In the Mahabharata, Bhishma Pitamah died at his own will and power, as this was a boon and a blessing. Nobody could kill Bhishma, and this was a known fact. For this very boon of Iccha Mrityu, he was cheered all around. When the battle of Mahabharata was about to begin, Duryodhan was very happy as he had Bhishma Pitamah who was blessed with Iccha Mrityu.
When Duryodhan told Bhishma Pitamah that Lord Krishna is not taking part in the battle and has given away his army to them, Bhishma was shocked and surprised to hear that. However, he realized that it must be Lord Krishna’s Mayajaal and it was then that he and Duryodhan went to meet Lord Krishna. When Bhishma asked Lord Krishna why he had said that he would not take part in the battle, He did not give any answer and just went away smiling. No one knew the mystery behind this smile, but when Bhishma Pitamah lay on the Shaiya, Krishna smiled and the secret behind His smile was revealed. So come, let’s discover why Lord Krishna was smiling when Bhishma Pitamah lay on the Shaiya.
Duryodhan was lamenting near the Shaiya
When Bhishma Pitamah was lying on the Shaiya, Duryodhan was sad because his army’s bravest and most powerful warrior was dead. Why did a warrior who could not be killed by anyone and who could die at his own will, choose this time to end his life? Also, when Bhishma lay on the Shaiya, Lord Krishna came smiling with the Pandavas.
Bhishma asks Krishna, “Hey Krishna, you were smiling that day and you are smiling now as well. What is the secret behind your smile?” Krishna replies, “Hey Bhishma, when I had given my army to Duryodhan, everyone was saying that nobody can defeat Duryodhan now as he has a powerful army as well as a warrior like Bhishma Pitamah, who possess the boon called Iccha Mrityu. But no one understood that it is Govind who is responsible for creating the desires in a man’s mind. If anyone worships Govind during Dhyaan or meditation, then all his bad desires are ended by Govind Himself, but the devotee thinks that he has won over and conquered his mind, and at that very time, God lets go of that man’s desires and the devotee, once again, gets trapped in the Mayajaal. Bhishma, you were granted Iccha Mrityu by Govind, by God, but you were not being able to understand that God could put an end to your desire to live whenever He wanted.”
What you can learn from this smile of Lord Krishna
After hearing this, Bhishma understood that nothing lies in the hands of a human being. Only being careful lies in our own hands. We should always warn our desires to beware, but when we do this, we as devotes tend to think that we have ended our desires, which is wrong. If no bad thought comes in our mind, then that happens only by the grace of God and not because of us. Our minds are occupied by good thoughts only because of God and when bad thoughts come in our mind, that’s because God is testing us at that time. Hence, to put an end to all your bad thoughts, worship the Almighty everyday.
