The five limbs
Pañcāṅga is a five-part measure of time: tithi describes the Sun–Moon angular phase; vāra is the weekday; nakshatra locates the Moon in one of twenty-seven lunar divisions; yoga combines solar and lunar longitude under a separate cycle; karaṇa is half a tithi. They are time factors, not extra planets or houses.
Why definitions come first
Classical texts begin with astronomical definitions because interpretation depends on knowing what was measured. Distinguishing longitude, sign, house, nakshatra, and tithi prevents unlike rules from being blended later. Unsupported factors must never be improvised by prose.
Natal and daily contexts
A natal chart fixes a birth instant. A daily pañcāṅga describes a date and location in traditional practice. The same vocabulary appears in both, but natal interpretation and muhurta use different rule sets; Astrolife does not silently mix them.
A reliable notation habit
Write factor, value, coordinate frame, and time together—for example: Moon, Rohiṇī pada 2, Lahiri sidereal, at birth. This prevents a current-sky value from being mistaken for a natal fact.
Three views of one longitude
The Moon is in Taurus, house two, Rohiṇī pada 2.
- Taurus is its rāśi.
- House two is counted from Lagna.
- Rohiṇī is its lunar division.
Practice on a chart
- Write the Moon's sign, house, nakshatra, and pada on separate lines.
- Label each as position, house context, or lunar division.
Can you explain it?
Does a tithi identify a natal house?
No. It is the angular phase between Sun and Moon.
Classical astronomical vocabulary; Bṛhat Jātaka and Parāśari teaching sequence.
Traditional interpretations are presented as a field of study and reflection, not scientifically established prediction.