Panchang is the Sanskrit name that derives from two terms panchah (5), and anga (parts). The English translation for Panchang is Almanac. The 5 items that a Panchang typically presents are dina, nakshatra, tithi, yoga, and karana. Two major methods of Panchang exist Vakya Panchang and Drik Kanidha Panchang. Some astrologers prefer Vakya Panchang while the others prefer Drik Kanidha. Radha Krishna Astro Services (RK Astros) follows Drik Kanidha Panchang. This page takes you through the 5 items of Panchang in greater detail.

Nakshatra

Nakshatra in Sanskrit refers to the constellation or the star through which the Moon transits on a given day. The Moon takes approximately a day to transit through a constellation. According to Vedic Astrology there are 27 constellations as listed below

Ashwini	Pushya (Poosam)	Swati	Shravana (Thiruvonam)
Bharani	Ashlesha (Ayilyam)	Vishaka	Dhanishta (Avittam)
Kirtika	Magha	Anuradha (Anusha)	Sadhabhisha (Sadhayam)
Rohini	Poorva Phalguni (Pooram)	Jyeshta (Kettai)	Poorva Bhadra (Poorattadhi)
Mirugasira (Mirugasesha)	Uthra Phalguni (Uthram)	Moola	Uthra Bhadra (Uthrattathi)
Adhira (Thiruvadhirai)	Hastha	Poorvashada (Pooradam)	Revati
Punarvasu (Punarpoosam)	Chitra	Uthrashada (Uthradam)

Dina

Dina in Sanskrit refers to the week day (or simply the day). Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturday are respectively the day lords for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Vedic Astrology considers the Ascending Node (Rahu), and the Descending Node (Ketu) as planets in the horoscopes. Despite being so neither Rahu or Ketu has a weekday allocated for them.

Tithi

Tithi is the relative position (or distance) between the Moon and the Sun. The lunar month is divided into two fortnights i.e., the waxing Moon (Shukla Paksha) and the waning Moon (Krishna Paksha).

The waxing fortnight begins with the new Moon (Amavasya) and ends in the full Moon (Poornima). The Moon’s progression is indicated in the following order

Amavasya (New Moon)

Pratima (Prathamai)	Tritya	Panchami	Saptami	Navami	Ekadashi	Trayodasi
Dwidya	Chaturthi	Shashti	Ashtami	Dasami	Dwadasi	Chaturdasi

The waning fortnight starts from Poornima and ends in the next Amavasya. The Moon’s deterioration is indicated in the following order

Poornima (Full Moon)

Pratima (Prathamai)	Tritya	Panchami	Saptami	Navami	Ekadashi	Trayodasi
Dwidya	Chaturthi	Shashti	Ashtami	Dasami	Dwadasi	Chaturdasi

Yoga

In Vedic Astrology we consider the 27 stars listed in the nakshatra section. We have the same number of yogas too. These are also represented as nitya yoga. This is a calculated point arrived by adding the longitude of the Moon and the Sun and dividing them by 13.33 deg if the sum is lesser than 360degrees. If the sum is greater than 360degree then subtract 360 degrees from the sum and divide by 13.33degree. The details of the same could be studied from our YouTube videos.

Karana

Karana is the subdivision of the tithis. There are 11 karanas in total within which the first 7 karanas repeat 8 times, and the remaining 4 karanas occur only once. The sum of the repetitive and non-repetitive karanas is 60. We know that there are 14 tithis in the waxing and waning fortnights of the Moon. Adding Amavasya and Pournami increases the count to 30. We know a tithi consists of 2 karanas so for a 30 tithi lunar month we need a total 60 karanas.

We suggest that you order a personalized copy of Panchang prepared daily, monthly, or yearly based on your place of living. Our Panchang is strictly based on the Drik school.

FAQs

I don’t have a horoscope. Is Panchang sufficient to predict my life?

Panchang is the essential information used by the astrologers to locate the planetary positions at the time of your birth. Panchang doesn’t replace your birth chart. You need your place, time, and date of birth to use the panchang to cast your horoscope.
Why do I need to have a panchang?

You could look into the panchang for basic things like your birth star, the tithi of the day, etc., by yourself without having to go look for an astrologer.
I have the panchang from last year. Do I need to buy a new one for this year?

Yes, if you have a yearly panchang then you need to buy/look online for a new one for the current year.
My family members follow Vakya Panchangam. What do I follow Vakya or Drik Kanidha Panchangam?

Vakya panchangam is based on the Surya Siddhanta. However this is an authorized method of panchang RK Astros encourage present generation to follow the Drik Kanidha Panchang based on modern algorithms to get the position of the planets.

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