him his life. It is Bhishma who abducts
Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika, the
daughters of the king of Kashi, to
be married to his stepbrother
Vichitravirya. Ambika and Ambalika
happily marry Vichitravirya, but when
Amba confides that she has already
given her heart to King Salva, Bhishma
releases her to go to him. Salva rejects
Amba on the grounds that her virgin-
ity is suspect, since she has been
abducted by another man. Amba
returns to Bhishma and demands that
he marry her since he is responsible
for her plight, and when Bhishma
refuses to break his vow, Amba is
determined to get revenge. She is
reborn as the man-woman Shikhandi,
behind whom the Pandava prince
Arjunahides to shoot the arrows that
eventually kill Bhishma.
Bhishma is a great man who is
respected by all. His skill with arms
makes him one of the finest warriors of
his time, but he is most famous as a wise
and generous counselor to both the
Pandavas and the Kauravas. Although
he ultimately sides with the Kaurava
prince Duryodhana in the war
between the two groups, before its
outbreak Bhishma repeatedly advises
Duryodhana to make peace with the
Pandavas and share the kingdom with
them. He fights valiantly in the
Mahabharata war and destroys a large
part of the Pandava armies, but finally
he is hit by so many of Arjuna’s arrows
that he lays upon them like a bed.
Although Bhishma is mortally wounded
by Arjuna, he delays his death (through
the boon given by his vow) until the sun
resumes its more auspiciousnorthern
path (uttarayana). During this time he
gives the victorious Pandavas copious
instruction on state affairs and related
topics. Bhishma’s unswerving commit-
ment to a vow that deprives him of the
joys of family life, and his inability to
avert the fratricidal conflict between his
nephews, through which the family is
ultimately destroyed, make him a lonely,
somewhat tragic figure.
Bhishma Ashtami
Festival celebrated on the eighth day
(ashtami) of the light, or waxing, half of
the lunar month called Magh
( January–February), marking the death
of Bhishma. Bhishma is an uncle to
both the Kauravasand the Pandavas,
warring factions in the Hindu epic
Mahabharata. He is well known for his
bravery, continence, and truthfulness.
He also has the power to choose the
time of his death. Although he is mortal-
ly wounded in the great Mahabharata
war, he remains alive until weekslater
(delivering discourses and advice to the
victorious Pandavas the entire time),
delaying his death until the sun has
resumed its northward course
(uttarayana). On this day parents give
offerings of food and water in
Bhishma’s name in the hope that their
sonsmay have his good qualities.Bhogamandapa
(“food pavilion”) The outermost
entrance hall in the style of architecture
found in the largest temples in Orissa.
At the temple of Jagannathin Puri, the
term bhogamandapaspecifically refers
to the area where the food offered to
Jagannath as prasad(“favor”) is cooked.
Jagannath’s temple is unusual in that the
normal restrictions regarding commen-
sality are suspended. Everyone eats
together rather than being segregated by
caste, signifying Jagannath’s ultimate
lordship over all beings. The promi-
nence of this particular rite makes the
bhogamandapa all the more important.Bhogawara
One of the four major organizational
groups of the Dashanami Sanyasis,
renunciant ascetics who are devotees
(bhakta) of the god Shiva; the other
three groups are Kitawara, Bhuriwara,
and Anandawara. Each of these divi-
sions has its headquarters in one of the
four monastic centers (maths) suppos-
edly established by the philosopher
Shankaracharya. Each group also hasBhogawara