Panchanga - Vedic Calendar / Almanac

Panchanga is the Vedic calendar or almanac containing instances of time using five components namely Vaara, Tithi, Karana, Yoga and Nakshatra. The Sanskrit word Panchanga means "five parts". Panchanga is traditionally used for finding Muhurtha (an auspicious time) for doing specific activities or evaluating instances of time in general for success. Panchanga also includes information on planetary positions which are used by Astrologers to cast horoscopes. Calculations of the Panchanga components involve the positions of Sun and Moon and the brief description as follows:

1. Vaara is the Vedic day and it is between sunrise to next sunrise.

2. Tithi is a lunar day of the lunar month. A lunar month is the time taken by Moon to complete one cycle on the ecliptic. In other words, Moon starts from its new moon phase and passes through the half, full moon phases and wanes to the next new moon phase. A Tithi is complete when the ecliptic longitude differences of the Sun and Moon are in multiples of 12 degrees. For example, the first Tithi starts at new moon day when the Sun and Moon are together making a 0-degree longitude difference. The 2nd Tithi starts when the longitude difference reaches 12-degrees. The 3rd Tithi starts when the longitude difference reaches 24-degrees and so on. A Tithi is identified with its name and the fortnight - Shukla Paksha - brighter fortnight (due to waxing moon) and  Krishna Paksha - darker fortnight (due to waning moon). There are 15 Tithis in each fortnight making a total of 30 Tithis in a lunar month.

3. Karana is a half lunar day. Each Tithi is divided into 2 Karanas. In other words, A Karana is complete when the longitude difference of Sun and Moon are in multiples of 6-degrees. There are a total of 60 Karanas in the month. There are 11 unique Karanas and 4 of them occur once a month and the remaining 7 occur 8 times a month.

4. Yoga is formed when the sum of longitudes of the Sun and Moon are in multiples of 13 degrees and 20 minutes (13.33). There are a total of 27 Yogas in a month.

5. Nakshatra is the star constellation or lunar mansion of the Zodiac. Nakshatra is identified by the ecliptic longitude the Moon is transiting. There are a total of 27 Nakshatras.

The energy combination of the Sun and Moon reflects through the Panchanga components making certain components desirable for success and positive results and some components undesirable for certain activities. Panchanga components uniquely influence every human's life in general and individually according to the natal chart of the individual.

Natal Panchanga

Natal panchanga components are found in the natal or birth chart of the individual. Create your free Vedic astrology natal chart and find panchanga components of your time of birth.

Daily Panchanga

Daily panchanga components are calculated based on the transit positions of the Sun and Moon. Find the daily panchanga components here and utilize them for your benefit in various avenues of life.

Nakshatra - Lunar Mansion of Vedic Astrology

Nakshatra is the Lunar Mansion of Vedic Astrology. There are 27 nakshatras or star constellations spread across the Zodiac. Each nakshatra is 13 degrees and 20 minutes long (13.33-degree decimals) so the 27 nakshatras cover the entire 360 degrees (27 * 13.33) Ecliptic belt. Each nakshatra has 4 divisions in it called Padas. Each nakshatra pada is 3 degrees and 20 minutes (3.33) long. Most of the nakshatras fit entirely within the 30 degrees of a Zodiac sign however few nakshatras overlap with adjacent Zodiac sign. Nakshatras begin with Aswini at 0 degress Aries and end at Pisces with last nakshatra Revati. The Moon transits over one nakshatra in a day approximately. Nakshatra is an important integral part of Vedic Astrology. The Vimsottari dasa planetary period starts with the birth nakshatra (Janma Nakshatra) of the native.

Each Nakshatra has its astronomical name, characteristics, symbol, and a ruling planet.  The picture below summarizes all the nakshatras with their Zodiac sign, ecliptic longitude, padas and ruling planet.

Your Vedic Astrology Chart:

Create your free Vedic Astrology Chart and find your birth nakshatra and Vimsottari Dasa periods.

Hora - Planetary Hour of Vedic Astrology

Planetary Day

According to Vedic Astrology, each day of the week is influenced by a planet with its energy.  Days of the week and the ruling planets are:

Sunday - Sun

Monday - Moon

Tuesday - Mars

Wednesday - Mercury

Thursday - Jupiter

Friday - Venus

Saturday - Saturn

Hora - Planetary Hour

In the same way, each hour of the day is influenced by a planet's energy. As per Vedic astrology, the day starts at sunrise rather than midnight. The Vedic day is between sunrise to next sunrise.  The day is divided into 24 equal parts and they are called Horas. A Hora is almost equal to an hour. The first hora (hour) of the day is always ruled by the ruler of the day. For example, the first hora following sunrise on a Sunday is ruled by Sun and the first hora following sunrise on a Thursday is ruled by Jupiter.

The order of the planetary hours is different from the days of the week order and it is Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon. This special order is based on the velocity of the planets in the geocentric approach. The order starts with the slow-moving planet Saturn and ends with the fastest moving planet Moon. The below table shows the days and Horas along with the ruling planets.

