Panchang for Wednesday, 18 November 2026
| Tithi | Navami |
|---|---|
| Paksha | Shukla |
| Nakshatra | Shatabhisha, pada 1 |
| Yoga | Dhruva |
| Karana | Balava |
| Vara | Budhavara |
| Sunrise (Ujjain, IST) | 06:42 |
| Sunset (Ujjain, IST) | 17:41 |
Today's tithi is Navami, in the Shukla paksha, the waxing half of the lunar month. The Moon moves through Shatabhisha nakshatra, pada 1. The vara is Budhavara, and the panchang's remaining limbs are Dhruva yoga and Balava karana.
Shukla paksha and Krishna paksha
Shukla paksha is the bright fortnight in which the Moon fills toward Purnima and Krishna paksha is the dark fortnight in which it empties toward Amavasya, each holding fifteen tithis, the two together making one lunar month.
Paksha means a side or a wing. Shukla is white and Krishna is dark, and the pair describes which way the light is moving rather than any judgement about the half. Every tithi number therefore appears twice a month, once while the Moon is filling and once while it is emptying, and the paksha is what tells the two apart. Shukla Ashtami is a half lit Moon getting brighter. Krishna Ashtami is a half lit Moon getting darker. Same geometry, opposite direction.
Where the month is cut differs by region. Amanta reckoning ends the month at Amavasya and is standard through much of southern and western India. Purnimanta reckoning ends it at Purnima and is standard through much of the north. Both agree on the tithi and the paksha of any given day. They can still name the month differently, which is why a festival can look like it moved when only the bookkeeping changed.
In practice the paksha is the fastest thing to read on a page. It sets your expectation for the evening sky before you know anything else about the day: a bright fortnight Moon is already up when the Sun goes down, and a dark fortnight Moon makes you wait for it.