Jyotish Term
Panchang — पञ्चाङ्ग
Short answer. Panchang is the Vedic almanac — a five-part daily calendar tracking the Tithi (lunar day), Vara (weekday), Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana. It is used to determine auspicious timings (muhurta) and is the basis of festival dates.
The word panchang literally means 'five limbs' — the five astronomical parameters tracked each day. Tithi is the lunar day, measured by the angular separation between the Sun and Moon (30 tithis per lunar month). Vara is the weekday, named after a planetary lord (Ravivara = Sunday, ruled by Surya/Sun; Somavara = Monday, ruled by Soma/Moon; and so on). Nakshatra is the lunar mansion the Moon currently occupies. Yoga (different from the planetary combinations called yogas) is a 27-fold division based on the Sun-Moon longitudinal sum. Karana is a half-tithi sub-division. Together, the panchang values for a given moment determine whether that moment is auspicious for a specific action — starting a journey, signing a contract, beginning marriage rites — through the muhurta tradition.
Related terms
- Nakshatra — A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions — sub-divisions of the zodiac, each 13°20' wide, used in Vedic astrology to read finer-grained character, compatibility, and timing. The Moon occupies one nakshatra at any moment.
- Graha — Graha is the Vedic term for a planet — literally meaning 'one who seizes' or 'one who grabs'. Vedic astrology recognises nine grahas: the seven classical planets plus the two lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.
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