The Rhythm of Observance

Because so much of Hindu religious life is scheduled by tithi (Ekadashi fasts on the eleventh, Purnima on the full moon, Amavasya on the new), the tithi is the practical unit of the ritual calendar, and each carries associations of favourability for particular acts. The tithi is also one of the five limbs of the panchanga, the Hindu almanac.

The atlas gives each tithi its name, its fortnight, and its associations and observances. The tithi is divided into karanas and works alongside the nitya yogas, each treated in its own category, within the calendar and Vedic material.