Chapter 9 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 9.1
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira went to the scene of the massacre. There, Bhīṣmadeva was lying on a bed of arrows, about to pass away.
Essence. Afraid for having killed so many on the battlefield, Yudhiṣṭhira went to where Bhīṣma lay dying. The most painful place to visit is often where wisdom can be received. We must go to the bedside.
BG 9.2
At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyāsa and ṛṣis like Dhaumya [the learned priest of the Pāṇḍavas] and others.
Essence. All his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots; sages came too. Hard journeys are best made in company. Wisdom is gathered, not soloed.
BG 9.3
O sage amongst the brāhmaṇas, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus King Yudhiṣṭhira appeared very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his companions [the Guhyakas].
Essence. Kṛṣṇa Himself, seated with Arjuna, followed. When the king goes to receive last teachings, the Lord travels with him. The Lord is at every meaningful threshold.
BG 9.4
Seeing him [Bhīṣma] lying on the ground, like a demigod fallen from the sky, the Pāṇḍava King Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Lord Kṛṣṇa, bowed down before him.
Essence. Seeing Bhīṣma like a demigod fallen from the sky, the King and Lord Kṛṣṇa bowed before him. Even the greatest bow to the dying wise. Final teachings demand humility.
BG 9.5
Just to see the chief of the descendants of King Bharata [Bhīṣma], all the great souls in the universe, namely the ṛṣis amongst the demigods, brāhmaṇas and kings, all situated in the quality of goodness, were assembled there.
Essence. All great souls — sages, brāhmaṇas, kings, all in goodness — gathered just to see Bhīṣma. A true elder draws genuine company. Your deathbed reveals the quality of your life.
BG 9.6-7
All the sages like Parvata Muni, Nārada, Dhaumya, Vyāsa the incarnation of God, Bṛhadaśva, Bharadvāja and Paraśurāma and disciples, Vasiṣṭha, Indrapramada, Trita, Gṛtsamada, Asita, Kakṣīvān, Gautama, Atri, Kauśika and Sudarśana were present.
Essence. Sages of all lineages — Parvata, Nārada, Vyāsa, Bharadvāja, Paraśurāma, Vasiṣṭha, Atri — were present. Diverse traditions converge around true greatness. Wisdom calls wisdom.
BG 9.8
And many others like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other purified souls, Kaśyapa and Āṅgirasa and others, all accompanied by their respective disciples, arrived there.
Essence. Śukadeva and other purified souls arrived with their disciples. Even silent renunciants come when a great soul is leaving. Goodbyes draw the hidden out of seclusion.
BG 9.9
Bhīṣmadeva, who was the best amongst the eight Vasus, received and welcomed all the great and powerful ṛṣis who were assembled there, for he knew perfectly all the religious principles according to time and place.
Essence. Bhīṣma, best among the eight Vasus, received and welcomed all the great sages, knowing religious principles according to time and place. Even on his deathbed, he served as host. Hospitality is dharma to the last breath.
BG 9.10
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone’s heart, yet He manifests His transcendental form by His internal potency. This very Lord was sitting before Bhīṣmadeva, and since Bhīṣmadeva knew of His glories, he worshiped Him duly.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa, situated in all hearts, manifests by His internal potency. Bhīṣma, knowing His glories, worshiped Him duly. The realized do not need to see the Lord — they recognize Him in His chosen form.
BG 9.11
The sons of Mahārāja Pāṇḍu were sitting silently nearby, overtaken with affection for their dying grandfather. Seeing this, Bhīṣmadeva congratulated them with feeling. There were tears of ecstasy in his eyes, for he was overwhelmed by love and affection.
Essence. The Pāṇḍavas sat in silent grief; Bhīṣma congratulated them with feeling, tears of ecstasy in his eyes. Even the dying console the living. Love takes the initiative even at the end.
BG 9.12
Bhīṣmadeva said: Oh, what terrible sufferings and what terrible injustices you good souls suffer for being the sons of religion personified. You did not deserve to remain alive under those tribulations, yet you were protected by the brāhmaṇas, God and religion.
Essence. Bhīṣma: oh, what terrible sufferings you good souls endured for being sons of dharma. You didn't deserve to remain alive — yet brāhmaṇas and Kṛṣṇa protected you. Righteousness is no shield from suffering, yet sustains.
BG 9.13
As far as my daughter-in-law Kuntī is concerned, upon the great General Pāṇḍu’s death, she became a widow with many children, and therefore she suffered greatly. And when you were grown up she suffered a great deal also because of your actions.
