Vaishampayana said, Hearing these words of Krishna pregnant with morality and worldly profit, Shantanu's son Bhishma answered him thus. Bhishma said

O lord of all the worlds, O mighty-armed one, O Shiva, O Narayana, O you of undecaying glory, hearing your words I have been filled with joy.

But what words, O master of speech, can I communicate in your presence, when especially all the subjects of speech have been treated in your specch?

Whatever in either world should be done or is done, emanates from your intelligent self, O god.

That person, who can speak on the subject of heaven before the king of the celestials, himself is able to deal with morality and desire and profit and liberation in your presence.

My mind, O destroyer of Madhu, is greatly agitated by the pain of wounds inflicted by arrows. My limbs are weak, My understanding is not clear.

I am so afflicted, O Govinda, by these arrows resembling poison or fire that I have not the power to speak anything.

My strength is leaving me. My vital airs are about to leave me. The very vitals of my body are being consumed. My understanding is clouded.

From weakness my words are becoming indistinct. How then can I dare speak? O lord of Dasharha's race, be pleased with me.

O mighty-armed one, I will not say anything. Pardon me. Even the lord of speech (Brihaspati) will hesitate to speak before you.

I cannot any longer decipher the points of the compass, nor distinguish the sky from the earth. Through your energy, O slayer of Madhu, I am only alive.

Do you, therefore, yourself speak for the behoof of king Yudhishthira, for you are the ordainer of all the ordinances.

How, O Krishna, when you, the eternal creator of the universe, are present, can one like me speak like a disciple before his preceptor?

Vasudeva said Your words become you only who are the foremost of Kuru's race, who are endued with great energy, who are of great soul, and who are possessed of great patience and conversant with every subject.

Regarding what you have said about the pain of wounds, receive, O Bhishma, this boon what I grant you, O powerful one, from favour.

Uneasiness, stupefaction, burning pain, hunger and thirst shall not, O son of Ganga, assail you, O you of undecaying glory.

Your perception and memory, Osinless one, shall be unclouded. Your understanding shall not disappear.

Your mind, O Bhishma, freed from the qualities of darkness and ignorance will always be subject to the quality of goodness, like the moon coming out of the clouds.

Your understanding will penetrate every subject regarding duty, morality, or profit, you will think upon.

O foremost of kings, acquiring choice vision, you will, O you of incomparable prowess, succeed in seeing the four orders of created things.

Possessing the eye of knowledge, you will, O Bhishma, see, like fishes in a limpid stream, all created things that you will try to recollect.'

Vaishampayana said, Then those great Rishis, with Vyasa amongst them, worshipped Krishna with hymns from the Richs, the Yajus, and the Samans.

A shower of celestial flowers of all seasons fell on that spot where the Vrishni hero with Ganga's son and the son of Pandu were.

All kinds of celestial instruments played in the sky and the Apsaras began to sing. No evil portent appeared there.

An auspicious, pleasant and pure breeze, carrying every kind of fragrance, began to blow. All the points of the horizon became clear and quiet, and all the animals and birds began to move about peacefully.

Soon after, like a fire at the outskirt of a great forest, the divine Sun of a thousand rays was seen to descend westwards.

Then, rising up, the great Rishis saluted Janardana and Bhishma and king Yudhishthira.

Upon this, Keshava, the sons of Pandu, Satyaki, Sanjaya, and Sharadwat's son Kripa, bowed reverentially to those sages.

Always righteous those sages, thus adored by Keshava and others, quickly went to their respective habitations saying-We will return tomorrow.'

After this, Keshava and the Pandavas, saluting Bhishma and going round him, got upon their beautiful cars.

Those heroes then went out, accompanied by many other cars adorned with golden Kuvaras, and infuriate elephants resembling mountains, and horses quick-coursing as Garudas, and the infantry armed with bows and weapons.

That army, moving quickly, proceeded in two detachments, one in the van and the other in the rear of those princes. The spectacle shone like two currents of the great river Narmada at the point where it is divided by the Rikshavat mountains standing across it.

Cheering up that great army the divine Moon rose before it in the sky, once more giving moisture, by his own force, to the terrestrial herbs and plants whose juice has been drunk up by the Sun.

Then that foremost of Yadu's race and the sons of Pandu, entering the (Kuru) city which was shining like that of the city of Indra itself, proceeded to their respective edifices like tired lions seeking their caves.