  GRS 1915$+$105 is a stellar-mass black hole that is well known for exhibiting
at least 12 distinct classes of X-ray variability and correlated
multi-wavelength behavior. Despite such extraordinary variability, GRS
1915$+$105 remained one of the brightest sources in the X-ray sky. However, in
early 2019, the source became much fainter, apparently entering a new accretion
state. Here, we report the results of an extensive, year-long monitoring
campaign of GRS 1915$+$105 with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. During this
interval, the flux of GRS 1915$+$105 gradually diminished; the observed count
rate eventually dropped by two orders of magnitude. Simple but robust spectral
fits to these monitoring observations show that this new state results from the
combination of a dramatic and persistent increase in internal obscuration, and
a reduced mass accretion rate. The internal obscuration is the dominant effect,
with a median value of $N_{H} = 7\times 10^{23}~{\rm cm}^{-2}$. In a number of
observations, the source appears to be Compton-thick. We suggest that this
state should be identified as the "obscured state," and discuss the
implications of this new (or rarely observed) accretion mode for black holes
across the mass scale.
