otection
and am devoted to thee, desirous of obtaining a happy end. O thou of eyes
like lotus petals, O best of gods, do thou think of what will be for my
good! Thyself without origin, O Vishnu, thou art the origin of Knowledge
and Penances. Thus art thou praised! O Janardana, thus worshipped by me
in the Sacrifice constituted by speech (alone), be, O god, gratified with
me! The Vedas are devoted to Narayana. Penances are devoted to Narayana.
The gods are devoted to Narayana. Everything is always Narayana!'"

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having uttered these words, Bhishma, with mind
concentrated upon Krishna, said, "Salutations to Krishna!" and bowed unto
him. Learning by his Yoga prowess of the devotion of Bhishma, Madhava,
otherwise called Hari, (entering his body) bestowed upon him heavenly
knowledge compassing the Past, the Present, and the Future, and went
away. When Bhishma became silent, those utterers of Brahma (that sat
around him), with voices choked in tears, adored that high-souled chief
of the Kurus in excellent words. Those foremost of Brahmanas uttered the
praises of Krishna also, that first of Beings, and then continued in soft
voices to commend Bhishma repeatedly. Learning (by his Yoga powers) of
the devotion of Bhishma towards him, that foremost of Beings, viz.,
Madhava, suddenly rose from his seat and ascended on his car, Kesava and
Satyaki proceeded on one car. On another proceeded those two illustrious
princes, viz., Yudhishthira and Dhananjaya. Bhimasena and the twins rode
on a third; while those bulls among men, Kripa and Yuyutsu, and that
scorcher of foes, Sanjaya of the Suta caste, proceeded on their
respective cars, each of which looked like a town. And all of them
proceeded, causing the earth to tremble with the rattle of their
chariot-wheels. That foremost of men, as he proceeded, cheerfully
listened to the speeches, fraught with his praise, that were uttered by
the Brahmanas. The slayer of Kesi, with gladdened heart, saluted the
people that waited (along the streets) with joined hands and bent heads.'"

SECTION XLIX

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Hrishikesa and king Yudhishthira, and all those
persons headed by Kripa, and the four Pandavas, riding on those cars
looking like fortified cities and decked with standards and banners,
speedily proceeded to Kurukshetra with the aid of their fleet steeds.
They descended on that field which was covered with hair and marrow and
bones and where million