Bhismadeva was surely wounded by the arrows of Arjuna. But wounding is not always the cause of death

Expressions researched:
"Bhismadeva was surely wounded by the arrows of Arjuna. But wounding is not always the cause of death"

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Bhismadeva was surely wounded by the arrows of Arjuna. But wounding is not always the cause of death. In our own practical experience we know that many soldiers become wounded in battlefield, sometimes very severely, but still one is not dead--he recovers in the hospital. So Bhismadeva was certainly such severely wounded, but that was not the cause of his death. He preferred to lie down on the bed of arrows and all Pandavas and Krishna arrived there to see his passing away.

680617 - Letter to Sacisuta written from Montreal

Your next question, ("In Srimad Bhagavatam, chap. 9, text 1, 'Suta Goswami said, thus being afraid of the act of killing the subjects in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Maharaj Yudhisthir went to that place of massacre where Bhismadeva was lying on a bed of arrows for passing away. Bhismadeva was endowed with the power of leaving his material body at his will and his lying down on a bed of arrows was his own choice. Did Bhismadeva get wounded by arrows at the battle of Kuruksetra, or did he simply chose to leave his mortal body and thus lay down for passing on a bed of arrows?") Bhismadeva was surely wounded by the arrows of Arjuna. But wounding is not always the cause of death. In our own practical experience we know that many soldiers become wounded in battlefield, sometimes very severely, but still one is not dead--he recovers in the hospital. So Bhismadeva was certainly such severely wounded, but that was not the cause of his death. He preferred to lie down on the bed of arrows and all Pandavas and Krishna arrived there to see his passing away. So his passing away was just on his own will--that was the benediction given by his father. In the battlefield Bhismadeva also wounded very severely Krishna. He was a great devotee of Krishna. And Lord Krishna accepted those arrows piercing His body as if somebody is worshiping with soft rose flowers. That is Krishna's transcendental body. But those who are materialists, they are cheated by Krishna that He is wounded. The materialists will think that Krishna was wounded, but one who knows what is Krishna, knows also that He is worshiped by the arrows. So in the battlefield, neither Krishna was wounded, neither Bhismadeva died due to the injuries out of the wounds. He decided to pass away at that time, therefore he died. These things will be more and more clear when you understand Krishna by revelation. I think if you make progress in your present attitude, you shall soon know all these intricacies of spiritual and material living conditions.