सूत उवाच
इति भीतः प्रजाद्रोहात् सर्वधर्मविवित्सया ।
ततो विनशनं प्रागाद् यत्र देवव्रतो ऽपतत् ॥ १ ॥
sutah uvaca-Sri Suta Gosvami said; iti-thus; bhitah-being afraid of; praja-drohat-because of killing the subjects; sarva-all; dharma-acts of religion; vivitsaya-for understanding; tatah-thereafter; vinasanam-the place where the fight was held; pragat-they all went; yatra-where; devavratah-Bhismadeva; apatat-lay down for passing away.
Suta Gosvami said: Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, Maharaja Yudhisthira went to the scene of the massacre. There, Bhismadeva was lying on a bed of arrows about to pass away.
In this Ninth Chapter, as it is willed by Lord Sri Krsna, Bhismadeva will impart instructions to King Yudhisthira on the subject of occupational duties. Bhismadeva will also offer his last prayer to the Lord on the verge of passing away from this mortal world and thus become liberated from the bondage of further material engagements. Bhismadeva was endowed with the power of leaving his material body at will, and his lying down on the bed of arrows was his own choice. This passing away of the great warrior attracted the attention of all the contemporary elites, and all of them assembled there to show their feelings of love, respect and affection for the great soul.
