Upon hearing about Bhisma-panchaka, non-devotees respond by saying, “O what a terrible vrata!”(word bhisma means terrible)
I. INTRODUCTION
Bhisma Panchaka is a special 5-day vrata starting on Utthana Ekadasi tithi (which usually means dashami when the ekadasi tithi starts) and ending on Karttika Purnima. Pure Krishna bhakti is easily obtained by following Bhisma Pancaka Vrata.
By following Bhisma Pancaka in Vrindavana one can fulfill all his desires and easily attain pure devotional service to Sri Krishna.
II. STARTING BATH:
Begin with sunrise bath in holy place or at home on Dashami. Then starting the vrata, worship Bhismadeva with a bhoga offering, water and afterwards aratik. (use a painting of Bhismadeva for puja). Everyday bathe in silence at sunrise. Then offer obeisances and water to Bhisma along with this prayer: “I offer this water to Bhisma, who has Vaiyaghra pada gotra and Sanskrit pravara. I offer respectful obeisances to Bhisma, the incarnation of Vasu, who is the son of Santanu and a lifelong celibate.” Worship Bhisma and pray for his mercy to complete the vow.
III. PUJA:
1. Daily bathe Deities with panchamrta.
2. Offer new clothes to the Deities.
3. Offer excellent food and cloves to the Deities.
4. Offer aratika with incense, ghee lamp, water in a conchshell, napkin, flowers and camara, also offer camphor lamp mixed with aguru oil.
5. Maintain an akhanda dipa near the Deities or Tulasi for the entire five days.
6. Offer ghee lamp in morning and evening to the Deities.
7. Daily offer ghee lamp to Tulasi devi. On Utthana Ekadasi, offer lotus flowers to Krishna’s feet; on Dvadasi, offer bilva leaves to Krishna’s knees; on Trayodasi, offer jasmine flowers to Krishna’s head.
IV. ACTION:
1. Observe celibacy and sleep on the floor.
2. After Deity puja, chant 108 times the mantra, “Om namo vasudevaya”.
V. EATING:
Begin Dashami fasting til sunset and eat phalahara, no grains. Every day eat once only after sunset. Eat fruits fresh and dried, nuts, boiled roots like potato and sweet potato. Ok to eat ghee, ekadasi salt, black pepper and ginger. No other spices can be taken. Continue this diet every day until Purnima.
A. Dasami ( During the Ekadasi Tithi ): Eat ½ tsp of cow dung; then eat only once after sunset.
B. Ekadasi: Nirajala vrata; if you can’t do this, then eat muni-phala (apple, papaya, banana, mousambi) only once after sunset.
C. Dvadasi: Break fast with Maha Tulasi leaf and water; then drink lemon water with misri if you did Nirjala vrata; if you ate muniphala on ekadasi, then break fast with charnamrta or a few cashews, almonds or raisins; then drink 50 ml of cow urine; eat the recommended foods once a day after sunset.
D. Trayodasi: Eat ghee once after sunrise. After sunset, eat recommended foods.
E. Caturdasi: Eat yoghurt once after sunrise. After sunset, eat recommended foods.
F. Purnima: Drink milk once after sunrise; and follow the rules below for fast breaking.
VI. BREAKING THE FAST:
1. Before you break your fast, you must first feed brahmanas sweet rice made from cow’s milk and serve them all the foods you fasted from during your vratas of Bhisma, Kartik and Chaturmasya.
3. Give money, gifts, sesame seeds and pots of water to the brahmanas.
4. Now break your fast during Purnima Abhijit Muhurta (11:45 am to 12:30 pm appx.), or later if necessary, but before sunset of Purnima day. First eat panchagavya (cow dung, cow urine, cow milk, cow yoghurt and cow ghee)
5. Then eat sweet rice.
6. Now eat all foods fasted from for Chaturmasya, Karttika Vrata and Bhisma Pancaka (eg. spinach, yoghurt, urad dal, milk, sweets, honey etc.)
7. Shave your head.
8. All the above actions should be completed before sunset or before the end of Purnima tithi.
By Mahanidhi Swami