The Kartika Vows and the Bhishmapanchaka

Verse 1 (garuda.1.123.1)

ब्रह्मोवाच । व्रतानि कार्तिके वक्ष्ये स्नात्वा विष्णुं प्रपूजयेत् । एकभक्तेन नक्तेन मासं वायाचितेन वा

brahmovāca vratāni kārtike vakṣye snātvā viṣṇuṁ prapūjayet ekabhaktena naktena māsaṁ vāyācitena vā

Brahma said: I shall declare the vows of Kartika. Having bathed, one should worship Vishnu, observing the month by eating but once a day, by eating only at night, or by living on unsolicited food.

Verse 2 (garuda.1.123.2)

दुग्धशाकफलाद्यैर्वा उपवासेन वा पुनः । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः प्राप्तकामो हरिं व्रजेत्

dugdhaśākaphalādyairvā upavāsena vā punaḥ sarvapāpavinirmuktaḥ prāptakāmo hariṁ vrajet

Or by living on milk, vegetables, fruit and the like, or again by fasting outright — thus freed from all sin and having attained his desires, one journeys to Hari.

Verse 3 (garuda.1.123.3)

सदा हरेर्व्रतं श्रेष्ठं ततः स्याद्दक्षिणायने । चातुर्मास्ये ततस्तस्मात्कार्तिके भीष्मपञ्चकम्

sadā harervrataṁ śreṣṭhaṁ tataḥ syāddakṣiṇāyane cāturmāsye tatastasmātkārtike bhīṣmapañcakam

The vow of Hari is ever excellent; more excellent still when kept during the sun's southward course; more excellent than that, when kept in Chaturmasya; and most excellent of all, the Bhishmapanchaka vow in Kartika.

Verse 4 (garuda.1.123.4)

ततः श्रेष्ठव्रतं शुक्लस्यैकादश्यां समाचरेत् । स्नात्वा त्रिकालं पित्रादीन्यवाद्यैरर्चयेद्धरिम्

tataḥ śreṣṭhavrataṁ śuklasyaikādaśyāṁ samācaret snātvā trikālaṁ pitrādīnyavādyairarcayeddharim

That most excellent vow one should observe on the Ekadashi of the bright fortnight: bathing three times a day, and having invoked the ancestors and others, one should worship Hari with music and offerings.

Verse 5 (garuda.1.123.5)

यजेन्मौनी घृताद्यैश्च पञ्चगव्येन वारिभिः । स्नापयित्वाथ कर्पूरमुखैश्चैवानुलेपयेत्

yajenmaunī ghṛtādyaiśca pañcagavyena vāribhiḥ snāpayitvātha karpūramukhaiścaivānulepayet

Keeping silence, one should worship with ghee and the like, with the five products of the cow, and with water; then, having bathed the image, one should anoint it with camphor and other fragrances.

Verse 6 (garuda.1.123.6)

घृताक्तगुग्गुलैर्धूपं द्विजः पञ्चदिनं दहेत् । नैवेद्यं परमान्नं तु जपेदष्टोत्तरं शतम्

ghṛtāktaguggulairdhūpaṁ dvijaḥ pañcadinaṁ dahet naivedyaṁ paramānnaṁ tu japedaṣṭottaraṁ śatam

The Brahmin should burn incense of guggulu steeped in ghee for five days; the food-offering should be sweet rice-pudding, and he should recite the mantra one hundred and eight times.

Verse 7 (garuda.1.123.7)

ओं नमो वासुदेवाय घृतव्रीहितिलादिकम् । अष्टाक्षरेण मन्त्रेण स्वाहान्तेन तु होमयेत्

oṁ namo vāsudevāya ghṛtavrīhitilādikam aṣṭākṣareṇa mantreṇa svāhāntena tu homayet

'Om, salutation to Vasudeva' — with this eight-syllabled mantra ending in svaha, one should offer ghee, rice, sesame and the like into the fire.

Verse 8 (garuda.1.123.8)

प्रथमेऽह्नि हरेः पादौ यजेत्पद्मैर्द्वितीयक । बिल्वपत्रैर्जानुदेशं नाभिं गन्धेन चापरे

prathame'hni hareḥ pādau yajetpadmairdvitīyaka bilvapatrairjānudeśaṁ nābhiṁ gandhena cāpare

On the first day one should worship the feet of Hari with lotuses; on the second, the region of the knees with bilva leaves; and on another day, the navel with sandal-paste.