Astrological Timing

What is the practical use of Horas or How you can take advantage of them? Choose the appropriate Hora - planetary hour - to strengthen or utilize the energy of a particular planet.  For example, If Sun is related to your Business based on your Vedic chart then choose Sun Horas to take care of important business activities. Jupiter Hora is favorable in general for learning, spiritual practices and sharing knowledge. 

Finding Hora Timings

We need the sunrise time of the day to find the start of the day / the first hora of the day. Once we know the first hora start time then the subsequent Horas start an hour apart in the sequential order. There are 2 ways to find the sunrise time for a place. 

1. Online search:

A simple online search can show you the sunrise time of the day for your search location. 

2. Planetary Positions from www.vedicastrochart.com:

Sidereal planetary positions are shown interactively for a given location, date and time on the Planetary Positions page of www.vedicastrochart.com. Under the Panchanga section, you will find the sunrise time and current hora of the given location, date and time. 

Vimsottari Dasa - Vedic Astrology

Vimsottari means 120. The Vimsottari Dasa system influences human life through 120 years long period. The 120 years are recursively divided into 9 planetary periods of particular length and order for each of the 9 planets. Each planet influences the native positively or negatively during its planetary period depending on various factors from the birth chart - the house it occupies, the house it rules, its strength (Positional, Directional), its dispositor’s strength, and influences from other planets (Aspects, Conjunctions).

The 120 years are divided into 9 major planetary periods called Dasa or Mahadasa by allocating a proportion of the total 120 years to each planet. Each Dasa period is further divided into 9 sub-periods called Bhukti or Antardasa and each Bhukti period is further divided into 9 sub-periods called Antara or Pratyantaradasa using the same proportion or ratio (of years allocated as the Dasa period).

There are 27 Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions) beginning with Ashwini and ending with Revati. Each of the nine planets presides over a set of three nakshatras situated on the zodiac at a trine from each other. For example, Ketu is the nakshatra lord for Ashwini, Magha, Mula and Venus is the nakshatra lord for Bharani, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha. The first dasa period (Janma Dasa) always starts with the lord of the nakshatra the moon was transiting at the time of birth (Janma Nakshatra). If the native was born in Ashwini nakshatra then Ketu dasa / mahadasa will be the first dasa period. The order and duration of the dasas are shown in the following table:

Each nakshatra is 13 degrees and 20 minutes (13.33-degree decimals) long. If a native is born when the moon transits over 80 degrees ecliptic longitude then the birth nakshatra (Janma Nakshatra) of the native is Punarvasu and Jupiter dasa (mahadasa) just started for that individual because Punarvasu nakshatra is between 80.00 to 93.33 degrees longitude and Jupiter is the nakshatra lord. The native will go through the full 16 years of Jupiter mahadasa until reaching age 17. But everybody is not born exactly when the moon transits the beginning longitude of a nakshatra. We need to find the start, balance and end of the birth dasa period to calculate the following dasa period start dates. The Dasa balance is calculated based on the longitude of the Moon at the time of birth (in the birth Nakshatra).

Example Calculation:

longitude moon = Moon is at 85 degrees 20 minutes (85.33) in Punarvasu 2nd Pada.

longitude Nakshatra start = 80.00

longitude Nakshatra end = 93.33

The dasa balance can be calculated as:

dasa balance = ( 85.33 - 80.00 ) / (93.33 - 80.00 )

dasa balance = ( 5.33 ) / (13.33)

dasa balance = 0.40 (40%)

40% of Jupiter dasa (6 years 4 months 26 days) has already passed (before the birth) and the native has 60% Jupiter dasa (9 years 7 months 7 days) remaining since the time of birth.

At the end of the Jupiter dasa subsequent dasa planetary periods will follow in the specific order shown in the above table.

Your Vimsottari Dasa Calculation:

Create your free Vedic Astrology Chart and find your Vimsotari Dasa periods as shown in the sample image below.

Sample Vimsottari Dasa Periods

Vedic Astrology Chart Styles - North Indian, South Indian and East Indian

Vedic Astrology Chart pictorially shows the sidereal position of the planets in the sky using the Zodiac signs and House numbers. The first house is the zodiac sign which is rising on the eastern horizon at the time of birth. The first house is the Ascendant. The nine planets and the Ascendant are shown in 3 different chart formats - North Indian, South Indian, and East Indian. Vedic astrology charts can be made in any of the 3 formats. All 3 chart formats show the same sidereal planetary positions but in different ways so it is up to the comfort of the individual / astrologer to choose a chart format.

North Indian

The direction is counterclockwise (anti-clockwise)

The Houses always remain in the same place 

The Ascendant is always shown in the 12 O'clock position. The 2nd house is next counterclockwise at 11 O'clock position and it continues so on.