Essence. Kuntī, widowed with children, suffered greatly through your activities too. The widows and elders bear quiet burdens behind the heroes' stories. Their suffering deserves naming.
BG 9.14
In my opinion, this is all due to inevitable time, under whose control everyone in every planet is carried, just as the clouds are carried by the wind.
Essence. All this is due to inevitable time, under whose control everyone is carried like clouds by wind. Time is the great mover; we are not as much in charge as we think.
BG 9.15
Oh, how wonderful is the influence of inevitable time! It is irreversible — otherwise, how can there be reverses in the presence of King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; Bhīma, the great fighter with a club; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty weapon Gāṇḍīva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the Pāṇḍavas?
Essence. How wonderful the influence of inevitable time! Even with Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa Himself present, reverses happen. Powerful people in your corner don't exempt you from time's turns.
BG 9.16
O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.
Essence. No one can know the plan of the Lord; even great philosophers inquiring exhaustively are bewildered. Humility before the Lord's plan is itself a sign of wisdom, not its failure.
BG 9.17
O best among the descendants of Bharata [Yudhiṣṭhira], I maintain, therefore, that all this is within the plan of the Lord. Accepting the inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it. You are now the appointed administrative head, and, my lord, you should now take care of those subjects who are now rendered helpless.
Essence. All this is within His plan; accept it and follow. You are the appointed administrative head and must protect the helpless. Acceptance of His plan is the beginning of right action, not an excuse for inaction.
BG 9.18
This Śrī Kṛṣṇa is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality of Godhead. He is the first Nārāyaṇa, the supreme enjoyer. But He is moving amongst the descendants of King Vṛṣṇi just like one of us, and He is bewildering us with His self-created energy.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa is the inconceivable original Personality of Godhead, moving among us bewilderingly as one of us. Familiarity with Him in human form is no obstacle to His being God. We can be intimate without losing reverence.
BG 9.19
O King, Lord Śiva, Nārada the sage amongst the demigods, and Kapila, the incarnation of Godhead, all know very confidentially about His glories through direct contact.
Essence. Lord Śiva, Nārada, and Kapila know His glories through direct contact. Some souls know the Lord by direct experience, not just inference. Devotion eventually becomes contact.
BG 9.20
O King, that personality whom, out of ignorance only, you thought to be your maternal cousin, your very dear friend, well-wisher, counselor, messenger, benefactor, etc., is that very Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. The 'cousin and friend' you took Him for out of ignorance is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord wears the costume of relationship to be near us. Familiarity is His mercy, not our discovery.
BG 9.21
Being the Absolute Personality of Godhead, He is present in everyone’s heart. He is equally kind to everyone, and He is free from the false ego of differentiation. Therefore whatever He does is free from material inebriety. He is equibalanced.
Essence. Being the Absolute, He is in everyone's heart, equally kind, free from differentiating ego. Whatever He does is free of material reaction. He is equibalanced. The Lord plays no favorites.
BG 9.22
Yet, despite His being equally kind to everyone, He has graciously come before me while I am ending my life, for I am His unflinching servitor.
Essence. Despite being equally kind to all, He has graciously come before me at my end, for I am His unflinching servitor. Steady devotion attracts His personal presence at the most needed moments.
BG 9.23
The Personality of Godhead, who appears in the mind of the devotee by attentive devotion and meditation and by chanting of the holy name, releases the devotee from the bondage of fruitive activities at the time of his quitting the material body.
Essence. By attentive devotion, meditation, and chanting, the Lord appears in the devotee's mind and releases him from fruitive bondage at the time of death. Practice now is preparation for the final transition.
BG 9.24
May my Lord, who is four-handed and whose beautifully decorated lotus face, with eyes as red as the rising sun, is smiling, kindly await me at that moment when I quit this material body.
Essence. May my four-handed Lord, His lotus face smiling, await me when I quit this body. The wish for a particular last vision shapes everything before it. We can pray for our final image.
BG 9.25
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, after hearing Bhīṣmadeva speak in that appealing tone, asked him, in the presence of all the great ṛṣis, about the essential principles of various religious duties.
Essence. Yudhiṣṭhira, hearing Bhīṣma's tone, asked him about the essential principles of various religious duties. The dying wise are asked for what they alone can give: clear teaching from the threshold.
BG 9.26
At Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry, Bhīṣmadeva first defined all the classifications of castes and orders of life in terms of the individual’s qualifications. Then he systematically, in twofold divisions, described counteraction by detachment and interaction by attachment.
