The panchang explained: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana

Tithi: the lunar day

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12 degrees on the Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, 15 while the Moon is waxing (shukla paksha) and 15 while it is waning (krishna paksha). The waxing fortnight ends with Purnima, the full moon, and the waning one ends with Amavasya, the new moon. Because the Moon's speed changes, a tithi lasts anywhere from about 19 to 26 hours, so it starts and ends at different times of the day and a tithi can even be skipped or repeated on the calendar.

The names repeat in both fortnights: Pratipada, Dwitiya, Tritiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Trayodashi and Chaturdashi, and then Purnima or Amavasya. Ekadashi, Chaturthi and Purnima are among the days many families observe.

Vara: the weekday

The weekday is named for a graha: Ravivar for the Sun, Somvar for the Moon, Mangalvar for Mars, Budhvar for Mercury, Guruvar for Jupiter, Shukravar for Venus and Shanivar for Saturn. In the traditional reckoning the day begins at sunrise and not at midnight, so a birth just after midnight belongs to the previous weekday in a traditional chart.

Nakshatra: the Moon's mansion

The nakshatra of the day is the one the Moon is passing through. The Moon spends about a day in each of the 27, and its ruling planet and deity give the day a character that the panchang notes. This is the same measure that sets your own dasha from the Moon at birth.

Yoga: the Sun and Moon added

To find the yoga, add the sidereal longitudes of the Sun and the Moon and divide by 13 degrees 20 minutes. Each division is one of 27 yogas, from Vishkambha and Priti to Vaidhriti. Some are considered favourable and some, such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti, are marked as ones to avoid for new beginnings. It is another number taken from the same two bodies, not a separate astronomical event.

Karana: half a tithi

A karana is half a tithi, which is 6 degrees of the Moon's gain on the Sun, so a month has 60. Seven karanas, Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti (also called Bhadra), repeat eight times to fill the first 56. The last four are fixed: Shakuni, Chatushpada, Naga and Kimstughna. Vishti is the one many people avoid for starting something new.

A reading of a sample day

Imagine a panchang line that reads: Shukla Chaturthi, Thursday (Guruvar), Rohini nakshatra, Siddhi yoga, Balava karana. It says the Moon is 36 to 48 degrees ahead of the Sun (the fourth tithi of the bright fortnight), the day is ruled by Jupiter, the Moon is in Rohini, the Sun and Moon sum to the sixteenth yoga, Siddhi, and the first half of the tithi is Balava. Each part is a separate fact. Families then use them for the day's observances and for choosing a time.

Related items in a daily panchang

• Sunrise and sunset, and the Moon's rising time for the place. Everything in the traditional day is measured from sunrise.
• The lunar month and the Samvat year. Some regions count months from the new moon (amanta) and others from the full moon (purnimanta), so the same festival can fall in a differently named month.
• Special periods such as Rahu Kalam, a block of about an hour and a half each day that many people avoid for new starts. It is a custom whose timing follows the weekday.
• Festival and fast days, which follow the tithi and nakshatra rather than the date of the calendar.

Why two panchangs can differ

Panchangs differ when they use different ayanamsas, locations, sunrise rules or methods for the Moon's position. A tithi that ends within minutes of a day's boundary can fall on different dates in two almanacs, and festivals sometimes show a different date from region to region for that reason. Like a birth chart, a panchang is exact calculation under the rules chosen, and what it is used for is a matter of tradition.

Frequently asked questions