Mumukshu

SlOkam 7:

Vijaya-ratha-kuDumBha Attha-thOthrE
dhrutha hayarasmini tacchriyE-IkshaNeeyE
Bhagavathi rathi: asthu mE mumUrshO:
yamiha nireekshya hathA gathA: sarUpam

(Meaning): At the last moments of my life, May my mind be rooted in that BhagavAn, who vowed that the chariot of ArjunA is the family to be protected by Him soundly, who held the whip in His divine hands to drive the horses and Who stole the hearts of all! May adiyEn be blessed to see that beautiful sight of Him as Sri ParthasArathi! It is indeed a fact that all those, who lost their lives in that battle field attained mOkshAm because they had the good fortune to see the Lord with their own eyes.

(Comments): Dharma SAsthram declares that one should protect his family at all costs, even if some of those acts are not allowed normally. Lord ParthasArathi seemed to have observed those injunctions of Dharma SAsthram, when He abandoned His vow (not to take weapon in the battle between the PANdavAs and the KauravAs). His intent was to save the Vijaya-ratha KuDumbam. Our Lord’s sankalpam was to decrease the bhAram (the burden) of the Earth (BhU BhAram). Insignificant ones like us are not qualified to analyse His motives for breaking His vow. BhagavAn has Yogic powers beyond description. BhIshmA was one, who secured MOkshAm by the blessings of Dhivya darsanam of the Lord during his last moments and his statements are adequate for us to follow.

SlOkam 8:

lalitha gathi vilAsa valguhAsa-
praNaya nirIkshaNa-kalpithOrumAna:
krutham-anukruthavathya unmadhAndhA:
prakruthimagan kila yasya gOpavadhva:

(Meaning): There is no surprise in the warriors achieving mukthi by following Kshathriya dharmam. Even the Gopis withoutsophisticated knowledge achieved Mukthi by enjoying the leelAs of the Lord. Gopis became the objects of the affection and respect of the Lord and they participated and reflected on the deeds of their Lord and attained MOkshAm. They became fortunate through the observance of the beautiful gait of the Lord, charming playful activities, bewitching smile, merciful glances and became objects of His affection and attained the suprme anugraham of MOkshA Siddhi.

SlOkam 9:

munigaNa-nrupavarya-sankulEntha:
sadhasi yudhishtra rAjasooya yEshAm
arhaNam-upapEdha IkshaNiyO
mama dhrusi gOchara yEsha AvirAthmA

(Meaning): Those assembled in YudhishtrA’s rAjasooya yAgam — the ghOshti of sages, well known kings – praised the unmatchable beauty, the most merciful glances of the Lord and offered their tributes.That Lord, who received all those salutations is standing in front of me and blessing me with His darsana soubhAgyam. My blessings have no match and are immeasurable.

SlOkam 10:

tam-imamam-ajam sarIra-bhAjAm
hrudhi hrudhi dhishtitham-Athma-kalpithAnAm
prathidhrisam iva naikadhArkam yEkam
samadhigathOsmi vidhUtha-bhEda-mOha:

(Meaning): I have now understood that the primordial Lord (without any birth) shines in the hearts of every one of His creations. Knowing this supreme truth, my ignorance has been removed now. The Sun in the firmament is Only One and yet is seen by every eye. Even though there are multitudes of eyes that experience the Sun, that Sun which is being seen has no differences. The same Sun is seen as reflections in the waters stored in limitless vessels and yet has no variations. Just like that, the ParamAthmA experienced by countless yOgis in their hearts is one and the same. I have now realized this supreme truth and have become fulfilled.

(Comments): Thus the grand sire of BhArathA clan eulogized Lord KrishNA in the battle field and surrendered his mind, speech and indriyAs at the holy feet of the Lord. Due to the command of the Lord, there was total silence at that time of surrender. The Athma JyOthi of BhIshmA, the great devotee of the Lord, reached the sacred feet of the Lord.

Srimath BhAgavatham, First Canto, Ninth Sargam : 33-42

Please listen to full audio rendition of Bhishma Stuthi by Sunder Kidambi.

