Panchang Explained: Tithi, Vaar, Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana

Panchang literally means "five limbs" (panch + anga), the traditional almanac Hindu calendars are built from. Every day carries a value for each of the five, and together they're the classical basis for choosing an auspicious date for anything from a wedding to moving into a new home.

The five limbs

• Tithi (lunar day). Based on the angular distance between the Moon and Sun; a lunar month has 30 Tithis, each with its own traditional character.
• Vaar (weekday). Each day of the week is ruled by one of the seven classical planets, this is literally where weekday names come from (Sunday is the Sun's day, Monday the Moon's, and so on).
• Nakshatra. The Moon's lunar mansion for that day, the same 27-part division used in a birth chart. See Nakshatra vs Rashi for how this measurement works.
• Yoga. A separate calculation combining the Sun's and Moon's longitudes, giving 27 named Yogas traditionally read for their own effect on the day.
• Karana. Half of a Tithi, giving 11 named Karanas that cycle through a lunar month.

Why all five are checked together

Choosing a Shubh Muhurat (auspicious moment) for an important event traditionally means checking all five limbs together for a given date and time, not just picking a Tithi that sounds favorable in isolation. This is exactly the kind of multi-factor timing decision worth discussing with a knowledgeable astrologer for anything significant, like a wedding date, rather than reading a single limb on its own.

Where this connects to your own chart

Your own birth Nakshatra, one of the five Panchang limbs, is the same value used to calculate your Vimshottari Dasha timeline, see how Vimshottari Dasha works. Generate your free kundli to see your exact birth Nakshatra, or check today's rashi prediction for a daily reading in the meantime.