Relections on Bhishma Panchaka - Ekadasi Period and Fasting etc.

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The last 5 days of the month of Kaarttika are traditionally known as the

Bhishma Panchaka or the Vishnu Panchaka. In the Hari Bhakti Vilasa, it is

said that if one is capable, one should observe fasting from certain

foodstuffs on the Bhishma-panchaka for the pleasure of the Lord. This is

optional. The Padma Purana say that one pleases the Lord and makes spiritual

advancement by such austerities.

 

This year's Bhishma Panchaka was for four days since the day of ekadasi this

year was a maha-dvadasi. So it got shortened to four days.

 

Some devotees in Mayapur (Brahmacaris, Grhasthas alike) fast from grains

during these 5 days. The strictest way of doing this fast is to take only

the five products of the cow (pancha gavya) on each of the five days(!). I

didn't hear of anyone doing this. But usually those who do this fast

restrict their eating like during ekadasis: no grains and beans.

 

As an example and observation, HH Jayapataka Swami was drinking only fruit

juices and taking his medicines as his Bhishma-panchaka vrata! Still HH

Jayapataka Swami was going on with his work and meeting with devotees,

management, early morning programs, late resting, and everything as he does

normally.

 

HH Jayapataka Swami wanted to break the fast after the four days in the

shastric way. Actually that was really interesting because we were not sure

whether the fast-breaking should be done on the last day of the

Bhishma-panchaka or the next day. There were different opinions and some

devotees were quoting some other devotees who were referring to someone else

and so on. It was not so clear what to do. And HH Jayapataka Swami wanted

evidence from the shastra or some shastric authority on how to break the

fast.

 

Kurma Caitanya Prabhu and Ram Gopal Prabhu (both were austere souls fasting

for Bhishma-panchaka from grains) then started to research and came up with

a quote from the Padma Purana which said that on the fifth day of the

Bhishma Panchaka in the night one can break the fast by taking fruits, roots

or 'havishya'. So we showed this to HH Jayapataka Swami. I had thought that

havishya was khitchri since the unmarried gopis took havishya when they

prayed to Goddess Katyayani and I vaguely remembered that havishya was

translated as khitchri in the Bhagavatam. So when we showed the quote (in

sanskrit) to HH Jayapataka Swami, he said that he would take havishya that

night to break the fast. He also mentioned that havishya was *unspiced*

khitchri(!). By this time, I cursed myself for having shown this quote to my

Guru Maharaja. After all, I thought this is not the most pleasant way to

break a four-day juice fast! Guru Maharaja also said that we should find out

what havishya can be made of from the scriptures.

 

Then more research and we found out. It was to be made with rice, mung dal,

optionally certain varieties of saks (green leafy vegetables like spanach),

etc. Salt was okay but no spices and some fruits were mentioned.

 

Meanwhile my Guru Maharaja's cook Topi Krsna Prabhu was pulling out his

hairs when he heard that HH Jayapataka Swami is going to take this

'havishya'. He wasn't happy with me at all about the tasteless 'havishya'

arrangement. I said that this is what HH Jayapataka Swami wants and so this

is what we should prepare and give to our Guru Maharaja. But he said that

after a four-day fast this is *not* what is best for him. He chastised me

for introducing the topic of havishya to our Guru Maharaja. I quoted the

shastra and showed him Hari Bhakti Vilasa, but he said the health of the

spiritual master is more important. Now I was splitting and pulling at

hairs!

 

....And then by Krsna's arrangement, Gauranga Prema Prabhu, one of HH

Jayapataka Swami's seniormost disciples, arrived. Both of us spoke to him

and he told us that if this is what our Guru Maharaja wants, we should do

it. He, in his childhood, had taken 'havishya' and explained to Topi how to

cook havishya.

 

But Topi Krsna prabhu had already previously arranged with Rasesvari Mataji

(Ganga Prabhu's wife) that she would make some soup and pasta for our Guru

Maharaja and by 8:30 PM, she was already upstairs (in the Lotus Building

Roof, Guru Maharaja's quarters) with the pasta prasadam. Anyway, Topi

quickly cooked havishya.

 

When HH Jayapataka Swami came upstairs, he was visibly quite tired. HH

Jayapataka Swami asked what was cooked for him and I showed him the Hari

Bhakti Vilasa's explanation of 'havishya'. Gauranga Prema Prabhu was also

there and they discussed. The glorious havishya then came and was ready for

HH Jayapataka Swami to take. While HH Jayapataka Swami was eating havishya,

he said that it was like Pongal (a South Indian prep). He joked with

Bhagavat-krpa prabhu that this was a feast for him since he was on juice for

the last few days. He then drank milk with tumeric (tumeric is from a root

which is allowed for breaking the fast).

 

We bought the soup and pasta anyway and showed HH Jayapataka Swami but he

refused both. He said that pasta was made out of wheat (which was not

mentioned in Hari Bhakti Vilasa's list of ingredients for havishya). I think

the soup had oregano and as a spice/herb, that was also not mentioned in the

Hari Bhakti Vilasa for sure. Besides this, the soup had things which were

not in the recipe list anyway. HH Jayapataka Swami mildly admonished us that

when the spiritual master wants water we should not give him milk. Now we

learnt the lesson.

 

The next day, our Guru Maharaja took some pasta (finally!) prasadam and left

to Calcutta for his Western tour...

 

For me, the whole episode demonstrated how austere HH Jayapataka Swami was

and is. And he is always like this. Sometimes we don't understand how much

of austerity he takes to please Srila Prabhupada and Krsna.

 

This episode also showed how very renounced devotees need to be, the

following supports this from shastra:

 

mahaprabhura bhakta-ganera vairagya pradhana

yaha dekhi' prita hana gaura-bhagavan

 

Renunciation is the basic principle sustaining the lives of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu's devotees. Seeing this renunciation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is extremely satisfied.

 

PURPORT

Anyone, whether an ordinary materialistic person or a pure devotee, can

understand the behavior of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's devotees if he studies

it minutely. One will thus find that the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

are not at all attached to any kind of material enjoyment. They have

completely given up sense enjoyment to engage fully in the service of Lord

Sri Krsna and dedicate their lives and souls to serving Krsna without

material desires. Because their devotional service is free from material

desires, it is unimpeded by material circumstances. Although ordinary men

have great difficulty understanding this attitude of the devotees, it is

greatly appreciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. (Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 6.220 Verse and Purport by Srila A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

 

© 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

 

Written by Vidvan Gauranga dasa, Mayapur, India.

 

 

 

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Bhishma Panchaka

This kind of 5 day fast is also prescribed for the last 5 days of Kartika

(Damodara) Month and it is known as "Bhisma Pancaka". During that vrata

puja offerings to the Lord are also prescribed. I am listing them below.

There are also mantras that go with these offerings. However, I didn't

find any specific mention about this for Purusottama month. In the Padma

Purana it only stated that in addition to ekadasee one can observe a

"pancaratrika" fast until amavasya. Here are offerings prescribed for

Bhisma Pancaka.

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Devotees may offer the following to the Deity form of the Lord:

 

On the first day, one must offer padma (lotus) flowers to the feet of the

Lord

On the second day, one must offer bilva (wood-apple) leaves of the thigh of

the Lord

On the third day, one must offer gandha (scents) to the navel of the Lord

On the fourth day, one must offer java flower to the shoulders of the Lord

On the fifth day, one must offer malati flower to the head (siro-desa) of

the Lord

 

Reference: Garuda Puraana (op cit.)