Panchangam: The Five Limbs (五肢曆法)
The Panchangam (பஞ்சாங்கம்) is the traditional Vedic almanac system that divides each day into five astronomical components (Pancha = five, Anga = limbs). It serves as the foundation for electional astrology (Muhurta), daily auspiciousness assessment, and festival timing — functionally parallel to the Chinese Tong Shu (通書) almanac tradition.
The Five Limbs
- Tithi (திதி - Lunar Day): Determined by the angular separation between Sun and Moon. Each 12° of separation creates one Tithi. There are 30 Tithis in a lunar month (15 Shukla/waxing + 15 Krishna/waning). Certain Tithis are auspicious (Panchami, Dashami) while others require caution (Ashtami, Chaturdashi).
- Vara (வாரம் - Weekday): The seven weekdays, each ruled by a planet. Sunrise to sunrise defines the day. Sunday (Suriyan), Monday (Chandran), Tuesday (Sevvai), Wednesday (Budhan), Thursday (Guru), Friday (Sukran), Saturday (Sani).
- Nakshatram (நட்சத்திரம் - Lunar Mansion): The Moon's position in one of the 27 Nakshatras. Determines the general quality of the day (Dhruva Nakshatras for permanent work, Chara for travel, Tikshna for aggressive action).
- Yoga (யோகம்): Calculated from the sum of Sun and Moon longitudes. There are 27 Yogas, each spanning 13°20'. Some Yogas like Siddha and Amrita are highly auspicious; others like Vishkambha and Vyaghata bring obstacles.
- Karana (கரணம் - Half-Tithi): Each Tithi has two Karanas (6° each). There are 11 Karana types — 4 fixed and 7 repeating. Bava, Balava, and Kaulava are generally favorable.
Inauspicious Time Windows
Three daily periods are calculated by dividing daylight into eight equal segments:
- Rahu Kaalam (ராகு காலம்): Ruled by Rahu — avoid new ventures. Monday=2nd segment, Saturday=3rd, Friday=4th, Wednesday=5th, Thursday=6th, Tuesday=7th, Sunday=8th.
- Yama Gandam (யம கண்டம்): Ruled by Yama (death) — avoid travel and risky activities.
- Kuligai (குளிகை - Gulika): Saturn's sub-period — generally unfavorable for initiations.
Cross-System Parallel
The Panchangam functions similarly to the Chinese Ze Ri (擇日 - Date Selection) system, with Tithi paralleling the Lunar Day (農曆日), Nakshatra paralleling the 28 Lunar Mansions (二十八宿), and the inauspicious periods paralleling Sha (煞) concepts in Chinese almanac tradition.