Panchang in Diffa, Niger Sun 13 Apr 2008

Rama’s birth is celebrated at madhyahna, the middle fifth of the day. Navami runs from 06:55 on Sun 13 Apr to 06:08 on Mon 14 Apr, so only Sunday’s madhyahna (10:55–13:24) falls within it.

Rama Navami: every date in Diffa

The Sun enters Mesha at 13:59, between sunrise (05:57) and sunset (18:22): Sun 13 Apr. No text giving Mesha Sankranti’s time was found; sankranti is Tithika’s convention.

Mesha Sankranti: every date in Diffa

The Moon gains on the Sun about 12° a day. Each 12° of lead is one tithi: 84°–96° is the 8th, Shukla Ashtami. A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise, 05:57 here. Saptami ended at 08:16 Sat, before it. Ashtami ends at 06:55, when the lead reaches 96°. The lead passed 0° at the new moon of 6 Apr, so the Moon is waxing: Shukla paksha.

The night of Sat 12 Apr ran from sunset 18:22 Sat to sunrise 05:57, 11 h 35 m. Cut into 15 muhurtas of 46 m, its 14th is Brahma Muhurta, the one before the last.

Daylight here, 05:57 to 18:22, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 33 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The night here, 18:22 to 05:57 Mon, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 26 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The fixed stars divide the Moon's path into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′, each in 4 padas of 3°20′. Pushya spans 93°20′–106°40′; the Moon entered its pada 1 at 93°20′. It leaves at 02:32 Mon, for Ashlesha.

Add the Sun's and the Moon's places among the stars: 359.7° + 95.2° = 454.9°, one full turn and 94.9°. Past the turn, cut into 27 parts of 13°20′, it gives the yoga: 93°20′–106°40′ is the 8th, Dhriti. It ends at 01:40 Mon, then Shula.

A karana is half a tithi: 6° of the Moon's lead, so the first half of Ashtami is Vishti and the second Bava. Vishti ended at 19:31 Sat, when the lead reached 90°; Bava runs until 06:55.

A Hindu day runs from one sunrise to the next, not midnight to midnight. This one runs 05:57 to 05:57 Mon, so the hours after midnight still belong to Raviwara.

An amanta month runs from new moon to new moon and takes its name from the rashi the Sun is in at the new moon that begins it: Meena gives Chaitra. The Sun enters Mesha on 13 Apr, inside the month. The next new moon, 5 May, finds it in Mesha and begins Vaishakha.

A purnimanta month runs from full moon to full moon, so its waning half comes first. It shares its name with the amanta month that its second half falls in: the new moon of 6 Apr, with the Sun in Meena, began Chaitra. This Shukla paksha reads Chaitra in both counts.

A samvat year begins with Chaitra, the month whose new moon finds the Sun in Meena: 6 Apr 2008, 04:55 Sun. Since then the Sun has moved 6.9° round the stars. Vikram Samvat numbers that year 2065; Shaka Samvat numbers it 1930.