krishnastutibhishmabhagavata-purana

Bhishma Stuti

भीष्म स्तुति

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Early morning after a bath; on Ekadashi, Janmashtami and during paath for departed souls·📜 Srimad Bhagavata Purana, First Canto, Chapter 9

Also known as: bhishma stuti · bhishma stotra · bhishma stavaraja · iti matir upakalpita vitrishna · bhishma prayer to krishna

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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

The Bhishma Stuti is the dying prayer of Bhishma Pitamaha, the grand patriarch of the Mahabharata, recorded in the First Canto (chapter 9) of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Lying on his bed of arrows and choosing the moment of his own death, Bhishma fixes his entire mind on Lord Krishna and pours out his love in a series of luminous verses, recalling Krishna's beauty on the battlefield of Kurukshetra and the day the Lord broke His own vow to charge at him. Free at last of all duality, Bhishma merges his soul in the Supreme and gives up his body. It is treasured as a supreme model of devotion at the hour of death and of seeing the Lord in His every aspect.

Origin & Story

Srimad Bhagavata Purana, First Canto, Chapter 9 · Veda Vyasa (the prayer spoken by Bhishma; narrated by Suta to the sages) · Puranic

After the great war of Kurukshetra, Bhishma Pitamaha — the grand patriarch of the Kuru dynasty, who had the boon of choosing the time of his own death — lay upon a bed of arrows awaiting the auspicious northern course of the sun (Uttarayana). Krishna came to him with the Pandavas, and Bhishma instructed Yudhishthira at length on dharma. Then, as his final hour approached, Bhishma turned away from all else and fixed his mind and eyes wholly upon Lord Krishna. In these verses he expresses his love for the Lord's dark, beautiful form, recalls Krishna's deeds upon the battlefield — including the moment Krishna abandoned His own vow and charged at Bhishma with a chariot wheel to protect Arjuna — and, freed of every trace of duality, surrenders his soul into the Supreme and gives up his body in full consciousness.

✦ As told in scripture

It is said that Bhishma, by the power of his unbroken devotion, beheld the four-armed Lord Krishna standing before him and merged his life-breath into Him while gazing upon that form, attaining liberation at the very moment of death. Devotees hold that to remember the Lord with such love at the hour of passing, as Bhishma did, secures the soul's union with God.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

इति मतिरुपकल्पिता वितृष्णा भगवति सात्वतपुङ्गवे विभूम्नि । स्वसुखमुपगते क्वचिद्विहर्तुं प्रकृतिमुपेयुषि यद्भवप्रवाहः ॥

iti matir-upakalpitā vitṛṣṇā bhagavati sātvata-puṅgave vibhūmni | sva-sukham-upagate kvacid-vihartuṃ prakṛtim-upeyuṣi yad-bhava-pravāhaḥ ||

Meaning:Thus, free of all craving, I fix my mind upon the all-pervading Lord, the foremost of the Satvatas, who, ever absorbed in His own bliss, occasionally descends to sport and assumes a form, and from whom the whole stream of existence flows.

Verse 2

त्रिभुवनकमनं तमालवर्णं रविकरगौरवराम्बरं दधाने । वपुरलककुलावृताननाब्जं विजयसखे रतिरस्तु मेऽनवद्या ॥

tri-bhuvana-kamanaṃ tamāla-varṇaṃ ravi-kara-gaura-varāmbaraṃ dadhāne | vapur-alaka-kulāvṛtānanābjaṃ vijaya-sakhe ratir-astu me'navadyā ||

Meaning:May my pure, flawless love rest upon Him, the friend of Arjuna — the most beautiful of all the three worlds, dark-hued like the tamala tree, wearing yellow robes radiant as the sun's rays, His lotus face framed by curling locks.