Verse 9 (garuda.1.123.9)

स्कन्धा बिल्वजवाभिश्च पञ्चमेऽह्नि शिरोऽर्चयेत् । मालत्या भूमिशायी स्याद्गोमयं प्राशयेत्क्रमात्

skandhā bilvajavābhiśca pañcame'hni śiro'rcayet mālatyā bhūmiśāyī syādgomayaṁ prāśayetkramāt

The shoulders should be worshipped with bilva leaves and barley; on the fifth day one should worship the head; the votary should sleep on the ground, and in due order partake of cow-dung.

Verse 10 (garuda.1.123.10)

गोमूत्रं च दधि क्षीरं पञ्चमे पञ्चगव्यकम् । नक्तं कुर्यात्पञ्चदश्यां व्रती स्याद्भुक्तिमुक्तिभाक्

gomūtraṁ ca dadhi kṣīraṁ pañcame pañcagavyakam naktaṁ kuryātpañcadaśyāṁ vratī syādbhuktimuktibhāk

Cow's urine, curd and milk — on the fifth day the five products of the cow are taken; on the fifteenth he should eat only at night; thus the votary becomes a sharer in both enjoyment and liberation.

Verse 11 (garuda.1.123.11)

एकादशीव्रतं नित्यं तत्कुर्यात्पक्षयोर्द्वयोः । अघौघनरकं हन्यात्सर्वदं विष्णुलोकदम्

ekādaśīvrataṁ nityaṁ tatkuryātpakṣayordvayoḥ aghaughanarakaṁ hanyātsarvadaṁ viṣṇulokadam

One should keep the Ekadashi vow constantly, in both fortnights of the month; it destroys the mass of sin and hell, grants all things, and bestows the world of Vishnu.

Verse 12 (garuda.1.123.12)

एकादशी द्वादशी च निशान्ते च त्रयोदशी । नित्यमेकादशी यत्र तत्र सन्निहितो हरिः

ekādaśī dvādaśī ca niśānte ca trayodaśī nityamekādaśī yatra tatra sannihito hariḥ

The Ekadashi, the Dvadashi, and, at the end of night, the Trayodashi — wherever the Ekadashi is constantly observed, there Hari is ever present.

Verse 13 (garuda.1.123.13)

दशम्येकादशी यत्र तत्रस्थाश्चासुरादयः । द्वादश्यां पारण कुर्यात्सूतके मृतके चरेत्

daśamyekādaśī yatra tatrasthāścāsurādayaḥ dvādaśyāṁ pāraṇa kuryātsūtake mṛtake caret

Where the Dashami and Ekadashi overlap, there demons and the like are found; the fast should be broken on the Dvadashi; this vow may be kept even in a period of birth-impurity or death-impurity.

Verse 14 (garuda.1.123.14)

चतुर्दशीं प्रतिपदं पूर्वमिश्रामुपावसेत् । पौर्णमास्याममावास्यां प्रतिपन्मिश्रितां मुने

caturdaśīṁ pratipadaṁ pūrvamiśrāmupāvaset paurṇamāsyāmamāvāsyāṁ pratipanmiśritāṁ mune

One should fast on the Chaturdashi when it is mixed with the preceding tithi, and on the Pratipada; O sage, likewise on the full-moon or new-moon day when it is mixed with the Pratipada.

Verse 15 (garuda.1.123.15)

द्वितीयां तृतीयामिश्रां तृतीयाञ्चाप्युपावसेत् । चतुर्थ्या सङ्गतां नित्यं चतुर्थीञ्चानया युताम् । पञ्चमीं षष्ठ्यसंयुक्तां षष्ठ्या युक्ताञ्च सप्तमीम्

dvitīyāṁ tṛtīyāmiśrāṁ tṛtīyāñcāpyupāvaset caturthyā saṅgatāṁ nityaṁ caturthīñcānayā yutām pañcamīṁ ṣaṣṭhyasaṁyuktāṁ ṣaṣṭhyā yuktāñca saptamīm

One should likewise fast on the Dvitiya when mixed with the Tritiya, and on the Tritiya itself; on the Chaturthi when joined with it, on the Panchami when free of the Shashthi, and on the Saptami when joined with the Shashthi.