anch means five Anga means limbs. Panchanga means the five limbs of the day.

Panchanga is the Indian ephemeris, which takes into account the five sources of energy that support each day. The essence of the Panchanga is how the Sun and Moon relate to each on a daily basis. Panchanga is used for almost every branch of Vedic astrology: natal, election, prashna (horary), religious calendars and to understand the energy of the day. Panchang of the day birth effects our emotions, temperament and nature. It can give added information about who we are and how we feel. It can strengthen the effect of the planets and give us additional qualities that we may not understand purely through the natal chart. Panchanga is what sustains the birth chart, its supporting energy. This has never been properly understood, we continue to judge the natal chart without looking at the energies that surrounding the birth. Ancient classics like Jataka Bharnam, Hora Ratnam and Maan Sagri have much information on this subject, which somehow never got incorporated into present day Jyotish in analysing natal charts. The panchang is a combination of the: 1. Dina (solar day) 2. Nakshatra ( the transit of the Moon on a day) 3. The Tithi (Lunar day) 4. Karana (The half day) 5. Yoga (the relationship between the Sun and the Moon) Dina is connected to the Sun and Nakshatra to the Moon, the other three components of the Panchanga show the connection between the two. The Sun, Moon and the Panchanga The Sun and the Moon are the vital component. The panchang follows the transits of the Moon, its daily quality as it travels through the zodiac and the nakshatras and the Moons daily interaction with the Sun. The Sun is the Atma, eternal soul, our connection to the divine and Moon is the Jiva Atma, the living soul, our contact with the earth. How the mind and the soul interact is the story of the panchang. The natal positions of the Sun and Moon are very important. Other planets are important but only to support the Luminaries interaction. The quality of the Sun and Moon in a natal chart by rashi, conjunction and aspect will impact on the qualities expressed by the panchang. If they are weak, despite the panchang promising a lot, it does not deliver to its best level. This is when the negative qualities of the panchang can take root. Similarly a very negative panchang can be improved, if they are in dignity and strong in the natal chart. If one is in dignity and the other is weak, it gives more neutral effects. Remedial measures can be performed for a negative panchang connected to a negative panchang. Dina or Solar Day

Dina means day. Dina is one solar day that begins at sunrise and ends at sunrise of the next solar day. There are 360 dina in a solar year, one day for one degree of the zodiac. Different planets rule the days in the week. The day is known as Dina or Vaar and the name of planet is prefixed to Vaar to give a particular day. Dina connects to the Sun and therefore to the soul. Dina is the most important component of the panchang as it is the primary influence on the soul and the planet that rules the dina has a lot to say about how the soul feels about this incarnation. From Sun to Saturday the Dinas and their planetary rulers are: 1. Ravivaar- Suns day 2. Somvaar- Moon's day 3. Mangalvaar- Mars day 4. Buddhvaar- Mercury's day 5. Brihaspativaar or Guruvaar - Jupiter's day 6. Shukravaar- Venus's day 7. Shanivaar- Saturn's day Vedic day begins at sunrise and ends at Sunrise of the next day. So when we are discussing Saturday, it will be Saturday after sunrise, the time before that belongs to Friday. The Dina of the day of birth will be weekday on which the Sun rose at a particular place (local time). In effect two people born on the same date may have different dina according to the place of birth. If the sun rose in UK at 5.30 am on Sunday morning on the 1st of June, someone born at 5.25 am will be born on Saturday and birth at 5.35am would be on Sunday. Even someone born at the same time and in the same country can have different dina as the Sun may rise earlier at one place than the other. This changes the quality of their personality, their connection with the eternal. As one inherits Saturns qualities and the other the Suns. Most Vedic software give the sunrise time of the place you are born and will also show the Panchanga. The Nakshatras Nakshatra is the original language of the stars that the ancient rishis connected to. To study the Moons movement in the backdrop of the stars gave them an understanding of the deeper meaning of life. One nakshatra is how long the moon travels in one day. Nakshatra literally means a star in Sanskrit. A star is a point of cosmic light. Naksha means to get closer and Tra means to preserve. Moon is the significator of the mind and therefore nakshatras prime connection is with the ebb and flow of the mind. Dina reflect the soul, nakshatra the mind and is the 2nd most important component of the Panchanga. The day is divided into four portions, sunrise, midday, sunset and midnight, therefore the nakshatras are also divided into four parts known as padas. The four parts also reflect the four cardinal directions and the four main aims of the incarnating soul. Padas link divine part of the Moons energy to that of the Sun. The nakshatras and the rashis are joined together by the navamsha and padas.

Although in natal astrology we would study all the planet positions in their nakshatras, in Panchanga, we are only concerned with Moons position. Nama Nakshatra According to Vedic Tradition, the first letter of your birth name was chosen from the special consonant or vowel related to your birth nakshatra. This way you are perpetually connected to your birth energy. The name becomes like a mantra and whenever someone says your name it creates an auspicious energy. The nakshatras reflect the complete Akshara (alphabet) of Sanskrit. Each nakshatra has four special consonants or vowels, one for each pada. The moment a child is born, the parents ask the Jyotishi or priest for the right consonant/ vowel to name their child correctly. This is known as Nama nakshatra. Nama means name. The choice is not from any four consonants of the Moon nakshatra but the one that belongs to the specific pada the Moon was in. This is a tradition has got lost as many dont know the significance of the nama nakshatra. It can be difficult to find the Sanskrit alphabet names that can convert into western names.