TEXT 24
sa deva-devo bhagavan pratiksatam
kalevaram yavad idam hinomy aham
prasanna-hasaruna-locanollasan-
mukhambujo dhyana-pathas catur-bhujah
SYNONYMS
sahHe; deva-devahthe Supreme Lord of the lords; bhagavanthe Personality of Godhead; pratiksatammay kindly wait; kalevarambody; yavatas long as; idamthis (material body); hinomimay quit; ahamI; prasannacheerful; hasasmiling; aruna-locanaeyes red like the morning sun; ullasatbeautifully decorated; mukha-ambujahthe lotus flower of His face; dhyana-pathahin the path of my meditation; catur-bhujahthe four-handed form of Narayana (the worshipable Deity of Bhismadeva).
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
Bhismadeva knew well that Lord Krsna is the original Narayana. His worshipable Deity was four-handed Narayana, but he knew that four-handed Narayana is a plenary expansion of Lord Krsna. Indirectly he desired Lord Sri Krsna to manifest Himself in His four-handed feature of Narayana. A Vaisnava is always humble in his behavior. Although it was cent percent certain that Bhismadeva was approaching Vaikuntha-dhama just after leaving his material body, still as a humble Vaisnava he desired to see the beautiful face of the Lord, for after quitting the present body he might not be in a position to see the Lord any more. A Vaisnava is not puffed up, although the Lord guarantees His pure devotee entrance into His abode. Here Bhismadeva says, "as long as I do not quit this body." This means that the great General would quit the body by his own will; he was not being forced by the laws of nature. He was so powerful that he could stay in his body as long as he desired. He got this benediction from his father. He desired that the Lord stay before him in His four-handed Narayana feature so that he might concentrate upon Him and thus be in trance in that meditation. Then his mind might be sanctified with thinking of the Lord. Thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee is never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires him to go to hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains is that he may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord, regardless. Bhismadeva wanted this much only: that his mind be absorbed in thinking of the Lord and that he pass away thus. That is the highest ambition of a pure devotee.

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