Panchanga means “five limbs”. Together they describe the quality of a day.
Tithi is the lunar day. Vara is the weekday, each associated with a graha. Nakshatra is the lunar mansion the Moon occupies, one of twenty-seven segments of the sky.
Yoga is derived from the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon, again in twenty-seven divisions. Karana is half a tithi; there are eleven karanas, seven of which repeat through the month.
Traditional timing, for festivals, vrats and muhurats, weighs all five together, along with local sunrise and the traditions of the family.
