Panchang
for Any Date

Most people think of time as neutral. Tuesday at 3pm is just Tuesday at 3pm. The Panchang says otherwise. It treats time the way a weather forecast treats weather: some periods are favourable for certain things, some aren't. You wouldn't plant in a storm. The same logic applies here.

A Panchang reading before a major decision isn't superstition. It's a 2,000-year-old system for reading astronomical conditions and matching them to human activity. The fact that it's survived this long, and that millions of Indian families still consult it daily, suggests it carries real practical weight.

A Tithi is not a clock day. It is defined by the angular distance between the Sun and Moon. When the Moon moves 12° ahead of the Sun, one Tithi ends and the next begins. The Moon's speed varies, so a Tithi can run anywhere from 19 to 26 hours. One Tithi can span two calendar days, or a single calendar day can see two Tithis.

There are 30 Tithis in a lunar month. 15 in Shukla Paksha (bright half, new Moon to full Moon) and 15 in Krishna Paksha (dark half, full Moon to new Moon).

• Pratipada (1st)Good for new beginnings, starting work, entering a house
• Panchami (5th)Favours learning, education, and skill development
• Saptami (7th)Good for travel, purchasing vehicles, and journeys
• Dashami (10th)Broadly auspicious. Favours most activities
• Ekadashi (11th)Sacred for fasting, worship, and spiritual practice
• Purnima (15th)Full Moon. Highly auspicious for spiritual work and charity

• Rikta (4th, 9th, 14th)The three empty Tithis. Do not start anything new during these
• Ashtami (8th)Considered difficult; avoid auspicious starts
• Amavasya (30th)New Moon. No new starts. Sacred for ancestral rites (Pitru Tarpana)

Each weekday is governed by one of the seven classical planets. The day takes on that planet's quality and is naturally suited to activities that planet rules. Choosing the right Vara is usually the first filter in Muhurat selection.

The Moon transits one of the 27 Nakshatras approximately every 24 hours (sometimes two in a single day). The Nakshatra defines the instinctual and emotional character of the period, and in Muhurat selection, it is second only to the Tithi in importance.

• PushyaWidely regarded as the single best Nakshatra for starting anything. Exceptionally powerful on Thursday. This combination is called Guru-Pushya Yoga
• RohiniThe Moon's favourite Nakshatra. Good for creative work, building, planting, and material ventures
• HastaGood for skilled work, craftsmanship, trade, travel, and medicine
• Uttara Phalguni, Uttarashada, Uttara BhadrapadaThe three Uttara Nakshatras. Specially favoured for marriage and griha pravesh
• Anuradha, Mrigashira, RevatiGentle and broadly favourable for most auspicious activities

• Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, MulaDifficult Nakshatras. Avoid new starts, marriage, and purchase of valuables
• Bharani, Krittika, ArdraFierce Nakshatras (Tikshna). Good for intense work. Not for auspicious events
• Gandanta zonesThe junctions between Ashlesha/Magha, Jyeshtha/Mula, and Revati/Ashwini. Highly sensitive. Avoided for most Muhurats

Panchang Yoga is calculated by adding the longitudes of the Sun and Moon together and dividing by 13°20'. This produces 27 Yogas that cycle through the month, each with its own name and quality. A single calendar day may pass through two Yogas as the Sun and Moon continue moving. This Yoga is distinct from the Yogas of a birth chart: it describes the quality of the time period, not the person.

• SiddhaSuccess and accomplishment. Good for starting important work
• ShubhaAuspicious and broadly benefic
• AmritaNectar. One of the most prized Yogas, formed by specific Nakshatra-Vara combinations
• Brahma / IndraPower, divine support, authority, and protection

• VyatipataCalamity. One of the most strongly avoided
• VaidhritiSeparation and loss. Avoid travel, new agreements, and new work
• ParighaObstacles and blockages. Delays are likely
• Vishkambha / GandaObstruction. Generally avoided in Muhurat selection

A Karana is exactly half a Tithi, each lasting approximately 6 hours. Since every Tithi contains two Karanas, there are 60 Karana slots in a lunar month. There are 11 distinct Karanas: 4 fixed (each appearing once per month) and 7 movable (repeating 8 times through the month).

• Bava, Balava, KaulavaGentle and broadly favourable for most auspicious activities
• Taitila, GarijaGenerally favourable; good for daily and routine work
• VanijaThe merchant Karana. Excellent for commercial transactions and trade
• Vishti (Bhadra)The single most inauspicious Karana. No auspicious activity should begin during Vishti. Non-negotiable in traditional practice

Rahu Kaal is one of the eight equal segments that divide the hours between sunrise and sunset. The entire daylight period is split into 8 parts, each roughly 90 minutes on a standard 12-hour day. The first segment after sunrise is always safe. Rahu governs a different segment on each day of the week, and that segment is to be avoided for starting any new or auspicious activity.

The traditional memory key is: "Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban Suddenly". the initials M, S, F, W, T, T, S map to Monday through Sunday and their segment numbers 2 through 8.

Work that was already in progress before Rahu Kaal began is not affected. the restriction applies only to beginning something new. Emergency work and unavoidable activities are not bound by this rule.

In Vedic timekeeping, the day begins at sunrise, not at midnight. Every element of the Panchang is anchored to local sunrise. Sunrise shifts significantly by latitude and season. a city at 30°N in December may have sunrise at 7:15 AM, while the same city in June sees sunrise at 5:30 AM. This changes the start time and duration of every Kaal period for that day.

The solar day (from sunrise to sunset) is divided into 30 equal Muhurtas, each approximately 48 minutes long on an equinox day. All auspicious timing windows, Abhijit Muhurta, Rahu Kaal, Yamagandam, Gulika Kaal, are calculated as fractions of this variable solar day. This is why the location field is required: the same clock time carries completely different astrological significance in Mumbai versus London.

For everyday decisions, checking the Vara and Nakshatra is usually sufficient. together they give the day's general quality and what types of activity it supports.

For important activities, a complete check involves:

For major life events, marriage, business registration, property purchase, the Panchang should also be read against your personal Janma Kundali. The day's Nakshatra ideally should have a harmonious relationship with your natal Moon's Nakshatra.