Essence. Bhīṣma first defined classifications of castes and orders by qualification, then described detachment and devotional service. He gave the structure first, then the deeper path. Order helps understanding.
BG 9.27
He then explained, by divisions, acts of charity, the pragmatic activities of a king and activities for salvation. Then he described the duties of women and devotees, both briefly and extensively.
Essence. He explained charity, royal pragmatics, salvific activities, and duties of women and devotees, both briefly and extensively. Different audiences need different lengths. Wisdom adjusts its volume.
BG 9.28
Then he described the occupational duties of different orders and statuses of life, citing instances from history, for he was himself well acquainted with the truth.
Essence. He described occupational duties of orders and statuses, citing historical instances, for he himself knew the truth. Teaching from lived knowledge has a different weight than secondhand instruction.
BG 9.29
While Bhīṣmadeva was describing occupational duties, the sun’s course ran into the northern hemisphere. This period is desired by mystics who die at their will.
Essence. As Bhīṣma described duties, the sun moved into the northern hemisphere — the auspicious time desired by mystics who die at will. Even the timing of departure is held by the Lord. The cosmos cooperates with prepared souls.
BG 9.30
Thereupon that man who spoke on different subjects with thousands of meanings, and who fought on thousands of battlefields and protected thousands of men, stopped speaking and, being completely freed from all bondage, withdrew his mind from everything else and fixed his wide-open eyes upon the original Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who stood before him, four-handed, dressed in yellow garments that glittered and shined.
Essence. He who spoke on thousands of subjects, fought thousands of battles, protected thousands of men, now stopped — freed from all bondage — and withdrew his mind from everything else. A great life ends as it is meant to: with full withdrawal into the Lord.
BG 9.31
By pure meditation, looking at Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he at once was freed from all material inauspiciousness and was relieved of all bodily pains caused by the arrow wounds. Thus all the external activities of his senses at once stopped, and he prayed transcendentally to the controller of all living beings while quitting his material body.
Essence. By pure meditation, looking at Kṛṣṇa, he was freed from inauspiciousness and bodily pain. External activities stopped; he prayed to the Lord as he left his body. The vision of the Lord is the most effective painkiller of the final hour.
BG 9.32
Bhīṣmadeva said: Let me now invest my thinking, feeling and willing, which were so long engaged in different subjects and occupational duties, in the all-powerful Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is always self-satisfied, but sometimes, being the leader of the devotees, He enjoys transcendental pleasure by descending to the material world, although from Him only the material world is created.
Essence. Bhīṣma: let me now invest all my thinking, feeling and willing — long engaged in subjects and duties — in the all-powerful Lord. The end is the time to consolidate, not diversify.
BG 9.33
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the intimate friend of Arjuna. He has appeared on this earth in His transcendental body, which resembles the bluish color of the tamāla tree. His body attracts everyone in the three planetary systems [upper, middle and lower]. May His glittering yellow dress and His lotus face, covered with paintings of sandalwood pulp, be the object of my attraction, and may I not desire fruitive results.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa, intimate friend of Arjuna, has appeared on this earth with His transcendental body, blue as tamāla tree, attractive to all three planetary systems. The Lord's beauty itself is captured for contemplation.
BG 9.34
On the battlefield [where Śrī Kṛṣṇa attended Arjuna out of friendship], the flowing hair of Lord Kṛṣṇa turned ashen due to the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses. And because of His labor, beads of sweat wetted His face. All these decorations, intensified by the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows, were enjoyed by Him. Let my mind thus go unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. On the battlefield, Kṛṣṇa's hair turned ashen with dust, sweat beaded His face; the wounds of Bhīṣma's arrows decorated Him. He is most beautiful in service. The Lord's labor is His glory.
BG 9.35
In obedience to the command of His friend, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the arena of the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra between the soldiers of Arjuna and Duryodhana, and while there He shortened the life spans of the opposite party by His merciful glance. This was done simply by His looking at the enemy. Let my mind be fixed upon that Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. Obeying His friend, Kṛṣṇa entered the battlefield and shortened the opposite party's lifespans by His merciful glance. Even His glance is consequential. Power is in the look, not just the act.
BG 9.36
When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the soldiers and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated his ignorance by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always remain the object of my attraction.
Essence. When Arjuna was confused by what he saw on the battlefield, the Lord delivered transcendental knowledge to eradicate ignorance. The Gītā began with a confused devotee. Confusion can be the doorway to greatest teaching.
