, Pradyumn, and Aniruddh;
(7) Arani - In ancient India, Rishi used to get their fire by rubbing two sticks together, they were called Arani;
(8) Libations - There are five kinds of libations - Dhan, Karambh, Parivap, water;
(9) Woofs - There are seven woofs - means seven Chhand - predominating in the Vedic hymns, such as Gaayatree etc
(10) Prajaapati are the creators of the Universe;
(11) Sandhi - In Hindi and Sanskrit language, there are some words which when joined together are written and pronounced differently, such as Kath and Upanishad are two words, but when they are joined they become "Kathopanishad" or
(12) The manifest is the body. Rishi seek the unmanifest Self in their body, in their hearts;
(13) Kshetra is Buddhi or intelligence; Supreme Being is called Kshetragya because He knows every mind. (Kshetra and Kshetragya are mentioned in Geetaa also) Intelligence or mind is one of His forms;
(14) There are three states of mind - wakeful, dream and sound sleep;
(15) The sixteen attributes are eleven Senses (Indriyaan), five elements in their subtle form (Mahaabhoot - Prithvi, Vaayu, Agni, Aakaash, and Jal). Added to these is Infinity. According to Saankhya doctrine is thus the embodiment of the number seventeen. Possessing the sixteen attributes, you represent the number seventeen;
(16) There are four kinds of food - which are chewed, which are sucked, which are licked and which are drunk;
(17) Sansaar is the world or worldly life characterized by diverse attachments. It may also mean repeated deaths and births to the subject.

Bheeshm Stavaraaj
The prayer that Bheeshm offered to Lord Krishn just before his death is famous as Bheeshm Stavaraaj. It is a very nice poem equivalent to a great Kaavya and it starts with the words, "May the great Krishn be pleased with the prayer that I offer to him with the intention of worshiping him". Bheeshm continues with the exposition of the vastness of that great Lord and concludes that it is impossible to understand Him completely. Describing His vastness he says, "Harimsahasra charanekshanam, sahastra-baahu mukutam sahasra-vadanojjwalam".

Means - I surrender to that great Lord who has Innumerable heads, innumerable legs, eyes, shoulders, shining faces etc., and who wears innumerable crowns. I prostrate to Him who is the shining beacon of light outside the darkness of A-Gyaan and by knowing whom we can get Mukti which removes us from the eternal bondage to the cycle of births and deaths.

Bheeshm continues with the prayer to the ten incarnations that Vishnu took on a clear understanding that Krishn is that Vishnu himself.

"shooline tridasheshaaya tryambakaaya mahaatmane, bhasm digdhaang lingaaya tasmai rudraatmanenamaha."
With this, he clearly indicates that God is one although His names may be different. The one who is Shool-paani, Eesh of all deities, the three eyed, the one with his body smeared with ash, the one in the form of a Ling, - such a Rudraatmak is Shree Krishn himself and I prostrate to Him). Continuing, he says, "chandraardh krit sheershaaya vyaalayajnopaveetin E, pinaak shool-hastaaya tasmaaugraatmane namah."
- thus prays to Krishn in the form of Rudra.

Thus, Ved Vyaas Jee in the Mahaabhaarat which is generally considered as Krishn Charit has indicated clearly that there can be no difference between Hari and Har. It should be noted that Shiv Sahastra Naam is also an important part of Mahaabhaarat.

Translation of Bheshm Stavan
‘O Krishna, O foremost of Beings, be thou pleased with these words which I utter, in brief and in detail, from desire of hymning thy praises.
Thou art pure and purity’s self.
Thou transcendest all.
Thou art what people say to be THAT.
Thou art the Supreme Lord. With my whole heart I seek thy refuge, O universal Soul and Lord of all creatures.

Thou art without beginning and without end.
Thou art the highest of the high and Brahman.
Neither the gods nor the Rishis know thee.
The divine Creator, called Narayana or Hari, alone knows thee.
Through Narayana, the Rishis, the Siddhas, the great Nagas, the gods, and the celestial Rishis know a little of thee.
Thou art the highest of the high and knowest no deterioration.
The gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, the Pannagas, do not know who thou art and whence art thou.
All the worlds and all created things live in thee, and enter thee (when the dissolution comes).
Like gems strung together in a thread, all things that have attributes reside in thee, the Supreme Lord.’

