Notes on the hours.
Plain-English notes on choghadiya, Rahu Kaal, hora and the sunrise-to-sunrise day that Sumuhurta reads. Tradition and guidance, not prediction.
What is a panchang? The five limbs of the Hindu almanac
Tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana: the five limbs of the Hindu almanac, and how each one is read from the sky.
ReadChoghadiya or hora: two ways of reading the same day
Eight named parts or twelve planetary hours, both counted from sunrise. Where they meet, and how to read them together.
ReadAmrit choghadiya: what it means and when it falls
Of the seven choghadiya names, tradition holds Amrit highest. Which part it fills on each weekday, and how to time it.
ReadHow to find an auspicious time today, layer by layer
Every count starts at your own sunrise. Keep the parts tradition favours, set aside the rest, then narrow by the hour.
ReadWhat is a ghati? The sixty parts of the Vedic day
The panchang counts sixty ghatis from one sunrise to the next. How long one lasts, and how to turn one into clock time.
ReadWhat is a muhurat? Muhurta in plain English
One word names a unit of about forty-eight minutes, the other a time someone has chosen as suited to an undertaking.
ReadBrahma muhurta: the quiet stretch before sunrise
Tradition keeps the last named stretch of the night, ending forty-eight minutes before sunrise, for prayer and study.
ReadAbhijit muhurta: the midday span tradition favours
Tradition counts the eighth of fifteen parts of daylight, the span across local noon, among the steadier hours.
ReadWhat is a hora? The planetary hours of the Vedic day
The Vedic day holds twenty-four planetary hours, twelve by day and twelve by night, each one ruled by a graha.
ReadRahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika: the hours tradition sets aside
Three short parts of every day that tradition leaves aside for new beginnings, and how each one is worked out.
ReadThe Vedic day: why it starts at sunrise, not midnight
In the panchang tradition the day begins when the sun rises. What that changes for the weekday, the hours and the night.
ReadWhat is choghadiya? The eight parts of the day and night
The panchang divides daylight and darkness into eight parts each. What the seven names mean, and how the order runs.
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