The Panchang Explained: Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana

Before calendars printed dates, India timed its days by the sky. The panchang — from pancha (five) + anga (limbs) — is the daily almanac of Vedic timekeeping, and it still decides when festivals fall, when weddings are fixed, and when a new venture is traditionally begun. Here are its five limbs, and how to actually read them. (You can see today's live panchang here — computed astronomically, not copied from a printed table.)

1. Tithi — the lunar day

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12° on the Sun. Thirty tithis make a lunar month: fifteen in the Shukla paksha (bright half, new moon to full moon) and fifteen in the Krishna paksha (dark half). Because the Moon's speed varies, a tithi can run shorter or longer than a solar day — which is why festival dates shift each year.

Key tithis: Purnima (full moon), Amavasya (new moon), Ekadashi (the 11th of each half, the classic fasting day), and Chaturthi (the 4th, sacred to Ganesha). Tradition grades tithis as auspicious (Nanda/Purna types) or demanding (Rikta tithis — the 4th, 9th, 14th — generally avoided for beginnings).

2. Vara — the weekday

Each weekday is ruled by a graha: Sunday–Sun, Monday–Moon, Tuesday–Mars, Wednesday–Mercury, Thursday–Jupiter, Friday–Venus, Saturday–Saturn. The vara colours the day's nature — Thursday (Guruvar) for learning and worship, Saturday (Shanivar) for discipline and service. The planetary week is one of humanity's oldest shared institutions, and Jyotish still uses it operationally.

3. Nakshatra — the Moon's mansion of the day

The nakshatra the Moon occupies today sets the day's emotional weather and its fitness for specific activities: Pushya is honoured as the most auspicious star for almost everything except marriage; Rohini favours growth and purchases; the gandanta junctions (ends of Revati, Ashlesha, Jyeshtha) are handled with care. Daily nakshatra is also the basis of tarabala — checking the day's star against your own birth star.

4. Yoga — the Sun–Moon sum

The 27 yogas come from the combined longitudes of Sun and Moon (each yoga spans 13°20′ of the sum). They carry quality labels from the classics — Siddhi (accomplishment) and Amrita (nectar) among the favourable; Vyaghata or Vajra among the harsh. Subtle, but a standard checkbox in muhurta work.

5. Karana — the half-tithi

Each tithi splits into two karanas. Seven movable karanas rotate through the month, plus four fixed ones around new moon — including Vishti (Bhadra), the one karana traditionally avoided for auspicious beginnings. Panchang readers check Bhadra timings before fixing ceremonies.

How the five are used together: muhurta

Electional astrology — muhurta — is the art of choosing a moment whose panchang supports the act: a marriage avoids Rikta tithis, Bhadra karana and harsh yogas; a business opening prefers a strong vara-nakshatra pairing and good tarabala for the founder. The logic is simple and humane: if beginnings carry the signature of their moment, begin at a good moment.

Panchang and your own chart

The daily panchang is universal; its personal meaning comes from your chart. The day's nakshatra counted from your janma nakshatra gives your tarabala; the tithi of your birth has its own significance; and the running dasha decides how much any day's weather matters to you. This is exactly how the Acharya composes your daily horoscope — today's panchang read against your own chart, not a one-size-for-all Sun-sign paragraph.

See today's sky

The live panchang on Astro Acharya is computed from exact astronomical positions (Lahiri ayanamsha) for each day — tithi with paksha, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana and Vikram Samvat year. Bookmark it; the sky changes daily.

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