tasya nirharaṇÄdÄ«ni
samparetasya bhÄrgava
yudhiá¹£á¹hiraḥ kÄrayitvÄ
muhūrtaṠduḥkhito 'bhavat
tasya - his; nirharaṇa-ÄdÄ«ni - funeral ceremony; samparetasya - of the dead body; bhÄrgava - O descendant of Bhá¹›gu; yudhiá¹£á¹hiraḥ - MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira; kÄrayitvÄ - having performed it; muhÅ«rtam - for a moment; duḥkhitaḥ - sorry; abhavat - became.
BhÄ«á¹£madeva was not only a great family head of MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, but also he was a great philosopher and friend to him, his brothers and his mother. Since MahÄrÄja PÄṇá¸u, the father of the five brothers headed by MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, had died, BhÄ«á¹£madeva was the most affectionate grandfather of the PÄṇá¸avas and caretaker of the widow daughter-in-law KuntÄ«devÄ«. Although MahÄrÄja Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra, the elder uncle of MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, was there to look after them, his affection was more on the side of his hundred sons, headed by Duryodhana. Ultimately a colossal clique was fabricated to deprive the five fatherless brothers of the rightful claim of the kingdom of HastinÄpura. There was great intrigue, common in imperial palaces, and the five brothers were exiled to the wilderness. But BhÄ«á¹£madeva was always a sincerely sympathetic well-wisher, grandfather, friend and philosopher to MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, even up to the last moment of his life. He died very happily by seeing MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira to the throne, otherwise he would have long ago quitted his material body, instead of suffering agony over the undue sufferings of the PÄṇá¸avas. He was simply waiting for the opportune moment because he was sure and certain that the sons of PÄṇá¸u would come out victorious on the Battlefield of Kuruká¹£etra, as His Lordship ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa was their protector. As a devotee of the Lord, he knew that the Lord’s devotee cannot be vanquished at any time. MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira was quite aware of all these good wishes of BhÄ«á¹£madeva, and therefore he must have been feeling the great separation. He was sorry for the separation of a great soul, and not for the material body which BhÄ«á¹£madeva relinquished. The funeral ceremony was a necessary duty, although BhÄ«á¹£madeva was a liberated soul. Since BhÄ«á¹£madeva was without issue, the eldest grandson, namely MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, was the rightful person to perform this ceremony. It was a great boon to BhÄ«á¹£madeva that an equally great son of the family undertook the last rites of a great man.