Slokam 3:

sapadhi sakhivachO nismya madhyE
naijaparayOr bhalayO ratham nivEsya
sthithavathi parasainikAyurakshNA
hruthavathi PArthasakhE rathir maamAsthu

(meaning): On entering the battle field, Sri ParthasArathi listened to His friend ArjunA’s command to position the chariot between the two armies. Our Lord accepted ArjunA as His master and obeyed His command (YathOkthakAri). With His glances directed at the opposing army from the middle of the battle field, He stole the “Ayus” (lives) of the KauravA warriors and chieftains. May that Lord, who is the real cause for the destruction of the KauravA army stay firmly in my mind!

(Comments): ArjunA’s tone when he ordered the Lord to position his chariot in the middle of the battle field was haughty (sEnayOr ubhayO madhyE ratham sthApaya mE Achyutha) Draw up my chariot, O AchyuthA, between the two armies). Our Lord did not take offense at His friend and did as directed as ArjunA’s charioteer (Sri PArthasArathi).

Then the Lord said to His friend, PArthan : O ArjunA ! Behold these assembled KauravAs ( uvAcha PArtha pasyaithAm samavEdhAnkurunithi). AchArya RaamAnujA’s commentary here is moving as he describes the Supreme One, who permits Himself to be directed by a haughty one like ArjunA : “Sri Sri KrishnA, the Supreme Lord –who is overcome by parental love for those, who take shelter in Him, who is the treasure-house of knowledge, Power, Lordship, Energy, Potency and Splendour, whose sportive delight brings about the origin, sustentation and dissolution of the entire cosmos at His will, who is the Lord of the senses, who controls in all ways our inner and outter senses, Superior and Inferior–did immediately waht ArjunA directed Him to do (to place the chariot in the middle of the battle field). AchAryA RAmAnujA gives us a clear understanding of who is the Master and who is the servant. BhIshmA hints in this slOkam that by mere glance, Lord Sri KrishnA struck at the lives of all the enemies of the PAndavA including him (BhIshmA). Their deaths came later like in a drama, where actors took on roles.

Slokam 4:

vyavahithaorutanAmukham nirIkshya
sva jana vadhAth vimukasya dhOsha buddhyA
kumathimaharAthmavidhyayA ya:
CharaNarathi Paramasya tasya mE asthu

(Meaning): May my mind hold steadily the Holy feet of the Supreme One, who removed the aj~nAnam of ArjunA (deluded about his dhArmic duties) through the performance of His upadesam on Athma Tattvam and Kshathriya dharmam. May my mind stay always at those feet of the ParamaathmA, who removed the delusion of ArjunA, whose mind was wrought with pain over the prospect of killing his opposing relatives and teachers in the war to ensue and thereby accumulate sins from those actions.

(comments): Sri ParthasArathi performed GithOpadEsam for the confused ArjunA and instructed him that the killing of relatives in a moral war will not generate sins. He also advised ArjunA: “You are grieving for those, who do not deserve to be grieved.. These warriors on the opposite side over whom you grieve have already been killed by me. You are just an instrument for their destruction.Hence sins will not come your way”. BhIshmA prays to that GeethAchAryan for the blessings of unflinching devotion at His holy feet.

SlOkam 5 & 6:

svanigamamapahAya mathprathignyAm-
rithamadhikarthumavapluthO rathastha:
dhrutha ratha charaNObhyayAth chalathguhu
Haririva hanthumibham gathOttharIya:

sithavisikkhahathO viseerNadhamsa:
kshathajapariluptha aathathAyinO mE
prasabhamabhisasAra madhvadhArtham
sa bhavathu mE BhagavAn gathirmukundha:

(Meaning): What an anubhavam it is to witness the Lord jumping down from His charioteer’s seat forgetting HIS vow equal to the sacred VedAs to make true MY VOW (that I will make the Lord take His weapon inspite of His earlier vow not to use weapons in the war to ensue) and rushing at me like a lion intent on killing an elephant! As He jumped down, the earth shook under His weight, his upper garment slipped to the ground without His knowing it and He rushed towards me with Sudarsanam in His hand. His armour has been punctured by my sharp arrows and He was bleeding from those wounds and He rushed at me to kill me, who was armed. That great Bhaktha-vathsalan, who gave PrANa DhAnam to one Bhakthan (Arjunan) and fulfilled the vow of another Bhakthan (Myself) scored twice with His bhaktha DhAkshiNyam. May that Mukundhan be my eternal refuge and succor!

