The five limbs of the panchang (panchang anga)
The panchang is named for its five limbs, or anga: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
What it is
Tithi is the lunar day, vara the weekday, nakshatra the lunar mansion of the Moon, yoga the Sun-Moon combined period, and karana the half-tithi. Together they give the day's timing in the traditional almanac.
How it is worked out or read
Each limb has its own calculation from the Sun and Moon positions and has its own start and end time. A single day can contain several changes of nakshatra or tithi.
Where it appears on this site
All five limbs appear in the panchang for the chosen date and city. See each limb's page in the learn section.
The five limbs as a set
The panchang takes its name from its five limbs, the anga: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana. Each limb answers a different question about the day. The tithi says where the Moon is relative to the Sun, the vara names the weekday, the nakshatra says where the Moon is among the stars, the yoga gives the combined motion of the two lights, and the karana gives the half-tithi in progress. A traditional reader looks at all five together, because the combination is what the classical rules use.
Each limb changes at its own time
Only the vara is fixed for the whole day, since the day runs from sunrise to sunrise. The other four change at moments that depend on the motion of the Sun and Moon. A single day may contain two nakshatras and two tithis, while the yoga and karana may change once or twice. The panchang shows each change with its time, so that the reader can see the sequence and not just a summary.
Why the panchang is a timed almanac
Because the limbs change at different moments, the panchang is best read as a timed sequence. A reader planning an activity should note the times when the limbs change and see which limb is present at the start. This is more accurate than reading the whole day as one unit. The tools on this site show the times for each limb, and the learn section gives the definition of each in its own article.
Which limb to read first
When the panchang is new to a reader, the tithi and the nakshatra are usually the best places to begin, since they are the most often quoted limbs. The vara is the simplest, the yoga and karana more specialised. A reader can add the others once the first two are familiar.
The limbs in festival planning
Festival planners often check all five limbs together, since a festival may require a particular tithi with a particular nakshatra or weekday. Reading them as a set saves the planner from choosing a day that satisfies one limb and fails another.
Five limbs, one day
On any given day the five limbs rarely change together. A reader who lists each limb's end time can see at a glance which changes come first.