Necessary advice

The Kurukshetra war has ended in triumph for the Pandavas, and Yudishtra is now the ruler. But

Yudishtra is unhappy, elaborated Goda Venkateswara
Sastrigal, in a discourse. Yudishtra takes stock of the
number of men he has lost, the horses and the elephants that have been killed in the war. The people are not in a mood for celebration, but in a mood for mourning. Yudishtra spends the night in torment, and the next morning, after a sleepless night, he goes to Lord Krishna. He tells the Lord that during the war He had advised Arjuna, through the Bhagavad Gita. Before the Lord’s advice, Arjuna had been a confused man, wondering if he should fight at all. But when the Lord gave him His advice, Arjuna was able to shed his confusions and fears and pick up his bow. From then on, he fought, because the Lord had told him it was his duty to do so.

Yudishtra is now hoping such clarity will result in his case too, with the Lord’s advice. But Krishna says that He is no longer going to advise anyone. He had given Arjuna a lengthy discourse. Arjuna had done his duty all right. But he was unable to recall the Lord’s words. So what was the point in the Lord’s offering advice again to anyone? And yet, the Lord does not want to send away Yudishtra disappointed. So He takes him to Bhishma.

Bhishma is Krishna’s devotee; he has had experience of the world. So Krishna feels Bhishma is the proper one to advise Yudishtra. The Lord too is a listener, as Bhishma’s words of advice come through the Vishnu Sahasranama, pointing to Yudishtra the need to worship the Supreme One. That Supreme One is Lord Krishna Himself.