Question 1

What are the five limbs of the Panchang?

Accepted Answer

The five limbs are tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. Tithi is the lunar day, vara is the weekday, nakshatra is the lunar mansion the Moon occupies, yoga is a combined measure of the Sun and Moon positions, and karana is half a tithi. Panchang literally means five limbs. A reading that leaves one out is incomplete.

Question 2

Why does this Panchang differ from the calendar at home?

Accepted Answer

Most differences come from location, ayanamsa or the calendar tradition in use. A printed calendar is usually calculated for one city, so its sunrise and its tithi endings will not match yours. Regional systems also differ: Amanta calendars end the lunar month at the New Moon while Purnimanta calendars end it at the Full Moon, which shifts month names by roughly a fortnight.

Question 3

Why is a tithi not the same length as a day?

Accepted Answer

A tithi is set by the Moon gaining 12 degrees on the Sun, not by the clock. Since the Moon's speed varies, a tithi runs roughly 19 to 26 hours and its start and end rarely align with sunrise. The Panchang therefore names the tithi in force at sunrise and also shows when it ends.

Question 4

What does the nakshatra in the Panchang refer to?

Accepted Answer

It is the nakshatra the Moon is transiting at that moment, not your birth nakshatra. The Moon crosses one in roughly a day, so this value describes the tone of the day, while your Janma Nakshatra stays fixed by the Moon's position at the time you were born.

Question 5

What is the difference between yoga and karana?

Accepted Answer

Yoga is calculated from the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon and there are 27 of them, while karana is simply half a tithi and there are 11 that repeat through the month. They are independent of the yogas found in a birth chart, which are planetary combinations and a different subject entirely.

Question 6

Why does the Panchang need my location?

Accepted Answer

Sunrise and sunset decide when the Vedic day begins and ends, and both depend on where you are. Location also fixes the timings that are derived from them, including Rahu Kaal, Gulika Kaal, Abhijit Muhurta and Brahma Muhurta. A Panchang calculated for another city will give you the wrong windows even when the tithi and nakshatra are the same.

Question 7

Which ayanamsa does this Panchang use?

Accepted Answer

It uses Lahiri, which is the ayanamsa adopted by the Indian government's calendar reform committee and the most widely used one in India. Ayanamsa is the correction applied to convert tropical positions into the sidereal zodiac that Vedic astrology works with. A different ayanamsa would shift planetary degrees slightly and can occasionally change a nakshatra near a boundary.

Today's Panchang

ThursdayGuruvara

Move with the day

The five limbs of Panchang

Tithi · Lunar day

Nakshatra · Moon's star

Yoga · Sun and Moon harmony

Karana · Half tithi

Sacred and practical timings

Abhijit Muhurat

Vijaya Muhurta

Amrit Kalam

Brahma Muhurta

Rahu Kaal

Gulikai Kalam

Yamaganda

Dur Muhurtam

Sunrise

Sunset

Moonrise

Moonset

The ruler of every hour

Moon, Paksha and lunar month

Current Moon phase

Paksha · Lunar fortnight

Lunar month · Masa

Moon sign

Sun sign

The other seven grahas

Frequently Asked Questions