Verse 3

युधि तुरगरजोविधूम्रविष्वक्- कचलुलितश्रमवार्यलङ्कृतास्ये । मम निशितशरैर्विभिद्यमान- त्वचि विलसत्कवचेऽस्तु कृष्ण आत्मा ॥

yudhi turaga-rajo-vidhūmra-viṣvak- kaca-lulita-śrama-vāry-alaṅkṛtāsye | mama niśita-śarair-vibhidyamāna- tvaci vilasat-kavace'stu kṛṣṇa ātmā ||

Meaning:Upon the battlefield, His face greyed by the dust of the horses' hooves and beautified by drops of perspiration, His skin pierced by my sharp arrows, His armour glittering — may my soul rest upon that Krishna.

Verse 4

सपदि सखिवचो निशम्य मध्ये निजपरयोर्बलयो रथं निवेश्य । स्थितवति परसैनिकायुरक्ष्णा हृतवति पार्थसखे रतिर्ममास्तु ॥

sapadi sakhi-vaco niśamya madhye nija-parayor-balayo rathaṃ niveśya | sthitavati para-sainikāyur-akṣṇā hṛtavati pārtha-sakhe ratir-mamāstu ||

Meaning:At once, on hearing the words of His friend, He drove the chariot into the midst of both armies, and there, by His mere glance, He shortened the lifespan of the opposing soldiers — may my love be fixed upon that friend of Partha.

Verse 5

व्यवहितपृतनामुखं निरीक्ष्य स्वजनवधाद्विमुखस्य दोषबुद्ध्या । कुमतिमहरदात्मविद्यया यश्- चरणरतिः परमस्य तस्य मेऽस्तु ॥

vyavahita-pṛtanā-mukhaṃ nirīkṣya sva-jana-vadhād-vimukhasya doṣa-buddhyā | kumatim-aharad-ātma-vidyayā yaś- caraṇa-ratiḥ paramasya tasya me'stu ||

Meaning:When, seeing me at the head of the army, Arjuna drew back from killing his kinsmen, thinking it a sin, the Lord dispelled his confusion by imparting spiritual knowledge — may I be devoted to the feet of that Supreme One.

Verse 6

स्वनिगममपहाय मत्प्रतिज्ञा- मृतमधिकर्तुमवप्लुतो रथस्थः । धृतरथचरणोऽभ्ययाच्चलद्गु- र्हरिरिव हन्तुमिभं गतोत्तरीयः ॥

sva-nigamam-apahāya mat-pratijñām- ṛtam-adhi-kartum-avapluto ratha-sthaḥ | dhṛta-ratha-caraṇo'bhyayāc-calad-gur- harir-iva hantum-ibhaṃ gatottarīyaḥ ||

Meaning:To make my vow come true, He broke His own promise (not to fight): leaping down from the chariot, seizing its wheel, His upper garment falling, He rushed at me as a lion charges an elephant, the earth trembling beneath His feet.

Verse 7

शितविशिखहतो विशीर्णदंशः क्षतजपरिप्लुत आततायिनो मे । प्रसभमभिससार मद्वधार्थं स भवतु मे भगवान्गतिर्मुकुन्दः ॥

śita-viśikha-hato viśīrṇa-daṃśaḥ kṣataja-paripluta ātatāyino me | prasabham-abhisasāra mad-vadhārthaṃ sa bhavatu me bhagavān-gatir-mukundaḥ ||

Meaning:Struck by my sharp arrows, His shield shattered, His body smeared with blood, He furiously charged forward to slay me, the aggressor — may that Lord Mukunda be my goal.

Verse 8

विजयरथकुटुम्ब आत्ततोत्रे धृतहयरश्मिनि तच्छ्रियेक्षणीये । भगवति रतिरस्तु मे मुमूर्षो- र्यमिह निरीक्ष्य हता गताः स्वरूपम् ॥

vijaya-ratha-kuṭumba ātta-totre dhṛta-haya-raśmini tac-chriyekṣaṇīye | bhagavati ratir-astu me mumūrṣor- yam-iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ sva-rūpam ||

Meaning:May my love at this moment of death rest upon the Lord, holding the whip and the reins of the horses of Arjuna's chariot, His beauty matchless to behold — those who gazed upon Him here on the field and fell attained a form like His own.

