Panchang in Diffa, Niger Thu 14 Apr 2011

The Sun enters Mesha at 08:30, between sunrise (05:57) and sunset (18:22): Thu 14 Apr. No text giving Mesha Sankranti’s time was found; sankranti is Tithika’s convention.

Mesha Sankranti: every date in Diffa

Smartas test Ekadashi at sunrise: it holds sunrise on Thu 14 Apr only, at 05:57: Thu 14 Apr. Vaishnavas test arunodaya: Dashami ended at 20:58 Wed, before it (04:21–05:57).

Kamada Ekadashi: every date in Diffa

The Moon gains on the Sun about 12° a day. Each 12° of lead is one tithi: 120°–132° is the 11th, Shukla Ekadashi. A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise, 05:57 here. Dashami ended at 20:58 Wed, before it. Ekadashi ends at 18:10, when the lead reaches 132°. The lead passed 0° at the new moon of 3 Apr, so the Moon is waxing: Shukla paksha.

The night of Wed 13 Apr ran from sunset 18:22 Wed 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 Fri, 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′. Magha spans 120°00′–133°20′; the Moon entered its pada 2 at 123°20′. It leaves at 19:42, for Purva Phalguni.

Add the Sun's and the Moon's places among the stars: 359.9° + 124.9° = 484.8°, one full turn and 124.8°. Past the turn, cut into 27 parts of 13°20′, it gives the yoga: 120°00′–133°20′ is the 10th, Ganda. It ends at 19:00, then Vriddhi.

A karana is half a tithi: 6° of the Moon's lead, so the first half of Ekadashi is Vanija and the second Vishti. Vanija runs until 07:38, when the lead reaches 126°; Vishti until 18:10.

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

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 14 Apr, inside the month. The next new moon, 3 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 3 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: 3 Apr 2011, 15:32 Sun. Since then the Sun has moved 10.4° round the stars. Vikram Samvat numbers that year 2068; Shaka Samvat numbers it 1933.