Please listen to full audio rendition of Bhishma Stuthi by Sunder Kidambi.

Sri BhIshmAcchAr, the grand sire of the KauravA and PAndavA clans was lying on a bed of arrows after a firece battle with the PAndavA army. Lord Sri KrishnA, who had vowed not to take any weapons during the MahA BhAratham war was driven to use His chakram to destroy the threatening BhIshmA. Earlier, BhIshmA had pierced the kavacham of Lord Sri KrishnA with his fierce arrows and the Lord was bleeding from the wounds. ArjunA was about to be attacked severly by BhIshmA. That is when, SriParthasArathi jumped down from Arjuna’s chariot with Chakram in His hand to destroy the threatening BhIshmA. When BhIshmA saw the Lord rushing at him with dust covered ThirumEni from the day’s exertions and with blood flowing out of the wounds from his arrows, he was overcome with devotion and thought of the rare bhAgyam of the darsanam of the Lord in the battle field towering over him.

We have to remember that BhIshmA’s Kshathriya dharmam required him to support his king (DurYOdhana of evil mind) as the commander-in-chief of the KauravA army, although he had no heart to attack or kill the PAndavAs. On the subha-darsanam of the Lord rushing at him, ten slOkams poured out of the mouth of BhIshmA to celebrate his bhAgyam.

These ten verses constitute BhIshma Sthuthi or BhIshma sthavarAjam. Here is the summary of the meanings of these ten slOkams from Srimath BhAgavatham that were considered for recitation as nityAnusandhAna kramam by HH the 42nd Jeeyar of AhObila Matam every day. The translation is from U.Ve. Sri BhAshya SimhAsanam Sri Purisai NadadUr Sri KrishnAmAchAr Swamy, the grandson of the revered 42nd Jeeyar of AhObila Matam (in Jeer’s poorvAsramam).

SlOkam 1

thribhuvana kamanam tamAla varNam
ravikara gouravaamBaram dhadhAnE
vapuralaka kulAvruthAnanAnAbhjam
Vijaya sakhE rathirasthu mE anavadhyA

(meaning): May the appearance of this most beautiful thirumEni in all the three worlds with the blue (effulgent) hue like the TamAla tree, shining radiantly with the golden yellow pIthAmBaramreminding one of the bAla Sooryan and the charming curly black tresses adorned face stay forever in my blemishless mind!

(Comments): Here BhIshmA prays for the attachment of his mind in the subhAsrayam of the Lord without seeking any returns (anavadhyA rathi:). Praying to the Lord with expectation of a boon is adhamAchAram. Seeking and enjoying his darsanam without any expectation of rewards is uttamAchAram (superior way).

SlOkam 2:

yudhi thuraga rajO vidhUmra vishvak-
kacha lulitha sramaAryalankruthAsyE
mama nisithasarai: vibhidhyamAna-
thvachi vilasathkavachE asthu KrishnA AthmA

(Meaning): As Sri ParthasArathi drives the chariot with great speed in the battle field, the dust arising from His rapid movement raises a lot of dust that settles on His face and hair. As the Lord conducts sArathyam with great speed, the curly tresses fall on His cheeks and He does not even have the time to move them away and to tie them in to a bun. Lord has such intensity to help in destroying the enemies of the PAndavAs. The exertions from these efforts result in the formation of beads of sweat on His face and yet the beauty of His face did not diminish even by an iota. Meanwhile, the wounds caused by my sharp arrows lead to a copious flow of blood from His chest. May my mind achieve layam in the Lord of this rare beauty as He serves His bahkthan, Arjunan!

(Comments): The Lord has aprAkrutha, Suddha satthva dhivya mEni. Therefor, He does not sweat, bleed or is covered by dust from exertions. Here, just to please His dear friend ArjunA, the Lord goes through this drama. Our Lord also wanted to reveal to the world the power of BhIshmA’s arrows. To please both of His bhakthAs, our Lord set aside His avathAra mahimai and took on the role of ordinary human being. Even ArjunA did not get to see this extraordinary sight, where as BhIshmA had the rare blessing to enjoy this svarUpam of the Lord as Bhaktha Kinkaran (the servant of His devotees).

Please listen to full audio rendition of Bhishma Stuthi by Sunder Kidambi.