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Nitya yoga: the yoga of the day

The yoga (nitya yoga) is one of the five limbs of the panchang: one of 27 yogas set by the sum of the sidereal longitudes of the Sun and the Moon. It lasts about a day and can change at any hour. Below are all 27 with what they are traditionally good for.

JyotiSoft editorial team · dates checked by calculation

In short

The sum of the Sun's and Moon's sidereal longitudes is divided into 27 parts of 13°20′.
Each part is a yoga; it lasts roughly a day and changes at any time of day.
Nine yogas are counted unfavourable for beginnings, above all Vyatipata and Vaidhriti.
Not the same as the yogas of a birth chart or the special yogas of a weekday.

Yoga	№	Sun + Moon	Favours
Vishkambha	1	0°00′ – 13°20′	obstacles; not for starts
Priti	2	13°20′ – 26°40′	love, friendship, reconciliation
Ayushman	3	26°40′ – 40°00′	health, long-term affairs
Saubhagya	4	40°00′ – 53°20′	good fortune, family matters
Shobhana	5	53°20′ – 66°40′	beauty, celebrations, purchases
Atiganda	6	66°40′ – 80°00′	risk; not for starts
Sukarma	7	80°00′ – 93°20′	good deeds, work
Dhriti	8	93°20′ – 106°40′	steadiness, patience
Shula	9	106°40′ – 120°00′	pain, conflicts; not for starts
Ganda	10	120°00′ – 133°20′	difficulties; not for starts
Vriddhi	11	133°20′ – 146°40′	growth, investments
Dhruva	12	146°40′ – 160°00′	firmness, building, lasting things
Vyaghata	13	160°00′ – 173°20′	clashes; not for starts
Harshana	14	173°20′ – 186°40′	joy, celebrations
Vajra	15	186°40′ – 200°00′	harshness; not for starts
Siddhi	16	200°00′ – 213°20′	success, reaching goals
Vyatipata	17	213°20′ – 226°40′	unfavourable for beginnings
Variyana	18	226°40′ – 240°00′	comfort, conveniences, purchases
Parigha	19	240°00′ – 253°20′	barriers; not for starts
Shiva	20	253°20′ – 266°40′	spiritual practice, study
Siddha	21	266°40′ – 280°00′	success in affairs
Sadhya	22	280°00′ – 293°20′	what is achievable, practice
Shubha	23	293°20′ – 306°40′	good deeds, beginnings
Shukla	24	306°40′ – 320°00′	clarity, purity, study
Brahma	25	320°00′ – 333°20′	knowledge, study, mentors
Aindra	26	333°20′ – 346°40′	authority, leadership
Vaidhriti	27	346°40′ – 360°00′	discord; not for starts

How the yoga is calculated

Take the sidereal longitude of the Sun and of the Moon and add them. The full circle of 360° is divided into 27 equal parts of 13°20′, and the number of the part the sum falls in is the number of the yoga, from Vishkambha to Vaidhriti. Because the Moon moves about 13° a day and the Sun about 1°, the sum moves about 14° a day, so a yoga lasts a little less than a day and can change at any hour. The day panchang gives the time it ends in local time.

Favourable and unfavourable yogas

The names of the yogas describe their character: Shubha is welfare, Siddhi success, Vyatipata calamity, Vaidhriti division. Nine of them are counted unfavourable for beginnings in the muhurat tradition — Vishkambha, Atiganda, Shula, Ganda, Vyaghata, Vajra, Vyatipata, Parigha and Vaidhriti — and Vyatipata and Vaidhriti are the two that are avoided most strictly. The others are counted good, some of them, such as Siddhi and Shubha, especially so.

How much weight the yoga carries

The yoga is one factor of the day among several. For an important beginning the tithi, the nakshatra and the weekday, and the day's windows such as Rahu kalam, weigh as much or more. If you have a choice, avoid starting something important in Vyatipata or Vaidhriti; otherwise read the yoga together with the rest of the day. Do not confuse the nitya yoga with the yogas of a birth chart, which are combinations of planets, or with the special yogas formed by a weekday and a nakshatra.

Questions

How many yogas are there?

Twenty-seven, from Vishkambha to Vaidhriti, each 13°20′ of the Sun–Moon sum.

Which yogas are bad for beginnings?

Vishkambha, Atiganda, Shula, Ganda, Vyaghata, Vajra, Vyatipata, Parigha and Vaidhriti; Vyatipata and Vaidhriti most of all.

How long does a yoga last?

A little less than a day on average, because the Sun–Moon sum moves about 14° a day; it can change at any hour.

Is the nitya yoga the same as a yoga in my chart?

No. Chart yogas are combinations of planets in a birth chart; the nitya yoga is a limb of the day's calendar, the same for everyone at a place.

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