ObservanceIndian · Hindu
Bhishma Ashtami
Next date
Sunday, 14 February 2027
- Tithi at sunrise
- Waxing Eighthuntil 00:41 next day
- Nakshatra
- Krittikauntil 04:46 next day
- Lunar month
- Maha
- Sunrise
- 07:11Sunset 18:36
In short
Bhishma Ashtami is a observance observed according to the Hindu calendar. Its date and customary practices can vary by region and local Panchang.
The story
Bhishma Ashtami remembers Bhishma, one of the most complex and revered elders of the Mahabharata. Born Devavrata, he took a terrible lifelong vow of celibacy and renounced the throne so that his father Shantanu could marry Satyavati; the force of that vow earned him the name Bhishma. During the Kurukshetra war he fought for the Kaurava side because of his duty to the throne of Hastinapura, even while loving and advising the Pandavas. After falling on a bed of arrows, Bhishma used his boon of choosing the time of death and waited for the auspicious northward course of the Sun. Tradition places his departure around the bright fortnight of Magha. On Bhishma Ashtami devotees offer water and sesame in remembrance of him, honouring sacrifice, duty and the difficult moral questions his life raises.
Why it matters
Bhishma Ashtami is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.
What people do
Tarpan with water and sesame, offered by anyone rather than only by those whose father has died.
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