The Zodiac sign numbers are included to identify the Zodiac sign of a house

The Kendra / Quadrant houses - i.e. 1, 4, 7, 10 are inside the diamond shape counterclockwise 

South Indian

The direction is clockwise

The Zodiac signs always remain in the same place

Aries will always be in the second box from the top left.  Taurus will be in the next box and remaining signs continue so on clockwise sequentially.

The Ascendant is indicated by a numeric sign or slanted line or the text "Asc" in a sign

The common / dual signs are always in the corners with the fixed signs behind and the moving / cardinal signs following

 

East Indian

The direction is counterclockwise (anti-clockwise)

The Zodiac signs always remain in the same place

Aries will always be in the 12 O'clock position. Next signs move counterclockwise sequentially

The Ascendant is indicated by a numeric sign or the text "Asc" in a sign  

 

Your Free Vedic Astrology Chart:

Create your free Vedic Astrology Chart in any of the 3 chart styles and print or save it as a PDF document.

Creating Vedic Astrology Chart

Vedic Astrology Chart is a snapshot of planetary positions in the Zodiac at the time of birth where Earth is the place of the observer (geocentric). Casting the Vedic astrology chart accurately requires the time of birth (adjusted for daylight savings time (DST) if observed) and birthplace (as latitude and longitude coordinates). Time of birth is used to get the geocentric sidereal planetary positions and birthplace is used to get the Ascendant of the native.

Typical Vedic astrology chart includes:

• Planetary Positions
• D1 Rasi Chart and D9 Navamsa Chart
• Panchanga (Vedic Calendar)
• Planetary Aspects
• Planetary Conjunctions
• Divisional Chart Images
• Bhava Chart Images
• Vimsottari Dasa Periods

Planetary Positions

The planetary position is simply the ecliptic longitude of the planets in degree decimals. Additional degree values like Zodiac degree and Nakshatra degree are derived from it. An Ephemeris is a table or data file giving the calculated positions of celestial objects at regular intervals throughout a period. Swiss Ephemeris is used programmatically to find the sidereal planetary positions of a given date & time.

D1 Rasi & D9 Navamsa Charts

D1 chart (Rasi chart) is the pictorial representation of planets and the Ascendant in their Zodiac signs whereas the D9 chart (Navamsa chart) is based on the 9th division of the 30 degrees Zodiac sign. Each division is 3 degrees and 20 minutes each and it is mapped to a Zodiac sign. Vedic charts are drawn in 3 different styles - North Indian, South Indian and East Indian. All chart styles display the same information but in different formats.

Panchanga (Vedic Calendar)

Panchanga means five Angas or parts. The five parts of the Vedic calendar are viz. Vaara, Thithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana. The Vedic astrology chart includes Panchanga information of the time of birth.

Planetary Aspects

In Astrology the Aspect is an angle the planets make with each other. Aspects make a planet influence the other planet with its inherent energy. A table of planetary aspects is included to quantify how planets form aspects with each other. An orb of 0 to 15 degrees are usually considered for Aspects. For example, a planet will influence another planet at its opposite in the range of 165 to 195 degrees (considering 0 to 15 degrees on both sides).

Planetary Conjunctions

Planetary conjunctions are planets conjoining with each other within 0 to 10 degrees usually. When planets are in close conjunction their energies blend and influence each other. Conjunctions are an important part of a Vedic chart and a table is included quantifying the level of conjunctions between planets.

Divisional Charts

Divisional (Varga) charts show insights into the different avenues of the native's life. The calculation behind each divisional chart is unique and it reveals specific areas of the native's life. 18 divisional charts are currently included in the Vedic astrology chart.

Divisional Table

Divisional table is the summary of planets and their positions across various divisional charts. For example, to check the Ascendant of the native across different divisional charts the first row of below image is very helpful.

Bhava Charts

Zodiac signs have a fixed degree range for each sign. For example, Aries is from 0 to 30 degrees and Pisces is from 330 to 360 degrees. In the Bhava chart, the degree range of each house will vary relative to the Ascendant degree. For example, If a native is Gemini Ascendant and the Ascendant is at 15 degrees in Gemini then the 1st house degrees will range from 15 degrees Gemini to 15 degrees Cancer if Ascendant degree is taken as the beginning of the house. Another type of bhava chart uses the Ascendant degree as the middle of the house. These 2 types of bhava charts are included in the Vedic astrology chart. Bhava chart is primarily used along with the Vimsottari Dasa periods to find which house is influenced by a planet during its Vimsottari Dasa period.

Vimsottari Dasa Periods

Vimsottari means 120. Vimsottari Dasa has a span of 120 years to influence human life. It starts at the birth time based on the Nakshatra the Moon was transiting. Each planet has a defined period of years to influence the native positively or negatively depends on the planets' energies at play. Calculation of Vimsottari Dasa periods involves recursively splitting the time period into smaller sub Dasa periods in a specific order of the planets.

Your Free Vedic Astrology Chart:

Create your free Vedic Astrology Chart and print or save it as a PDF document. Also, Find sidereal Planetary Positions at different times interactively changing date / time / location.