SB 1.9.24 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 24
Sa deva deva bhagwan pratikskatam Kalevaram yabat idam hinomi aham Prasanna hasa arunalochana ullasat Mukhambujo dhyana pathas chaturbhujah.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Sa—he, Devadeva—the Supreme Lord of the Lords, Bhagwan—the personality of Godhead, Pratikshatam—may kindly wait, Kalevaram—body, Yabat—as long as, Idam—this material body, Hinomi—may quit, Aham—I, Prosanna—cheerful, Hasa—smiling, Arunalochana—eyes red like the morning sun, Ullasat—beautifully decorated, Mukhambujo—the lotus flower of His face, Dhyanapatha—in the path of my meditation, Chaturbhuja—the four handed form of Narayana Who is the worshipable deity of Bhismadeva.
TRANSLATION
Let my Lord Who is fourhanded may kindly wait, till that time as I may quit this material body, with His smiling and beautifully decorated lotus flower of the face with eyes as red as the rising sun.
PURPORT
Bhismadeva knew it well that Lord Krishna is the Original Narayana. His worshipable deity was fourhanded Narayana but he knew it well that four handed Narayana is plenary expansion of Lord Krishna. Indirectly he desired before Lord Sri Krishna to manifest Himself in His fourhanded feature of Narayana. A Vaisnava is always humble in his behaviour. Although it was cent per cent certain that Bhismadeva was approaching Vaikuntha-Dhama just after leaving his material body, still as an humble Vaishnava he desired that the beautiful face of the Lord may be seen by him for sometime and it might be that after quiting the present body he may not be in a position to see the Lord any more. A Vaishnava is not puffed up although the Lord guarantees His pure devotee to enter into His abode. Here Bhismadeva says as long as I may not quit this body. This means that the great General would quit the body by his own will not being forced by the laws of nature. He was so powerful that he could stay his body as long as he desired. He got this benediction from his father. He desired that the Lord may stay before him in His fourhanded Narayana feature so that he might concentrate upon Him his mind and thus be in trance in that meditation so that his mind might be sanctified with thinking of the Lord and thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee is never very much anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires His devotee to go to the hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains is that he may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord never mind wherever he goes. Bhismadeva wanted this much only that his mind might be absorbed in thinking of the Lord and he might pass away with such saturated mind of rapt attention. That is the highest ambition of a pure devotee.