Foundations
Reading the panchang in two minutes
Panchang means “five limbs”. Each limb is a different way of measuring the same day, and each comes from the positions of the Sun and the Moon. You don’t need all five every morning. You need to know what each one measures, so you know which to look at.
Tithi, the lunar day
A tithi is the time it takes the Moon to gain 12 degrees on the Sun. There are thirty in a lunar month, fifteen waxing and fifteen waning. Because the Moon’s speed varies, a tithi can last anything from about 19 to 26 hours, and it rarely starts at sunrise.
The tithi sets the tone of the day. Dashami, the tenth, favours finishing things. Amavasya, the new moon, favours rest.
Nakshatra, the Moon’s mansion
The zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′ each. The nakshatra of the day is wherever the Moon is. It changes roughly once a day and colours how the day feels: Uttarashada is steady and patient, Ardra is restless.
If you look at only one limb, look at this one.
Yoga, karana and vara
Yoga combines the Sun’s and Moon’s longitudes into 27 more divisions; it is a second reading of the day’s quality. Karana is half a tithi and matters mostly for timing specific acts. Vara is simply the weekday, each ruled by a planet: Thursday by Jupiter, Saturday by Saturn.
In practice
Read the nakshatra for the mood, the tithi for the kind of work, and leave the rest for when you are choosing a time for something important. Cosmic OS shows all five for your location each morning, with the hour each one changes.
The morning holds; the afternoon opens; the evening turns inward.