9 May 2006,    Vyaya, Naama Samvatsaram (Chandramanam)

"Vedic rituals are performed according to the position of various planets [and the sun and the moon]. There are rules to determine this. The right day and hour [muhurat] for a function is fixed according to the position of celestial bodies." (Divine sayings of Peria Periayaval)

In Hindu Society, all important functions or rituals will be conducted only after choosing a proper time for them This is done with the help of Almanac or Panchanga(m), an important booklet possessed by every house-hold in Hindu families throughout the world. It is common even amongst some Muslim or Christian families to consult an almanac before finalizing the timing of any auspicious event. 

The Sanskrit word "Panchanga" means five segments or limbs, namely, Thithi (lunar day), Vara (week day), Nakshatra (constellation), Yoga (luni-solar day) and Karana (half of a lunar day). The five limbs of the Panchanga represent the five sources of energy, visible as well as invisible, as denoted by these segments in a day.

It is believed by the followers of the Panchanga that a proper balance of these energies is necessary for health, wealth and prosperity of mankind. The almanac provides guidelines for a person to undertake various activities in accordance with the best possible and most beneficial combination of these five elements signified by the five limbs. The combination varies depending on the nature of activity undertaken. The time so chosen for these activities, religious, social or otherwise, is called a "Muhurtha(m)". In a Hindu family or Society, no religious or social activity, which is compared important, is undertaken without fixing a proper muhurtha(m). Thus, apart from individual’s activities, dates for the festivals, sowing of plants and other agricultural activities and common religious functions are also chosen or determined on the basis of auspicious time indicated in the Panchanga.