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तत्त्द् गतिवशन्नित्यं यथा दृक्-तुल्यतां ग्रहाः।
प्रयान्ति तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि स्फ़ुटिकरणमादरात्॥ सुर्य सिद्धान्त ॥

यस्मिन् पक्षे यत्र काले येन दृग्गणितैक्यम्।
दृश्यते तेन पक्षेण कुर्यात्तिथ्यादिनिर्णयम्॥ वशिष्ठ॥

यात्राविवाहोत्सवजातकादौ खेटैः स्फुटैरेवफलस्फुटत्वम्।
स्यात्प्रोच्यते तेन नभश्चराणां स्फुटक्रिया दृग्गणितैक्यकृद्या॥ भास्कराचार्य॥

तिथिर्विष्णुस्तथा वारो नक्षत्रं विष्णुरेव च।
योगश्च करणं चैव सर्वं विष्णु मयं जगत्॥


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Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Bhishma Panchaka 2026, November 20 to 24 (November 19 to 23 in San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary): Dates for India, US, Canada, UK

Bhishma Panchaka 2026 is from Friday, November 20 to Tuesday, November 24, 2026 in India, the UK, the eastern and central United States and eastern Canada. In San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Calgary and Vancouver it is from Thursday, November 19 to Monday, November 23. Please check the page for your own city.

Bhishma Panchaka is the five day vow of Kartika, kept from the Ekadashi of the bright half of Kartika to the full moon, Kartika Purnima. It remembers Bhishma Pitamaha, who taught the Pandavas from his bed of arrows. Panchaka means "a group of five", for its five days.

From the Skanda Purana

Bhishma was the son of King Shantanu, a great warrior who never married and never had a child, and the Purana says he was one of the Vasus, the shining gods, born on earth. In the time of the Pandavas he lay on a bed of arrows. Lying there, he spoke at length about the duties of kings, about the path to freedom of the soul, and about giving gifts, while the five Pandava brothers and Lord Krishna sat and listened.

On the eleventh day of the bright half of Kartika, Bhishma asked for water. Arjuna, swift as an arrow, brought him water of the holy Ganga, and Bhishma's body was refreshed. Then Lord Krishna, full of joy, said to him: "You are truly blessed, Bhishma. You have taught all the duties of dharma. Because your body was satisfied today, let all people offer water to you and honour you, from this day until the full moon day. Let them keep this vow, named Bhishma Panchaka, with all their heart. It will give me joy."

That is how the vow got its name. It is called Bhishma Panchaka because Bhishma received it from Krishna, and also, the Purana says, because it is hard to keep, as the word bhishma means "awesome".

The Purana adds that the vow is old. In the Krita yuga the sages Vasishtha, Bhrigu and Garga kept it, and in the Treta yuga King Ambarisha kept it. Later King Atithi of Ayodhya kept it on the advice of Vasishtha, and he reached the city of Vishnu. The Purana also says that Bhishma's time to leave his body did not fall in Uttarayana, the Sun's northward course, but Lord Hari, pleased with him, gave him that time and a pure and auspicious hour to depart.

The blessings the Purana promises are great. The vow destroys great sins and brings merit equal to a horse sacrifice, and those who cannot keep the whole month long Kartika vow may keep these five days and gain its merit.

The Padma Purana and the Bhavishya Purana tell the same in short. In the Bhavishya Purana, Krishna tells Yudhishthira that Bhishma himself, lying on the bed of arrows, told him this vow, and that it is the best of all vows.

Bhishma Panchaka 2026, city by city

Click your city for the full page, with the first and last day of the vow.

India (November 20 to 24)

United Kingdom (November 20 to 24)

United States

Canada

Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/bhishmapanchaka.php and choose your city. In Hindi: भीष्म पंचक

Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi, Tulsi Vivah and Dev Deepawali also fall in these days; each has its own page for your city.

For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa

May the blessings of Bhishma Pitamaha and Lord Krishna be with you through these five holy days. Wishing you a blessed Bhishma Panchaka.

Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com

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