Hara Hara Shankara Bhishma Tarpanam- Page# 1 Jaya Jaya Shankara

Shri Vedavyasaya namah:

Shri Shankara Bhagavatpadacharya Paramparagatha Mulamnaya
Sarvagna Peeta - Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam - Kanchipuram
Veda DharmaSasthra Paripalana Sabha Kumbakonam, (Regd. 1942)
॥ Bhishma Tarpanam॥
As per the benevolent orders of Jagadguru Shri Kanchi Acharya, this has been compiled for
Veda Dharma Paripalana Sabha by Purvamimamsa Vidvan Shri Nilakantha Sastrigal, adhyapaka at
Pazhur Sriramachandra Ayyar Memorial Veda Sastra Pathasala functioning under the Kamakoti
Peetam.
.
ShriBhishma Pitamaha whose very nature was dharma undertook a vow of celibacy and
lived as a Brahmachari throughout his life. Hence, he did not have any descendants.
He had the boon of icchamrtyu (choosing when he could leave his body). So he waited until
Uttarayanam and shed his mortal coils on Shukla Ashtami in Magha Masa. Therefore, all of us
should offer Tarpanam and Arghyadanam for the sake of Bhishma on Magha masa Shukla
Ashtami. Laugakshi Smrti says that those who offer this Bhishma Tarpanam gets as much punya
as one who feeds a thousand brahmanas..
अष्टमीदिवसे च ैव भीष्मतर् पणमाचरेत ।् ्
िद्यात प्रिद्याि ्
् भीष्माय तर् पणं प्रदतवत्सरम ॥

तेन तर् पणमात्रेण सहस्रदिजभोजने । यत्फलं कदितं सदिस्तिवाप्नोत्यसंशयः ॥

ब्राह्मणाद्या्च ये वणापः िद्य युरभभीषष्माय नो जलम ।् युर नश्यदत सत्तम ॥
सम्वत्सरकृ तं तेषां र्ण्यं
Padma Puranam also warns that those who do not not offer this Tarpana to Bhishma on
Bhishmashtami, lose the punya accumulated during the entire year. Hence we should all offer
Tarpanam and Arghyadanam for the sake of Pitamaha Bhishma and strive to become those who
perform their duties well.
After completion of the anushthanas of nityakarmas such as morning Snanam, Sandhyavandanam
everyone should do Tarpanam and Arghyacdanam for Bhishma.

आचमनम ्। शक्
युर ां + शान्तये । प्राणानायम्य । ममोर्ात्त + प्रीत्यि पम ्शभयुर े शोभने महूयुर ते अद्यब्रह्मणः दितीयर्रार्धे श्वेतवराहकल्पे
युर े प्रिमे र्ािे जम्बूिीर्े भारतवषे भरतखण्डे मेरोः िदिणे र्ाश्वे िण्डकारण्ये शकाब्दे
वैवस्वत-मन्वन्तरे अष्टादवंशदततमे कदलयग
युर -र्िे
अदिन्वतपमाने व्यावहादरके प्रभवािीनां षष्ट्ाः संवत्सराणां मध्ये दवलम्ब-संवत्सरे उत्तरायणे …………ऋतौ -मासे शक्
युर ायां ……नित्र-यक्त
अष्टम्यां-शभयुर दतिौ ……वासर-यक्त युर ायाम ् अस्याम ् अष्टम्यां शभयुर दतिौ
युर ायां …….योग ……करण-यक्त
युर
ममोर्ात्त-समस्त-दुदरतियिारा श्रीर्रमेश्वर-प्रीत्यिं भीष्माष्टमी-र्ण्यकाले ्
भीष्मतर् पणम अर्घ्पिानञ्च कदरष्ये
जीवदितादर् कयुरवभीषत तर् पणं यमभीष्मयोः (Those whose father is living can also offer Tarpanam for
Yama and Bhishma)
According to this vachana, those whose father is alive should also offer Tarpanam to
Bhishma. Those who do not have a father should wear the Yajnopavitam on the left and offer
Tarpanam via the Pitr Tirtham with water mixed with tila(sesame). Those whose father is alove
should offer Tarpanam with just as in Pitr Tarpanam in Brahmayajna (with Yajnopavitam upto
the left wrist and with only water) with Pitr Tirtham.