BG 9.37
Fulfilling my vow and sacrificing His own promise, He got down from the chariot, took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on the way.
Essence. Fulfilling Bhīṣma's vow and breaking His own promise, the Lord got down from the chariot and ran to kill Bhīṣma. He breaks His word to honor His devotee's word. That's how seriously He takes our promises.
BG 9.38
May He, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who awards salvation, be my ultimate destination. On the battlefield He charged me, as if angry because of the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows. His shield was scattered, and His body was smeared with blood due to the wounds.
Essence. Let Him, scattered shield and bleeding body, be my ultimate destination. He charged me as if angry. Bhīṣma's final image is not of a placid Kṛṣṇa but of a fierce, wounded, charging One. Love includes the intensity.
BG 9.39
At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of Arjuna who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left, who was very careful to give protection to Arjuna’s chariot by all means. Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained their original forms after death.
Essence. Let my final attraction be to Kṛṣṇa the chariot driver — whip in one hand, bridle in the other, attentive to Arjuna's safety. The image of God as careful servant of His devotee is the right last picture.
BG 9.40
Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose motions and smiles of love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhāma [the gopīs]. The damsels imitated the characteristic movements of the Lord [after His disappearance from the rāsa dance].
Essence. Let my mind be fixed on the Lord whose smiles attracted the gopīs — who imitated His movements after His disappearance. Even imitation of the Lord's gestures is devotion. Love acts like the beloved.
BG 9.41
At the Rājasūya-yajña [sacrifice] performed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there was the greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal and learned orders, and in that great assembly Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was worshiped by one and all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during my presence, and I remembered the incident in order to keep my mind upon the Lord.
Essence. At Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya sacrifice, in the elite assembly, Kṛṣṇa was worshiped above all as the Supreme. The wisest gather to honor Him first. Hierarchy of attention is itself wisdom.
BG 9.42
Now I can meditate with full concentration upon that one Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, now present before me because now I have transcended the misconceptions of duality in regard to His presence in everyone’s heart, even in the hearts of the mental speculators. He is in everyone’s heart. The sun may be perceived differently, but the sun is one.
Essence. Now I can meditate with full concentration on the one Lord, having transcended dualities about His presence in all hearts. The deathbed clarity is non-dual: He is here, He is everywhere, He is the same.
BG 9.43
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus Bhīṣmadeva merged himself in the Supersoul, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.
Essence. Thus Bhīṣma merged into the Supersoul, Kṛṣṇa, with mind, speech, sight, and actions; he became silent and his breathing stopped. A complete handover, not a partial one. The full self is delivered.
BG 9.44
Knowing that Bhīṣmadeva had merged into the unlimited eternity of the Supreme Absolute, all present there became silent like birds at the end of the day.
Essence. All present became silent like birds at the end of day. Some events deserve only silence. Reverent quiet is its own response.
BG 9.45
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.
Essence. Drums sounded, royals honored, and flowers fell from the sky. The cosmos noticed the departure of a great soul. Honor is given, not just sought, and creation itself participates.
BG 9.46
O descendant of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka], after performing funeral rituals for the dead body of Bhīṣmadeva, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was momentarily overtaken with grief.
Essence. Yudhiṣṭhira, after performing funeral rituals, was momentarily overtaken with grief. Even the greatest king grieves; rituals don't replace tears. Both belong.
BG 9.47
All the great sages then glorified Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was present there, by confidential Vedic hymns. Then all of them returned to their respective hermitages, bearing always Lord Kṛṣṇa within their hearts.
Essence. All the great sages glorified Kṛṣṇa with confidential Vedic hymns, then returned home, bearing Him within their hearts. The proper farewell to a great soul includes returning to the Lord. Take Him home with you.
BG 9.48
Thereafter, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira at once went to his capital, Hastināpura, accompanied by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and there he consoled his uncle and aunt Gāndhārī, who was an ascetic.
Essence. Yudhiṣṭhira returned to Hastināpura with Kṛṣṇa and consoled his uncle and aunt. The work of leadership after great grief is to console others, even while still grieving oneself.
BG 9.49
After this, the great religious King, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, executed the royal power in the kingdom strictly according to the codes of royal principles approved by his uncle and confirmed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. Yudhiṣṭhira then executed royal power strictly according to royal codes approved by his uncle and confirmed by Kṛṣṇa. After grief, return to disciplined duty. The Lord's confirmation steadies our authority.