Having the universe for thy work and the universe for thy limbs, this universe consisting of mind and matter resides in thy eternal and all-pervading soul like a number of flowers strung together in a strong thread.
Thou art called Hari, of a thousand heads, a thousand feet, a thousand eyes, a thousand arms, a thousand crowns, and a thousand faces of great splendor.
Thou art called Naaraayan, divinity, and the refuge of the universe.
Thou art the subtlest of the subtle, grossest of the gross, the heaviest of the heavy and the highest of the high. In the Vaak(s), the Anuvaak(s), the Nishad(s), and Upanishad(s), thou art regarded as the Supreme Being of irresistible force.
In the Samans also, whose declarations are always true, thou art regarded as Truth’s self.

Thou art of quadruple self.
Thou art displayed in only the understanding (of all creatures).
Thou art the Lord of those that are bound to thee in faith.
O God, thou art adored (by the faithful) under four excellent, high, and secret names.

Penances are ever present in thee. Performed (by other creatures for gratifying thee), penances live in thy form.
Thou art the Universal Self.
Thou art of universal knowledge.
Thou art the universe.
Thou art omniscient.
Thou art the creator of everything in the universe.

Like a couple of sticks generating a blazing fire, thou hast been born of the divine Devakee and Vasudev for the protection of Brahm on Earth.

For this eternal salvation, the devout worshipper, with mind withdrawn from everything else and casting off all desires, beholds thee, O Govind, that art the pure Self, in his own self.
Thou transcendest Soorya in glory. Thou art beyond the ken of the senses and the understanding.
O Lord of all creatures, I place myself in thy hands.
In the Puraana(s) thou hast been spoken as Purush.
On occasions of the commencement of the Yug, thou art said to be Brahm, while on occasions of universal dissolution thou art spoken of as Sankarshan.
Adorable thou art, and therefore I adore thee.
Though one, thou hast yet been born in innumerable forms.
Thou hast thy passions under complete control.
Thy devout worshippers, faithfully performing the rites laid down in the scriptures, sacrifice to thee, O giver of every wish!
Thou art called the sheath within which the universe lies.
All created things live in thee. Like swans and ducks swimming on the water, all the worlds that we see float in thee.
Thou art Truth.
Thou art One and un-deteriorating.
Thou art Brahm, Thou art That which is beyond Mind and Matter.
Thou art without beginning, middle, and end.
Neither the gods nor the Rishi(s) know thee.
The gods, the Asur, the Gandharv, the Siddh, the Rishi, and the great Urag with concentrated souls, always adore thee.
Thou art the great panacea for all sorrow.
Thou art without birth and death.
Thou art Divine.
Thou art self-created.
Thou art eternal.
Thou art invisible and beyond ken.
Thou art called Hari and Narayana, O puissant one.
The Vedas declare thee to be the Creator of the universe and the Lord of everything existing in the universe.
Thou art the Supreme protector of the universe.
Thou knowest no deterioration and thou art that which is called the highest.
Thou art of the complexion of gold.
Thou art the slayer of Asur.
Though One, Aditi brought thee forth in twelve forms.

Salutations to thee that art the self of the Sun.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Soma that is spoken of as the chief of all the regenerate ones and that gratifies with nectar the gods in the lighted fortnight and the Pitris in the dark fortnight.
Thou art the One Being of transcendent effulgence dwelling on the other side of thick darkness.
Knowing thee one ceases to have any fear of death.
Salutations to thee in that form which is an object of knowledge.

In the grand Uktha sacrifice , the Braahman adore thee as the great Rich.
In the great fire-sacrifice, they sing thee as the chief Adhwaaaryu (priest).
Thou art the self of the Ved. Salutations to thee.
The Richaa(s), the Yaju(s), and the Saaman(s) are thy abode.
Thou art the five kinds of sanctified libations (used in sacrifices).
Thou art the seven woofs (?) used in the Ved. Salutations to thee in thy form of Sacrifice.

Libations are poured on the Hom fire in accompaniment with the seventeen monosyllabic sounds.
Thou art the soul of the Hom.
Salutations to thee.
Thou art that Purusha whom the Vedas sing.
Thy name is Yaju(s).
The Vedic meters are thy limbs.
The sacrifices laid down in the three Vedas are thy three heads.
The great sacrifice called Rathaantar is thy voice expressive of gratification.
Salutation to thee in thy form of sacred hymns!
Thou art the Rishi that hadst appeared in the great sacrifice extending for a thousand years performed by the creators of the universe.
Thou art the great swan with wings of gold.
Salutations to thee in thy form of a swan.
Roots with all kinds of affixes and suffixes are thy limbs.
The Sandhis are thy joints.
The consonants and the vowels are thy ornaments.
The Vedas have declared thee to be the divine word.
Salutations to thee in thy form as the word!

