How the five panchang limbs are calculated
All five limbs start from sidereal positions of the Sun and Moon at a chosen moment, usually local sunrise. Tithi uses Moon minus Sun in steps of 12 degrees. Nakshatra uses the Moon in steps of 13 degrees 20 minutes. Yoga uses Sun plus Moon in the same 13°20′ steps. Karana uses Moon minus Sun in steps of six degrees. Vara follows the weekday lord at that sunrise. Sidereal longitudes need an ayanamsa.
You'll learn
- Sunrise boundary for vara
- Tithi from 12° of Moon minus Sun
- Nakshatra from Moon longitude
- Yoga from Sun plus Moon
- Karana from 6° steps
- Why place and ayanamsa matter
- A worked example verified with the API
Vara
Weekday lord at local sunrise
Tithi
Moon − Sun, 12° per step
Nakshatra
Moon longitude, 13°20′ per mansion
Yoga
Sun + Moon, 13°20′ per step
Karana
Moon − Sun, 6° per half-tithi
Before thisKarana in the panchang: half of a tithi
Sidereal longitudes first
Convert Sun and Moon to sidereal longitude using an ayanamsa before any limb formula. Different ayanamsas shift boundaries near sign or nakshatra edges.
Link to the ayanamsa lesson
Skybond birth charts use the True Chitra Paksha ayanamsa. Many government and temple panchangs publish Lahiri values, which the Indian government ephemeris also uses.
The worked example below calls the public Skybond panchang API with ayanamsa=lahiri so you can reproduce temple-style tables. Read the full ayanamsa lesson for the gap between tropical and sidereal zodiacs.
Place sets sunrise
Latitude, longitude and time zone set sunrise time, which sets vara and the reference instant for 'today' on most sheets.
Same civil date, different limbs
Ephemeris software computes sunrise when the upper limb of the Sun crosses the horizon, with standard refraction. Skybond documents the same definition in its API response.
After sunrise, limbs change when longitudes cross the next step. End times therefore depend on the same sidereal longitudes, not on time zone alone.
Worked example: Mumbai, 1 November 2025
On 1 November 2025 in Mumbai, sunrise at 06:38 IST gives Shukla Dashami, Shatabhisha, Dhruva and Gara with the end times shown in the table.
Cross-check with curl
Run:
curl "https://api.getskybond.com/v1/panchang/daily?date=2025-11-01&lat=19.0760&lon=72.8777&tz=Asia%2FKolkata&ayanamsa=lahiri"The JSON field atSunrise matches the table. Times are rounded to the minute for reading comfort; the API gives seconds.
Yoga ending after midnight appears on the civil date of 2 November even though the value began at sunrise on 1 November. That is normal for long limbs.
Change lat, lon or tz and the limbs change even on the same date string.
Check yourself
Which API parameter sets the ayanamsa in the example?
Show answer
ayanamsa=lahiri. The response labels it Lahiri (Chitrapaksha).When does the example tithi end in Mumbai?
Show answer
About 09:12 IST on 1 November 2025, when Shukla Ekadashi begins.
Which limb uses Sun plus Moon?
Show answer
Yoga. Tithi and karana use Moon minus Sun; nakshatra uses Moon alone.
Key takeaways
- Compute sidereal Sun and Moon before any limb.
- Vara follows sunrise; other limbs use step sizes 12°, 13°20′ or 6°.
- Place and ayanamsa both shift results.
- The Mumbai 1 Nov 2025 example matches the public API with Lahiri.
- End times come from when longitudes cross the next boundary.
Next lessons
Conventions and sources
- Sidereal zodiac
- Lahiri ayanamsa in example
- API-verified sample
The Mumbai example uses Lahiri via the public API. Skybond birth charts use True Chitra Paksha. Pick the ayanamsa that matches the almanac you compare against.
Sources for this page
- Skybond panchang API, daily endpoint (Mumbai 2025-11-01 cross-check)
FAQ
Which ayanamsa does the worked example use?
Lahiri, via the API query parameter ayanamsa=lahiri.
Does Skybond Today use the same ayanamsa as the example?
Skybond charts use True Chitra Paksha. The API example uses Lahiri so you can match many published panchangs. Values agree when the same ayanamsa and place are used.
Why quote sunrise values?
Printed panchangs standardise on the limbs at local sunrise even if they also list changes later in the day.
Drafted with AI from verified sources, fact-checked and edited by Skybond before publishing. Read more.