Five-day Vishnu vrat from Devutthana Ekadashi to Kartika Purnima, in honour of Bhishma

Bhishma Panchak, or Vishnu Panchak, is the five-day vrat from Kartika Shukla Ekadashi to Kartika Purnima, the last and holiest days of Kartika. The Padma Purana tells that as Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows after the Mahabharata war, waiting for the auspicious Uttarayana to leave his body, Krishna brought Yudhishthira to him. For these five days Bhishma taught the Pandavas raja dharma, moksha dharma and the Vishnu Sahasranama. Krishna declared that these five days would henceforth be known as Bhishma Panchak, and that whoever fasts during them receives the merit of the whole Chaturmas. Traditionally the fast is progressive: on the first day one takes only cow dung (as a symbolic panchagavya purification); on the second cow's urine; on the third milk; on the fourth curd; and on the fifth, after bathing and puja, the fast is broken. Today most devotees keep phalahar or one meal a day. Offering lotuses to Vishnu, lighting ghee lamps, reading the Vishnu Sahasranama, and offering arghya and tarpan to Bhishma are central. Those unable to observe the whole Kartika vrat are advised to keep at least these five days.

Traditionally a progressive panchagavya fast; today most take fruit, milk or one satvik meal daily.