Dainik Panchang NewDelhi, Delhi, India

What is the Panchang?

The Panchang is nothing but the Calender used in the Astrolgoy and in India. The Panchang is based on the movement of the Moon and the Sun. That means the Panchang is a calendar based on the Luni-Solar System. In other words, the Panchang is a Luni-Solar calendar.

The word Panchang is the combination of two word “Panch” and “Anga” which are taken from the Sanskrit Language.

Here the “Panch” means “Five” and “Anga” means “Parts”.

Thus the meaning of the “Panchang” or “Panchanga” is “comprising of five parts”.

These five parts of the Panchang are Tithi, Vaara, Karan, Nakshatra, and Yoga.

(1) Tithi

The Tithi is the first part of the Panchang.

The Tithi is the unit of one day in the Panchang. A Tithi that means a day, is counted from Sunrise to the next Sunrise.

A Tithi occurs by the distance between the angles of the Moon and the Sun by 12^o. By this way at the interval of every 12^o a Tithi takes place in the Panchang.

There are a total of thirty Tithi in one month in the the Panchang.

A month is divided into two parts in the Panchang which is called “Paksha” each comprises of fifteen days. The Paksha means fortnight. The name of these two Paksha is the “Shukla Paksha” and the “Krishna Paksha”.

The Shukla Paksha is the bright half of the Luni-Solar month while the Krishna Paksha is the dark half of the Luni-Solar month of the Panchang.

The Shukla Paksha is the Waxing fortnight of the month and the Krishna Paksha is the Waning fortnight of the month as considered in the Panchang.

The “Shukla” and the “Krishna” are the words taken from the Language of Sanskrit in which “Shukla” means the “Brighter” and the “Krishna” means the “Darker”.

Each Paksha has total fifteen Tithi.

(2) Vaara

Vaara is the second Anga or part of the Panchang.

The name of week days is called Vaara.

There are total of seven Vaara in the Panchang. These are Ravivaara, Somavaara, Mangalvaara, Budhvaara, Brihaspativaara or Guruvaara, Shukravaara, and Shanivaara. These Vaara are popularly known as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the English or the Roman Language.

(3) Karan

Karan is the third Anga or part of the Panchang.

Karan is the half of a Tithi. There are a total of eleven Karan in the Panchang.

The names of these eleven Karan in the Panchang are Kistughna Karan, Bava Karan, Balava Karan, Kaulava Karan, Taitil Karan, Gara Karan, Vanija Karan, Vishti Karan, Shakuni Karan, Chatuspada Karan, and Naaga Karan.

Among the Karan four Karan are fixed while seven Karan are of repeating nature as considered in the Panchang.

Fixed Karan in the Panchang:

Kistughna Karan, Shakuni Karan, Chatuspada Karan, and Naaga Karan are fixed Karan.

Repeating Karan in the Panchang:

Bava Karan, Balava Karan, Kaulava Karan, Taitil Karan, Gara Karan, Vanija Karan, Vishti Karan are seven Karan having repeating nature.

(4) Nakshatra

The Nakshatra is the fourth part of the Panchang.

In the Panchang the concept of Nakshatra is based on the movement of the Moon.

The circumference of our sky has been divided into twenty seven Nakshatra, each of them has a span of thirteen degree twenty minute (13^o 20’). The name of the Nakshatra are Aswini, Bharni, Kritika, Rohini, Mrigshira, Adra or Aridra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Poorva Phalguni, Uttra Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuraadha, Jyeshtha, Moola, Poorvashadha, Uttarashadha, Shravana, Dhanishtha, Shatbhisha, Poorva Bhadra, Uttra Bhadra, and Revati.

Sometimes a twenty eighth Nakshatra named Abhijit is also considered in the Panchang in which Lord Rama took his birth.

By deviation of thirteen degree twenty minute of the moon one Nakshatra is passed as considered in the Panchang.

(5) Yoga

Yoga is the fifth Anga or part of the Panchang.

The concept of Yoga in the Panchang is formed by the combination of the Sun and the Moon. Similar to Nakshatra there are twenty seven Yoga in the Panchang each having a span of thirteen degree twenty minute (13^o 20’).

These twenty seven Yoga are Vishkumbh Yoga, Preeti Yoga, Ayusman Yoga, Shaubhagya Yoga, Shovan Yoga, Atiganda Yoga, Sukarma Yoga, Driti Yoga, Shool Yoga, Ganda Yoga, Vridhi Yoga, Dhruva Yoga, Vyaghata Yoga, Harshan Yoga, Vajra Yoga, Siddhi Yoga, Vyatipaata Yoga, Variyan Yoga, Parigh Yoga, Shiva Yoga, Siddha Yoga, Saadhya Yoga, Shubha Yoga, Shukla Yoga, Brahma Yoga, Eindra Yoga, and Vaidhriti Yoga.

Among the Yoga some are auspicious while some are malefic as considered in the Panchang as well as in the Astology. Accordingly the auspicious and malefic effects of the stars is predicted.

Apart from these five Anga or parts, the modern Panchang comprising of positions of planets, sunrise and sunset, the span of day and night, different types of Vrat and Tyohaar (festivals) and their timings, the Ayamansa, the speed of planets, the Lagna Chart, etc.

In modern words, a Panchang is nothing but the computer of a Jyotisha or Astrologer which comprising of macro to micro description of the every aspect of the Astrology. This is the cause that first of all a student of Jyotisha Shashtra has to learn to see the Panchang. A Panchang gives the bird eye view of the Jyotisha Shashtra.