Question: Why did Kṛṣṇa appear in His four-handed form before Bhīṣmadeva?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Bhīṣmadeva tells Yudhiṣṭhira that Kṛṣṇa shows kindness to all who have unwavering faith in Him, and because of his own steadfast devotion, Kṛṣṇa has come to him at the end of his life. Bhīṣmadeva then glorifies Kṛṣṇa, stating that through devotion, meditation, and chanting of His holy name, Kṛṣṇa manifests in the mind of the devotees and releases them from the bondage of material existence at the time of death [Ref: ŚB 1.9.22-23].
Additionally, he expresses his desire in SB 1.9.24 –
sa deva-devo bhagavān pratīkṣatāṁ
kalevaraṁ yāvad idaṁ hinomy aham
prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanollasan-
mukhāmbujo dhyāna-pathaś catur-bhujaḥ
Translation
May my Lord, who is four-handed and whose beautifully decorated lotus face, with eyes as red as the rising sun, is smiling, kindly await me at that moment when I quit this material body.
Addressing the aspect of the four-handed feature, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport, “Bhīṣmadeva knew well that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Nārāyaṇa. His worshippable Deity was four-handed Nārāyaṇa, but he knew that four-handed Nārāyaṇa is a plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Indirectly he desired Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to manifest Himself in His four-handed feature of Nārāyaṇa.”
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes in his Śārārtha Darśinī commentary in this regard as follows –
“Bhīṣma addressed him as a form with four arms because that was the form of Kṛṣṇa mentioned in the mantra he used during meditation.” [HH Bhanu Svāmi Translation]