Verse 9

ललितगतिविलासवल्गुहास- प्रणयनिरीक्षणकल्पितोरुमानाः । कृतमनुकृतवत्य उन्मदान्धाः प्रकृतिमगन्किल यस्य गोपवध्वः ॥

lalita-gati-vilāsa-valgu-hāsa- praṇaya-nirīkṣaṇa-kalpitoru-mānāḥ | kṛtam-anu-kṛtavatya unmadāndhāḥ prakṛtim-agan-kila yasya gopa-vadhvaḥ ||

Meaning:He by whose graceful movements, charming smiles and loving glances the cowherd women of Vraja were filled with pride, who in their madness of love imitated His every gesture and thereby attained His very nature — may my mind dwell on Him.

Verse 10

मुनिगणनृपवर्यसङ्कुलेऽन्तः सदसि युधिष्ठिरराजसूय एषाम् । अर्हणमुपपेद ईक्षणीयो मम दृशिगोचर एष आविरात्मा ॥

muni-gaṇa-nṛpa-varya-saṅkule'ntaḥ sadasi yudhiṣṭhira-rāja-sūya eṣām | arhaṇam-upapeda īkṣaṇīyo mama dṛśi-gocara eṣa āvir-ātmā ||

Meaning:In the great assembly of King Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice, thronged with sages and the greatest of kings, He was chosen to receive the foremost worship of all — and now that same Lord, the Supreme Soul, has appeared before my very eyes.

Verse 11

तमिममहमजं शरीरभाजां हृदि हृदि धिष्ठितमात्मकल्पितानाम् । प्रतिदृशमिव नैकधार्कमेकं समधिगतोऽस्मि विधूतभेदमोहः ॥

tam-imam-aham-ajaṃ śarīra-bhājāṃ hṛdi hṛdi dhiṣṭhitam-ātma-kalpitānām | prati-dṛśam-iva naikadhārkam-ekaṃ samadhigato'smi vidhūta-bheda-mohaḥ ||

Meaning:He is the unborn one, seated within the heart of every embodied being as their inmost Self, appearing as one yet seemingly many — like the single sun reflected in many eyes. Freed now of the delusion of all difference, I have attained Him.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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इति मतिः उपकल्पिता वितृष्णा🔊iti matir upakalpitā vitṛṣṇāthus I fix my mind, free of all worldly craving

भगवति सात्वतपुङ्गवे🔊bhagavati sātvata-puṅgaveupon the Lord, the foremost of the Satvata (Yadava) clan

विभूम्नि🔊vibhūmnithe all-pervading, infinite one

त्रिभुवनकमनं🔊tri-bhuvana-kamanaṃthe most beautiful and beloved of all the three worlds

तमालवर्णं🔊tamāla-varṇaṃdark in hue like the tamala tree

रविकरगौरवराम्बरं🔊ravi-kara-gaura-varāmbaraṃwearing fine yellow garments shining like the rays of the sun

अलककुलावृताननाब्जं🔊alaka-kulāvṛtānanābjaṃHis lotus face framed by clusters of curling hair

विजयसखे रतिः अस्तु मे अनवद्या🔊vijaya-sakhe ratir astu me'navadyāmay my flawless love be fixed on Him, the friend of Arjuna (Vijaya)

युधि तुरगरजोविधूम्र🔊yudhi turaga-rajo-vidhūmraon the battlefield, greyed by the dust raised by the horses' hooves

श्रमवारि अलङ्कृतास्ये🔊śrama-vāry-alaṅkṛtāsyeHis face adorned with beads of perspiration from the exertion

मम निशितशरैः विभिद्यमानत्वचि🔊mama niśita-śarair vibhidyamāna-tvaciHis skin pierced by my sharp arrows

