What is the panchang? The five limbs of the Vedic almanac
The panchang (panchanga, 'one with five limbs') is the traditional daily almanac in Vedic astrology. It lists the tithi (lunar day), vara (weekday), nakshatra, yoga (Sun plus Moon value) and karana (half tithi) for your place and date.
You'll learn
- What panchang means
- The five limbs and what each measures
- Why the day runs from sunrise
- How people use a daily almanac
- Where to see today's values in Skybond
Tithi
Lunar day from the Moon-Sun gap, 12 degrees each
Vara
Weekday from local sunrise to sunrise
Nakshatra
The Moon's lunar mansion of the moment
Yoga
One of 27 values from Sun plus Moon longitude
Karana
Half of a tithi, six degrees of elongation
Before thisWhat is ayanamsa? Lahiri and Chitra Paksha explained
Five limbs, one day
Panchanga means 'five limbs'. Each limb is computed from the sky at a moment, usually read at local sunrise for the civil date you care about.
Names and roles
The five limbs are traditionally called tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. Together they describe the lunar-solar rhythm for one place on one date.
Tithi tracks how far the Moon has moved ahead of the Sun in the sidereal zodiac. Each tithi spans 12 degrees of that gap, so there are 30 tithis in a lunar month.
Vara is the weekday. In the panchang the day begins at local sunrise, not at midnight.
Nakshatra here means the Moon's nakshatra, one of the 27 lunar mansions, each 13 degrees 20 minutes wide.
Yoga in the panchang is not a birth-chart combination like raja yoga. It is a separate limb: add the sidereal longitudes of the Sun and Moon and step through 27 equal parts.
Karana is half a tithi, six degrees of Moon minus Sun. Eleven karana names are used: seven repeat through the month and four are fixed.
These limbs belong to the Samhita branch of Jyotish, the part that deals with calendars and collective timing, as opposed to a single person's birth chart.
Why sunrise matters
- 01Find sunrise for your latitude, longitude and time zone
- 02Read the five limbs in force at that sunrise
- 03Track end times when tithi, nakshatra, yoga or karana change
A panchang is always for a place. Sunrise time sets the vara and is the usual reference for 'today's' tithi on printed sheets.
Place and the vedic day
Two cities on the same civil date can show different tithis or nakshatras at sunrise because the Moon moves steadily and sunrise times differ.
After sunrise, tithi and other limbs can change. Almanacs therefore print both the value at sunrise and the clock time when the next tithi or nakshatra begins.
Some daily tables also list inauspicious day segments such as rahu kalam. Those are optional extras, not part of the five limbs themselves. This course focuses on the five core limbs first.
How people use it
Traditionally the panchang supports choosing a muhurta, a chosen moment to begin something, by checking whether the day's limbs suit the activity.
Almanacs and muhurta
Temple calendars, wedding planners and household almanacs open to the panchang page for the day. The five limbs answer 'what kind of day is this?' before someone picks an hour.
Different traditions weight the limbs differently. Some fast on certain tithis such as ekadashi (the eleventh tithi in each paksha). Others note the Moon's nakshatra for daily mood or deity association.
Skybond teaches the limbs as astronomy plus traditional labels, not as promises about your personal outcome. The lessons that follow take one limb at a time.
Check yourself
How many limbs does a panchang have?
Show answer
Five: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
Does the panchang yoga mean raja yoga?
Show answer
No. Panchang yoga is a daily value from the Sun and Moon longitudes. Raja yoga is a chart combination of house lords.
When does the vara change?
Show answer
At local sunrise. The hours after midnight still belong to the previous vara until dawn.
Key takeaways
- Panchang means five limbs: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
- Values are computed for a place and usually read at local sunrise.
- Panchang yoga is not the same as chart yogas like raja yoga.
- The limbs support muhurta and daily almanac use in the Samhita branch.
- Skybond Today shows the live panchang for signed-in users.
Next lessons
Conventions and sources
- Sidereal zodiac
- Sunrise to sunrise day
- Location-specific times
Panchang limbs use sidereal longitudes and local sunrise. Skybond charts use the True Chitra Paksha ayanamsa; the worked example on the calculation page uses Lahiri, which many almanacs share with government tables.
Sources for this page
- P.V.R. Narasimha Rao, Vedic Astrology: An Integrated Approach (Samhita branch and panchang context)
FAQ
What is a panchang in Vedic astrology?
It is the daily almanac listing tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana for a date and place.
Do I need all five limbs to read an almanac?
Printed panchangs show all five. For a first pass, tithi and nakshatra are the ones most often named in festivals and fasts.
Is the panchang the same everywhere on one date?
No. Sunrise time and the Moon's motion differ by place, so limbs and their end times can differ between cities.
Drafted with AI from verified sources, fact-checked and edited by Skybond before publishing. Read more.