Bhishma's Final Words Of Advice To Yudhishtira On Law Of karma

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At the war of Mahabharata neared completion, Lord Krishna suggested that Yudhishtra should clear his doubts on dharma by asking Bhishma who was lying on the bed of arrows. Lord Krishna asked Bhishma if he was worried about anything. Bhishma quipped that anyone who has had a darshan of Krishna has no reasons to worry. Lord Krishna then asked Bhishma to clear Yudhishtira's doubts. Bhishma humbly declined first but upon Krishnas insistence, he answered the questions based on his own life experience. This was how humble he was, by his nature. Here are his wise words.

1. The calves are known to have an excellent power of observation and memory. You separate a cow from its calf and hide the cow amidst a herd of thousand cows. Just bring the calf and allow it to find its mother. Within an instant, the calf finds its mother and reaches her the next instant. Karma is known to have a similar effect on the human beings.

2. We might hide behind a thick veil of births and deaths, don a hundred different roles and personalities, but our karma from the past, locates us wherever we are and reaches us to dispense and make us suffer the consequences of our previous karma. Another example is that of a dirty shirt. Just like a detergent that washes the shirt of its dirt, the sins will be washed away by good deeds.

3. We have all comes from a certain place and have to go back to where we came from. We have our own burden of Karma to carry with us. Human relationships are like two logs that float along the high tides of the ocean. They stay together as long as the tides are supporting them and once the direction of the tides change, the logs separate. We are here today and gone somewhere tomorrow. So relationships are born in the cradle of pain of separation.

4. Happiness and sorrow follow one after the other, in cycles, This proves neither happiness nor sorrow stay on permanently. They are transient.

5. Friends may not be cause of happiness, enemies may not cause sorrow, benefits cannot be accrued from wisdom, money can't be the reason for happiness. Whether you are stupid or wise, valorous or coward, dim witted or sharp brained, strong or helpless, happiness certainly comes to those who are destined to get it.

6. Just like a person who cannot see when he is covered by a blanket, the ignorant man does not suffer any sorrow. The wise, since he is beyond pleasure or pain, does not feel sorrowful for any reason. The troubles are felt by those who exist in the middle of the spectrum.

7. Whatever falls on your platter, you must accept and not be disheartened. It may be pain or gain, pleasure or pressure, just like a tortoise that draws its limbs inward and appears calm on the outside. The soul enriches itself by these experiences and the sees the light of knowledge. Giving up the desire for sensual pleasure is a challenge for the ignorant people. The desires remain as they are and do not grow old and ripe with age. Just like an incurable disease that sticks to you till death, desires will stick with you till death.

8. If you think of a good deed, do it immediately without wasting a minute as death that is waiting in the wings, may arrive anytime, to break your efforts. What you decide to do tomorrow must be done today. What you intend to do in the afternoon should be done now. Death is blind to what you do or not do as it does not need it. So always be righteous.

9. Sacrifice can bring happiness, by sacrificing you get good sleep.; There can be no sound sleep without sacrifice; one who has forsaken every thing remains happy. A fortunate man is always embroiled in tension, as if he were wiggling in the hands of death. When he acquires money, he is overcome by greed, his intellect dims, he is always disgruntled, angry, irate and tensed up, He feels all important, and all-powerful to an extent that he forgets he is a human being. When all his money is spent, he will confiscate others property, and get punished for the act.

10. Actually having nothing with you, is better than having a kingdom at your disposal. One should be a witness to the sorrows and happiness of life and analyse it on an intellectual level. When happiness arrives, do not swell with happiness and pride and when you are in problems, you must not feel dejected,

11. Karma follows a man like his shadow, sits when he sits, wakes up when he wakes up, runs when he runs, sleeps when he sleeps. Karma follows a man like his shadow, waking up if he gets up, sitting down, running if he runs, and sleeping if he sleeps. When the time is ripe, it will show up with consequences without asking anyone for permission, in the manner of a tree that bears fruits when the time is ripe.

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