कृष्णे आत्मा🔊kṛṣṇa ātmāmay my very soul rest in Krishna

सपदि सखिवचः निशम्य🔊sapadi sakhi-vaco niśamyaat once hearing the words of His friend (Arjuna)

रथं निवेश्य🔊rathaṃ niveśyaplacing the chariot between the two armies

स्वनिगमम् अपहाय🔊sva-nigamam apahāyaabandoning His own vow (not to take up arms)

मत्प्रतिज्ञाम् ऋतम् अधिकर्तुम्🔊mat-pratijñām ṛtam adhi-kartumin order to make my vow come true

धृतरथचरणः अभ्ययात्🔊dhṛta-ratha-caraṇo'bhyayātHe rushed forward seizing a chariot wheel

हरिः इव हन्तुम् इभं🔊harir iva hantum ibhaṃlike a lion charging to kill an elephant

सः भवतु मे भगवान् गतिः मुकुन्दः🔊sa bhavatu me bhagavān gatir mukundaḥmay that Lord Mukunda, the giver of liberation, be my refuge

गोपवध्वः प्रकृतिम् अगन्🔊gopa-vadhvaḥ prakṛtim aganthe cowherd women (gopis) attained His very nature

विधूतभेदमोहः🔊vidhūta-bheda-mohaḥfreed of the delusion of all difference and duality

तम् इमम् अहम् अजं समधिगतः अस्मि🔊tam imam aham ajaṃ samadhigato'smiI have now fully attained Him, the unborn one

Benefits of Chanting Bhishma Stuti

✦

Regarded as the supreme model of fixing the mind on the Lord at the hour of death

✦

Inspires unwavering, one-pointed devotion (ananya bhakti) to Lord Krishna

✦

Dissolves the delusion of duality and reveals the Lord seated in every heart

✦

Recited for a peaceful, conscious and fearless passing, as Bhishma attained

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Frees the heart from worldly craving (vitrishna) and attachment

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Held to bestow liberation (moksha) through loving remembrance of the Lord's form

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Cultivates the vision that sees God's beauty even amid hardship and conflict

How to Chant Bhishma Stuti

Repetitions1times

Best TimeEarly morning after a bath; on Ekadashi, Janmashtami and during paath for departed souls

Bathe and sit calmly facing east before an image of Lord Krishna. Recite the Bhishma Stuti slowly, picturing Krishna as Bhishma beheld Him on the field of Kurukshetra. Reflect on each verse as a meditation on fixing the mind wholly on the Lord. It is read daily by devotees as a hymn of surrender, and is traditionally recited for the peace and liberation of the dying and the departed, since Bhishma attained the Lord by this very prayer at the moment of death.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bhishma Stuti is the prayer offered by Bhishma Pitamaha to Lord Krishna as he lay dying on his bed of arrows after the Kurukshetra war. It is recorded in the Ninth Chapter of the First Canto of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, and is one of the most celebrated devotional hymns spoken at the moment of death.

Though Bhishma fought for the Kauravas out of duty, his heart was always devoted to Krishna as the Supreme Lord. On his deathbed he chose Krishna as his sole refuge, recalling with love even the moment when Krishna, to honour Bhishma's own vow, took up a chariot wheel and charged at him in battle. For Bhishma, that fierce charge was the Lord's supreme grace.

Bhishma had vowed to make Krishna take up arms in the war, while Krishna had vowed only to drive Arjuna's chariot and not to fight. When Bhishma rained arrows upon Arjuna, Krishna leapt down, seized a chariot wheel, and rushed at Bhishma to defend His devotee. By breaking His own vow to honour His devotee's, Krishna showed that He values His devotees' word above His own — Bhishma recalls this with overflowing love.

It teaches the supreme value of fixing the mind entirely on the Lord at the time of death, free of craving and free of the illusion of duality. Bhishma sees the one Lord present in every heart like the single sun reflected in countless eyes, and by this vision merges into Him. It is the ideal example of conscious, loving departure from the body.