O king!  Salutations to thee, O son of the River Janhavi!  If thou hearest me still, tell me what I am to do for thee!  Bearing with me thy sacrificial fires, I have come here, O king, and wait upon thee at the hour indicated!  Preceptors of all branches of learning, Brahmanas, Ritwiks, all my brothers, thy son, viz., king Dhritarashtra of great energy, are all here with my counsellors as also Vasudeva of great prowess.  The remnant of unslain warriors, and all the denizens of Kurujangala, are also here.  Opening thy eyes, O chief of Kuru’s race, do thou behold them!  Whatever should be done on this occasion has all been arranged and provided for by me.  Indeed, at this hour which thou hadst indicated, all things have been kept ready!’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Thus addressed by Kunti’s son of great intelligence, the son of Ganga opened his eyes and saw all the Bharatas assembled there and standing around him.  The mighty Bhishma then, taking the strong hand of Yudhishthira, addressed him in a voice deep as that of the clouds.  That thorough master of words said, ’By good luck, O son of Kunti, thou hast come here with all thy counsellors, O Yudhishthira!  The thousand-rayed maker of day, the holy Surya has begun his northward course.  I have been lying on my bed here for eight and fifty nights.  Stretched on these sharp-pointed arrows I have felt this period to be as long as if it was a century.  O Yudhishthira, the lunar month of Magha has come.  This is, again, the lighted fortnight and a fourth part of it ought by this (according to my calculations) be over.’  Having said so unto Yudhishthira the son of Dharma, Ganga’s son Bhishma then saluted Dhritarashtra and said unto him as follows.’

“Bhishma said, ’O king, thou art well-conversant with duties.  All thy doubts, again, relating to the science of wealth have been well-solved.  Thou hast waited upon many Brahmanas of great learning.  The subtle sciences connected with the Vedas, all the duties of religion, O king, and the whole of the four Vedas, are well-known to thee!  Thou shouldst not grieve, therefore, O son of Kuru!  That which was pre-ordained has happened.  It could not be otherwise.  Thou hast heard the mysteries relating to the deities from the lips of the island-born Rishi himself.  Yudhishthira and his brothers are morally as much thy sons as they are the sons of Pandu.  Observant of the duties of religion, do thou cherish and protect them.  In their turn, they are always devoted to the service of their seniors.  King Yudhishthira the just is pure-souled.  He will always prove obedient to thee!  I know that he is devoted to the virtue of compassion or abstention from injury.  He is devoted to his seniors and preceptors.  Thy sons were all wicked-souled.  They were wedded to wrath and cupidity.  Overwhelmed by envy, they were all of wicked behavior.  It behoveth thee not to grieve for them!’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Having said this much unto Dhritarashtra of great wisdom, the Kuru hero then addressed Vasudeva of mighty arms.’