1.9 The Passing Away of Bhishmadeva in the Presence of Lord Krishna with Radhika Raman Das

In this episode of the Bhagavata Podcast, Bhrigupada Dasa (Dr. Måns Broo) is joined by scholar and teacher Radhika Ramana Dasa (Dr. Ravi Gupta) for an in-depth exploration of Canto 1, Chapter 9 of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Picking up the story immediately after the Mahābhārata war, we witness the Pandavas’ crushing grief, Bhīṣmadeva’s consolations, and the profound lessons he imparts as he lies on his bed of arrows—culminating in an exemplar “good death.”

At the heart of their discussion are Bhīṣmadeva’s stages of consolation: first sharing in the Pandavas’ sorrow, then reframing their suffering in terms of kāla (time) and ultimately Kṛṣṇa’s will, before guiding Yudhiṣṭhira toward the duties of rulership. We explore how the chapter distills hundreds of Mahābhārata verses into key teachings on dharma, detachment, and devotion, and we linger over Bhīṣmadeva’s beautiful Sanskrit prayers in praise of Kṛṣṇa’s various forms. Finally, we reflect on the sages who surround Bhīṣmadeva’s passing—not merely to pay respects but to learn by observation, offering a powerful reminder that in the Bhāgavatam “we learn how to die by watching someone die well.”

00:00   – Introduction
00:39   – Invocation & overview of the post-Kurukṣetra drama
01:31   – The Pandavas’ grief and Kṛṣṇa’s initial consolations
03:53   – Bhīṣmadeva on the bed of arrows: the “good death” paradigm
09:15   – Duty, remorse & the Mahābhārata as an argument against war
14:04   – Love, violence & divine rasa in battlefield memory
20:26   – Condensing the Mahābhārata: Bhāgavatam’s relational focus
25:14   – Śrīla Prabhupāda’s first-canto commentary & sage biographies
29:24   – Consolation in kāla vs. karma: relinquishing self-blame
41:50   – Bhīṣmadeva’s prayers: from Viṣṇu’s four-armed form to Vṛndāvana leelas
56:24   – The exemplary final teaching: attachments & detachment
01:08:13 – Sages as witnesses: “We learn how to die by watching someone die well”
01:12:00 – Closing reflections: life, death, and devotion

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