20251102 Bhīṣma-pañcaka Message

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: So now we are observing Bhīṣma-pañcaka. This is mentioned in Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s book, that the merit you can get by doing this vrata is unlimited. There are dietary restrictions – you can do three varieties: Pañca-gavya, fruits and roots and haviṣyānna. Since I am a diabetic patient, I do haviṣyānna. Most of the devotees do fruits and roots.

Anyway, every morning we offer a particular flower to a particular part of Kṛṣṇa’s form. And the pūjārīs offer it on behalf of devotees, but you can also participate. So then, before lunch we bathe in the Ganges and we offer tarpaṇa, argya, praṇāma to Bhīṣmadeva. Then we take prasāda. We do a saṅkalpa that: ahaṁ bhīṣma-pañcaka vrata kariṣye. So that is the basis and we break the fast on the last day after sunset. Then we can take a feast!

Hare Kṛṣṇa!