Almanac

[Sunds 1]

Almanac or Panchang is a listing of five separate time elements: Day, Star, Thithi,

Yoga and Karana. All of these are active simultaneously.

 

Day

 

Star

 

Tithi

 

From the moment of New Moon, the Sun and the Moon begin to move away

from each other, 12 degrees per day. This is known as Tithi. Tithis are

the lunar movement both toward and away from the Sun. As lunar time is

different from a solar day, some calendar days may appear to have more

than one tithi. This lunar cycle contains a mix of the daily interaction

of the material plane life along with the eternal. The energy is most

materially abundant at Full Moon and most spiritually profound at New

Moon. The lunar month is divided into two fortnights known as Pakshas

(Moon Phases). These phases are also called Waxing and Waning

 

1. Waxing Phase (Shukla Paksha) - the bright (Shukla) half of the

Moon, from the New Moon to the full Moon. 15 tithis belong to the waxing

cycle of the moon. 2. Waning Phase (Krishna Paksha) - the dark

(Krishna) half of the Moon, from the Full Moon to the New Moon. 15

tithis belong to the waning cycle of the Moon.

 

The tithis are represented by numbers from 1st Phase to 15th Phase (the

full moon). After the 15th day of the Lunar cycle, the next tithi is

known as the number 1 again, then 2, 3, 4 and onwards to 14. The 30th

day- the darkest night of the lunar month is known as New Moon and

number 30 represent this. Amavasya is when the Sun and Moon's longitude

is the same.

 

Karana

 

The Karana is half a tithi. Karna means to do (action). Karana are

underlying energies which are subordinate to the tithis. Karana are six

degrees of difference between the Sun and the Moon. There are 11 types

of Karanas. four are fixed, and seven are movable. The fixed Karanas are

Shakuni, Chatuspada, Naga and Kintughna and are sometimes considered

less favorable for purposes of timing an event. The seven movable

Karanas are Bava, Balava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishti.

These are considered more favorable for purposes of timing an event.

 

Yoga

 

Note: The astrological almanac yoga is different from the yogas formed

by the planets. The Panchang yoga is formed by a daily connection

between the Sun and the Moon. A yoga is a subtle blending of solar and

lunar energies that give special indications every day. . Some are

considered more challenging in nature, and others are considered more

beneficial for purposes of timing events. The beneficial yogas are

Priti, Ayushman, Sowbhagya, Shobana, Sukarma, Vridhi, Harshana, Vajra,

Sidha, Variyan, Sivam, Sadhyam, Sathiyam, Subam, Subram, Brahamam,

Indra. The challenging yogas are Vishkamba, Athikhanda, driti,

Shula, Khandam, vyakatham, dhuruva, Parigham and Vaithirudhi.