Understanding Panchang: The Indian Way Of Timekeeping

 

Chaitra Navratri marks the beginning of Hindu New Year which is celebrated with a lot of pomp and grandeur across India. It is a 9 day-long festival that celebrates 9 avatars of Goddess Durga. As part of the festivities, people visit Devi temples, observe fasts and recite mantras to elevate themselves spiritually.It is well known that Hindu festivals are an amalgam of rituals, rites, processions, fasting, feeding the poor, music and dance, religious ceremonies, and many other activities of traditional character. We can not imagine Hindu festivals without the inbuilt components like rituals, muhrats (auspicious beginnings), and Panchang (Vedic Hindu Calendar).

 

This article attempts to provide basic concepts of this 5000-year-old science called Panchang which is based on traditional astronomical knowledge whose calculations are awe-inspiring!!

In a layman’s language Panchang is nothing but a “mirror of the sky”, in the form of ink and paper which tabulates the position and movement of the Sun, Moon, and other planets for each day of the year. It is a science that has evolved for 5000 years and has undergone regionalization and various other changes. For eg. We have the Tamil calendar, Malayalam calendar, Assamese calendar, Telugu calendar, Bengali calendar, Odia calendar, Gujarati calendar, etc. 

 

Panchang, ‘panch’ means ‘five’, and ‘ang’ means ‘parts’ meaning five branches /parts. As per Indian Astrology, the position and movement of the moon and sun have a direct impact on human life. Moon is related to life force & mind, and Sun is related to intellect & leadership ability in humans. The five branches of Hindu panchang is as below :

 

Tithi

 

Panchang divides the year into two: Uttrayan (northward movement of the sun) and Dakshinayan (southward movement of the sun). It further divides the month into two - the period of waxing moon is called Shukla Paksha and the period of the waning moon is called Krishna Paksha. So tithi is an Indian date system that is based upon the movement of moon shades. Full moon day, new moon day and no moon have a strong impact on our minds and are considered as very important days in the Indian tithi calendar. Amavasya and Purnima are special and exist at either end as nodes. These two are reserved often for special spiritual exercises or pujas.

 

Vara 

 

 All seven days in a week are dedicated to seven planets in our astrology. The Sun (The king of planets) is related to Sunday, the moon is related to Monday, Mars is related to Tuesday, Mercury is related to Wednesday, Jupiter is related to Thursday, Venus is related to Friday and Saturn is related to Saturday. It has astrological importance in planetary movements. Each day is divided into prahar and each prahar is divided into ‘Hora’ which is further divided into ‘Susma kala’ which is the tiniest unit in the Indian astrological system.

 

All panchangs have macro predictions about nature, atmosphere, human life etc in a year about a region where it is presented and prepared. It is prepared as per the longitude and latitude of that region. Whereas, micro prediction helps us to know about basic future events which may take place. Every year is named ahead of the activities of planetary movement and its after-effects, which is a gross sign of rich ancient Hindu astrology science that deals with future predictability and prophecies. 

 

Nakshatra

 

As per astrology science, the planetary movement in a given set of constellation structures is known as Nakshatra. There are 27 nakshatras and each Nakshatra is divided into 4 parts called “charans”. Hence based on the “charan” of that particular nakshatra, a newborn is ascribed a Rashi/zodiac.sign. Astrology science basically works on the moon sign for future predictions and the sun sign keeps the impact of the timing of the events and its relevant result. 

 

Yoga 

Yoga and Karana are the lesser-known branches of panchanga. Yoga is the planetary movement in a particular set structure of constellations which talks about benefic and malefic effects of the planets in a given time frame. There are 27 yogas namely Ayushman (Long-lived),  Saubhagya (Good fortune), Dhriti (Determination), Vriddhi (Growth), and Siddha (Accomplished), etc. The total number of yogas is calculated as the sum total of all latitudes and longitudes crossed by them at any given time. The details of all Yogas and Karanas are mentioned in a shastra called “Parashar Hora Shastra”. 

 

Karana

Karana is described as one-half of a tithi (lunar day) so we understand each tithi has 2 karanas. There are a total of 11 karanas. Karana helps in determining the nature of a person. For eg. If a person falls under Shakuni karana he shall be calm, intelligent, intuitive, and noble. For a person falling under Bava karana, he shall be content and satisfied in life and will be successful if a career in the army is pursued. The other karanas are Balava, Naga, Gara etc.

 

Hence understanding panchang is ideal to know the unfolding events in one’s life. From knowing auspicious timings for new beginnings to safeguarding yourself from mishaps, Panchang guides you throughout. It is amazing to acknowledge the fact that the diverse thought systems in Hinduism viz. its philosophy, ideas, concepts, rituals, and traditions are in absolute conformity with nature and cosmology.