Veda Dharmasastra Paripalana Sabha (WhatsApp & Telegram in both 9884655618 8072613857, [email protected])
Hara Hara Shankara Bhishma Tarpanam- Page# 2 Jaya Jaya Shankara

उिकिानमन्त्रः
वैयाघ्रर्ािगोत्राय साङ्कृत्यप्रवराय च । युर भीष्माय प्रिास्येऽहं दतलोिकम ।्
गङ्गार्त्राय
अर्त्राय ्
युर ििाम्येतत सदललं भीष्मवमपण े । भीष्मं तर् पयादम
With the following Shlokas, everyone should offer Arghya Danam with water three times similar
to how Arghya danam is done in Sandhyavandanam.
युर ये गाङ्गेयाय महात्मने ।
सत्यव्रताय शच अर्घ्ं ििादम भीष्माय सोमवंशोिवाय च ॥
भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।् भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।् भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।्
वसूनामवताराय शन्तनोरात्मजाय च । अर्घ्ं ििादम भीष्माय आजन्मब्रह्मचादरणे ॥
भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।् भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।् भीष्माय नमः इिमर्घ्पम ।्
Prarthana
भीष्मः शान्तनवो वीरः सत्यवािी दजतेदियः । आदभरदिरवाप्नोत युर र्त्रर्ौत्रोदचताः
युर दियाः ॥
With this shloka, offer Prarthana to Bhishma.
युर
कायेन वाचा मनसेदियवै ाप धयात्मात्मना वा प्रकृ तेव स्वभावात ।्
्
करोदम यद्यत सकलं र्रि ै नारायणायेदत समर् पयादम ॥
युर
अनेन मया कृ तेन भीष्माष्टमी-र्ण्यकाले युर
भीष्मतर् पणेन र्रमात्मा सप्रीतः युर
सप्रसन्नः वरिो भवत युर ॥
शभयुर म ्
(In Roman Script)
ācamanam । śuklāṃ + śāntaye । prāṇānāyamya । mamopātta + prītyartham
śubhe śobhane muhūrte adyabrahmaṇaḥ dvitīyaparārdhe śvetavarāhakalpe
vaivasvata-manvantare aṣṭāviṃśatitame kaliyuge prathame pāde
jambūdvīpe bhāratavarṣe bharatakhaṇḍe meroḥ dakṣiṇe pārśve
daṇḍakāraṇye śakābde asminvartamāne vyāvahārike prabhavādīnāṃ
ṣaṣṭyāḥ saṃvatsarāṇāṃ madhye vilamba-saṃvatsare uttarāyaṇe …………ṛtau
-māse śukla-pakṣe aṣṭamyāṃ-śubhatithau ……vāsara-yuktāyāṃ ……nakṣatra-
yuktāyāṃ …….yoga ……karaṇa-yuktāyām asyām aṣṭamyāṃ śubhatithau
mamopātta-samasta-duritakṣayadvārā śrīparameśvara-prītyarthaṃ
bhīṣmāṣṭamī-puṇyakāle bhīṣmatarpaṇam arghyadānañca kariṣye

jīvatpitāpi kurvīta tarpaṇaṃ yamabhīṣmayoḥ ।

According to this vachana, those whose father is alive should also offer Tarpanam to
Bhishma. Those who do not have a father should wear the Yajnopavitam on the left and offer
Tarpanam via the Pitr Tirtha with water mixed with tila(sesame). Those whose father is alove
should offer Tarpanam with just as in Pitr Tarpanam in Brahmayajna (with Yajnopavitam upto
the left wrist and with only water) with Pitr Tirtham.
udakadānamantraḥ-
vaiyāghrapādagotrāya sāṅkṛtyapravarāya ca ।
gaṅgāputrāya bhīṣmāya pradāsye'haṃ tilodakam ।।
aputrāya dadāmyetat salilaṃ bhīṣmavarmaṇe । bhīṣmaṃ tarpayāmi

With the following Shlokas, everyone should offer Arghya Danam with water three
times similar to how Arghya danam is done in Sandhyavandanam.
satyavratāya śucaye gāṅgeyāya mahātmane ।
arghyaṃ dadāmi bhīṣmāya somavaṃśodbhavāya ca ।।
bhīṣmāya namaḥ idamarghyam । bhīṣmāya namaḥ idamarghyam । bhīṣmāya
namaḥ idamarghyam ।
vasūnāmavatārāya śantanorātmajāya ca ।
arghyaṃ dadāmi bhīṣmāya ājanmabrahmacāriṇe ।।
bhīṣmāya namaḥ idamarghyam । bhīṣmāya namaḥ idamarghyam । bhīṣmāya
namaḥ idamarghyam ।
Veda Dharmasastra Paripalana Sabha (WhatsApp & Telegram in both 9884655618 8072613857, [email protected])
Hara Hara Shankara Bhishma Tarpanam- Page# 3 Jaya Jaya Shankara

Prarthana
bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo vīraḥ satyavādī jitendriyaḥ ।
ābhiradbhiravāpnotu putrapautrocitāḥ kriyāḥ ।।
With this shloka, offer Prarthana to Bhishma.

kāyena vācā manasendriyairvā buddhyātmanā vā prakṛte: svabhāvāt ।

karomi yadyat sakalaṃ parasmai nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayāmi ।।
anena mayā kṛtena bhīṣmāṣṭamī-puṇyakāle bhīṣmatarpaṇena paramātmā
suprītaḥ suprasannaḥ varado bhavatu ।।

śubhamastu

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