Assuming the form of a boar whose limbs were constituted by sacrifice, thou hadst raised the submerged earth for the benefit of the three worlds.
Salutations to thee in thy form of infinite prowess!
Thou sleepest in Yoga on thy snake-decked sofa constituted by the thousand hoods (of the Naga).
Salutations to thee in thy form of sleep!
Thou buildest the bridge for the good (to cross the sea of life) with Truth, with those means by which emancipation may be obtained, and with the means by which the senses may be controlled.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Truth!
Men practicing diverse creeds, actuated by desire of diverse fruits worship thee with diverse rites.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Creed!
From thee have all things sprung.
It is thou that excitest all creatures having physical frames containing the principle of desire.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Excitement.
The great Rishis seek thy unmanifest self within the manifest.
Called Kshetragya, thou sittest in Kshetra.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Kshetra.

Thou always conscious and present in self, the Saankhya still describe thee as existing in the three states of wakefulness, dream, and sound sleep.
They further speak of thee as possessed of sixteen attributes and representing the number seventeen.
Salutations to thy form as conceived by the Saankhyas!

Casting off sleep, restraining breath, withdrawn into their own selves, Yogee of restrained senses behold thee as eternal light.
Salutations to thee in thy Yog form! Peaceful Sanyaasee, freed from fear of rebirth in consequence of the destruction of all their sins and merits, obtain thee. Salutations to thee in thy form of emancipation!

At the end of a thousand Yug, thou assumest the form of a fire with blazing flames and consumest all creatures.
Salutations to thee in thy form of fierceness!
Having consumed all creatures and making the universe one vast expanse of water, thou sleepest on the waters in the form of a child.
Salutations to thee in thy form as Maya (illusion)!
From the navel of the Self-born of eyes like lotus leaves, sprang a lotus.
On that lotus is established this universe.
Salutations to thee in thy form as lotus!
Thou hast a thousand heads.
Thou pervadest everything.
Thou art of immeasurable soul.
Thou hast subjugated the four kinds of desire that are as vast as the four oceans.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Yoga-sleep!
The clouds are in the hair of thy head.
The rivers are in the several joints of thy limbs.
The four oceans are in thy stomach.
Salutations to thee in thy form as water!
Birth and the change represented by death spring from thee.
All things, again, at the universal dissolution dissolve away in thee.
Salutations to thy form as cause!
Thou sleepest not in the night.
Thou art occupied in day time also.
Thou observest the good and the bad actions (of all).
Salutations to thee in thy form of (universal) observer!
There is no act which thou canst not do.
Thou art, again, ever ready to accomplish acts that are righteous.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Work, the form, viz., which is called Vaikunth.
In wrath thou hadst, in battle, exterminated thrice seven times the
Kshatriyas who had trampled virtue and authority under their feet.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Cruelty!
Dividing thyself into five portions thou hast become the five vital
breaths that act within everybody and cause every living creature to move.
Salutations to thee in thy form of air!
Thou appearest in every Yuga in the form called month and season and half-year and year, and art the cause of both creation and dissolution.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Time!
Brahmanas are thy mouth, Kshatriyas are thy two arms, Vaisyas are thy stomach and thighs, and Sudras live in thy feet.
Salutations to thee in thy form of caste!
Fire constitute thy mouth.
The heavens are the crown of thy head.
The sky is thy navel.
The earth is thy feet.
The Sun is thy eye.
The points of the compass are thy ears.
Salutations to thee in thy form as the worlds!
Thou art superior to Time.
Thou art superior to Sacrifice.
Thou art higher than the highest.
Thyself without origin, thou art the origin of the universe.
Salutations to thee in thy form as Universe!
Men of the world, according to the attributes ascribed to thee by the
Vaiseshika theory, regard thee as the Protector of the world.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Protector!
Assuming the forms of food, drink, and fuel, thou increasest the humours and the life-breaths of creatures and upholdest their existence.
Salutations to thee in thy form of life!
For supporting the life-breaths thou eatest the four kinds of food.

