Panchang: the Vedic Day Calendar
The Panchang (“five limbs”) describes each day by its weekday (vara), lunar day (tithi), lunar mansion (nakshatra), yoga and karana. It is used across India and South Asia to choose good times for important activities. The day starts at local sunrise, so the results depend on your location.
The five limbs
- Vara: the weekday, starting at sunrise.
- Tithi: each 12° the Moon moves ahead of the Sun; 30 tithis make a lunar month, 15 waxing (Shukla) and 15 waning (Krishna).
- Nakshatra: the Moon's lunar mansion, one of 27 segments of 13°20′.
- Yoga: the sum of the sidereal Sun and Moon, divided into 27 parts.
- Karana: half a tithi; 60 in a lunar month.