Aaj ka panchang (today’s panchang)

How the panchang is calculated

The panchang (पंचांग) describes a day by five limbs. The day runs from one local sunrise to the next, and each limb is shown with the time it ends.

1. Vaar is the weekday, counted from sunrise. A time before sunrise belongs to the previous day’s vaar.
2. Tithi is the lunar day: each time the Moon gains another 12° on the Sun, a new tithi starts. There are 30 in a month, 15 in the bright half (Shukla paksha, ending at Purnima) and 15 in the dark half (Krishna paksha, ending at Amavasya).
3. Nakshatra is the Moon’s star: the Moon’s sidereal position in 27 steps of 13°20′.
4. Yoga is the Sun’s and Moon’s sidereal positions added together, again in 27 steps of 13°20′.
5. Karana is half a tithi (6°), so there are 60 in a month: seven movable karanas repeat eight times and four fixed ones fill the rest.

Worked example

Reading the panchang

A tithi or nakshatra often changes during the day, so a panchang gives the one at sunrise and the time the next one begins. Families check the tithi and nakshatra for fasts, pujas and ceremonies, and avoid Vishti (Bhadra) karana and a few yogas, such as Vyatipata and Vaidhriti, for new beginnings. Many also avoid Rahu kaal and look at the choghadiya or hora for the hour. All of these are counted from the local sunrise; see sunrise and sunset today for your city.

When the Moon is in Kumbha or Meena, the days are called panchak, and some work is traditionally postponed. For a wedding, griha pravesh or a business opening, a muhurat is chosen from the full panchang and the family’s charts; Namieta can prepare one for you.