Panchang in Diffa, Niger Thu 3 Oct 2013

Shiva’s worship centres on nishitha, the midnight muhurta. Chaturdashi runs from 02:08 on Thu 3 Oct to 02:07 on Fri 4 Oct, so only Thursday night’s nishitha (23:34–00:22 Fri) falls within it. No text giving Masik Shivratri’s time was found; nishitha is Tithika’s convention.

Masik Shivratri: every date in Diffa

The Moon gains on the Sun about 12° a day. Each 12° of lead is one tithi: 336°–348° is the 29th, Krishna Chaturdashi. A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise, 05:59 here. Trayodashi ended at 02:08, before it. Chaturdashi ends at 02:07 Fri, when the lead reaches 348°. The lead passed 180° at the full moon of 19 Sep, so the Moon is waning: Krishna paksha.

A day takes the tithi in force at its sunrise.

New Delhi · IST

Sunrise here, 06:15, came before Trayodashi ended at 06:38: this day reads Trayodashi.

Diffa · UTC+1

Sunrise here, 05:59, came after Trayodashi ended at 02:08: this day reads Chaturdashi.

The night of Wed 2 Oct ran from sunset 17:58 Wed to sunrise 05:59, 12 h 1 m. Cut into 15 muhurtas of 48 m, its 14th is Brahma Muhurta, the one before the last.

Daylight here, 05:59 to 17:57, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 29 m. Their names follow a fixed order that starts from the weekday, and each name is counted good, neutral or bad.

The night here, 17:57 to 05:59 Fri, splits into 8 choghadiyas of 1 h 30 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′. Purva Phalguni spans 133°20′–146°40′; the Moon entered its pada 4 at 143°20′. It leaves at 10:55, for Uttara Phalguni.

Add the Sun's and the Moon's places among the stars: 166.1° + 144° = 310.1°. The sum, cut into 27 parts of 13°20′, gives the yoga: 306°40′–320°00′ is the 24th, Shukla. It ends at 22:58, then Brahma.

A karana is half a tithi: 6° of the Moon's lead, so the first half of Chaturdashi is Vishti and the second Shakuni. Vishti runs until 14:12, when the lead reaches 342°; Shakuni until 02:07 Fri.

A Hindu day runs from one sunrise to the next, not midnight to midnight. This one runs 05:59 to 05:59 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: Simha gives Bhadrapada. The Sun enters Kanya on 16 Sep, inside the month. The next new moon, 5 Oct, finds it in Kanya and begins Ashwina.

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 5 Oct, with the Sun in Kanya, begins Ashwina. Until then this Krishna paksha reads Ashwina here, and Bhadrapada in the amanta count.

A samvat year begins with Chaitra, the month whose new moon finds the Sun in Meena: 10 Apr 2013, 10:35 Wed. Since then the Sun has moved 169.5° round the stars. Vikram Samvat numbers that year 2070; Shaka Samvat numbers it 1935.