In plain words
At the very end, for the uplift of the land, he took command and fought against the Pāṇḍavas in the Mahābhārata war. On the ninth day he fell, brought down by the arrows Arjuna shot. The arrows were lodged all over his body. His body did not touch the ground. The whole of it rested on the arrows alone. They called that the śaratalpa. That is, it had become a bed of arrows. Again he asked that same Arjuna. Such an embodiment of calm. He asked the very Arjuna who had brought him down. Arjuna, you have made me a bed, but you have not given me a pillow; my head is falling down. Shooting arrows again like this, he set the head in the middle of them. But his faith was that only if death came at its right time would his birth be fulfilled. From that day until the time of Uttarāyaṇa came, he sat for fifty-six days in the thought of God. However much suffering befell the body, however many pains tormented him, he took no account of this body. The sacred time must come to me. Until then I must not give up this life. Life is very precious. Resolved to give up this precious life of his only at a precious time, he lay on that bed of arrows for fifty-six days. So as not to waste this time, he went on teaching others statecraft, the conduct of the home and the teachings of Śānti. This is what the Mahābhārata calls the Śānti Parva. He described well to all the Pāṇḍavas all their own fine qualities. Such a great man, with such power of self-control, was Bhīṣma. The root and support of all this was his Śānta Bhakti. Whatever the hardships, whatever the losses, whatever the blame, whatever the harsh words, he bore them all, endured them and kept God in mind. In that battle Kṛṣṇa Himself came to kill Bhīṣma. Truly, Kṛṣṇa had no wish to strike Bhīṣma. Because Arjuna had grown weak, to stir up some fury in Arjuna: Arjuna! You are like a coward. I Myself will fight, He said, and took up arrows. That is, as Kṛṣṇa came at Bhīṣma only to give Arjuna strength, Bhīṣma, even at that moment, went on praying to Kṛṣṇa.
The light of His earrings, as He sprang forth, spread over the whole sky; as He bounded, the earth, unable to bear it, shook under the weight of the worlds within His belly; taking up the discus as He came on in haste, the yellow cloth upon Him slipping, I have trusted You; do not make my strength a mockery; forgive me, cried Krīḍi, pulling Him back again; flashing like a lion that leaps upon an elephant, Today I will kill Bhīṣma, I will protect you; let Me go, Arjuna, He said, and through the shower of my arrows the God who presses on toward me is my refuge.