Assuming also the form of Agni within the stomach, Thou digestest that food.
Salutations to thee in the form of digesting heat!
Assuming the form of half-man and half-lion, with tawny eyes and tawny
manes, with teeth and claws for thy weapons, thou hadst taken the life of the chief of the Asur.
Salutations to thee in thy form of swelling might!
Neither the gods, nor the Gandharvas, nor the Daityas, nor the Danavas, know thee truly.
Salutations to thy form of exceeding subtility!
Assuming the form of the handsome, illustrious, and puissant Ananta in the nether region, thou upholdest the world.
Salutations to thy form of Might!
Thou stupefiest all creatures by the bonds of affection and love for the continuance of the creation.
Salutations to thee in thy form of stupefaction.
Regarding that knowledge which is conversant with the five elements to be the true Self-knowledge (for which Yogee strive), people approach thee by knowledge! Salutations to thee in thy form of Knowledge!
Thy body is immeasurable.
Thy understanding and eyes are devoted to everything.
Thou art infinite, being beyond all measures.
Salutations to thee in thy form of vastness!
Thou hadest assumed the form of a recluse with matted locks on head, staff in hand, a long stomach, and having thy begging bowl for thy quiver. Salutations to thee in thy form of Brahm.

Thou bearest the trident, thou art the lord of the celestials, thou hast three eyes, and thou art high-souled.
Thy body is always besmeared with ashes, oh Ling, Salutations to thee as the self of Rudra.
The half-moon forms the ornament of thy forehead.
Thou hast snakes for the holy thread circling thy neck.
Thou art armed with Pinaak and trident.
Salutations to thy form of Fierceness!
Thou art the soul of all creatures.
Thou art the Creator and the Destroyer of all creatures.
Thou art without wrath, without enmity, without affection.
Salutations to thee in thy form of Peace!
Everything is in thee.
Everything is from thee.
Thyself art Everything.
Everywhere art thou.
Thou art always the All.
Salutations to thee in thy form as Everything!
Salutations to thee whose work is the universe, to thee that art the soul of the universe, to thee from whom hath sprung the universe, to thee that art the dissolution of all things, to thee that are beyond the five (elements that constitute all things)!
Salutations to thee that art the three worlds, to thee that art above the three worlds!
Salutations to thee that art all the directions!
Thou art all and thou art the one receptacle of All.
Salutations to thee, O divine Lord, O Vishnu, and O eternal origin of all the worlds!
Thou, O Hrishikesh, art the Creator, thou art the Destroyer, and thou art invincible.
I cannot behold that heavenly form in which thou art displayed in the Past, Present, and the Future.
I can, however, behold truly thy eternal form (as manifest in thy works).
Thou hast filled heaven with thy head, and the earth with thy feet: with thy prowess thou hast filled the three worlds.
Thou art Eternal and thou pervadest everything in the universe.
The directions are thy arms, the Sun is thy eye, and prowess is thy vital fluid.
Thou art the lord of all creatures.
Thou standest, shutting up the seven paths of the Wind whose energy is immeasurable.
They are freed from all feats that worship thee, O Govind of unfading prowess, thee that art attired in yellow robes of the color of the Atasee flower.

Even one bending of the head unto thee, O Krishn, is equal to the completion of ten Horse-sacrifices.
The man that has performed ten Horse-sacrifices is not freed from the obligation of rebirth.
The man, however, that bows to Krishna escapes rebirth.
They that have Krishna for their vow, they that think of Krishna in the night, and upon rising from sleep, may be said to have Krishna for their body.
Those people (after death) enter Krishna’s self even as libations of clarified butter sanctified with mantras enter the blazing fire.
Salutations to thee that dispellest the fear of hell, to thee, O Vishnu, that art a boat unto them that are plunged amid the eddies of the ocean represented by worldly life!
Salutations to thee, O God, that art the Braahman’s self, to thee that art the benefactor of Braahman and kine, to thee that art the benefactor of the universe, to thee that art Krishn and Govind.
The two syllables Hari constitute the pecuniary stock of those that sojourn through the wilderness of life and the medicine that effectually cures all worldly, predilections, besides being the means that alleviate sorrow and grief.

As truth is full of Vishnu, as the universe is full of Vishnu, as everything is full of Vishnu, so let my self be full of Vishnu and my sins be destroyed.
I seek thy protection and am devoted to thee, desirous of obtaining a happy end O thou of eyes like lotus petals, O best of gods, do thou
think of what will be for my good.
Thyself without origin, O Vishnu, thou art the origin of Knowledge and Penances.
Thus art thou praised. O Janaardan, thus worshipped by me in the Sacrifice constituted by speech (alone), be, O god, gratified with me!
The Ved are devoted to Naaraayan.
Penances are devoted to Naaraayan.
The gods are devoted to Naaraayan.
Everything is always Naaraayan.’”

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta On 5/27/04
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 03/09/14