Tithi — Choosing an Auspicious Day for Beginnings
Jyotish is sometimes called lunar astrology. The ancients considered the Moon to be the main planet influencing a person. If, for example, somewhere in India you are asked under what constellation you were born, be ready to name your lunar sign of the zodiac. For it is precisely that sign that carries the most weight in your horoscope and most accurately reflects the essence of your personality. This shows itself especially strongly after the age of 30-35, when a person begins to live to a greater extent by their lunar chart.
Indeed, the Moon exerts an enormous influence on our life, mind, emotions and mood.
Just as strongly the Moon influences the events of our life too. Depending on the lunar day, the events and undertakings that we embark upon may turn out to be fruitful or, on the contrary, fruitless. And some important occasions, such as a wedding, a church wedding, surgical operations, dental or cosmetological procedures, a haircut, the planting / transplanting / pruning of plants and many others, depend in the most direct and critical way on which lunar day the occasion in question was begun.
Traditionally, a lunar month consists of 28, 29 or 30 lunar days.
“Tithi” translated from Sanskrit means “lunar day”.
From the 1st to the 15th tithi the Moon is waxing. This is shukla paksha. “Shukla” (Sanskrit) means “bright”, “paksha” — “side”. Shukla paksha is the phase of the bright half of the Moon, when it fills up and its powers increase.
Undertakings begun during the waxing Moon will expand with time, but at the beginning they may meet with difficulties.
From the 16th to the 30th tithi the Moon is waning. This is krishna paksha. “Krishna” (Sanskrit) means “dark”. Krishna paksha is the phase of the dark half of the Moon, when it loses its strength.
Undertakings begun during the waning Moon give good results at the beginning, but difficulties in their further development.
It is ideal if undertakings are begun*, when the Moon is bright more than half. This corresponds to the period from the 8th to the 23rd tithi.
|
Tithi |
Type |
A description of the activities for the given tithi |
| 1 Pratipat | Nanda | Holidays, festivals, journeys. Taking up a post, a change of work. Settling various questions with real estate. A haircut. A wedding — moderately auspicious. |
| 2 Dvitiya | Bhadra |
Holding negotiations. Communication with and the settling of questions with superiors. The start of construction. A wedding. The fulfilment of promises given. The giving of gifts. |
| 3 Titiya | Jaya |
A wedding. The start of study of creative disciplines: music, drawing, sculpture and so on. The creation of rules, systems and structures. The drawing of boundaries. Building and repairs. |
| 4 Chaturthi | Riktha |
Getting rid of unnecessary things. Dismantling. Carrying out cleansing procedures. Cookery, the preparation of food. Actions connected with fire. For long-term undertakings this tithi is inauspicious. |
| 5 Panchami | Purna |
A wonderful day for long-term and important undertakings. Entering into marriage. The start of treatment. The making of ornaments and other beautiful things. |
| 6 Shashti | Nanda |
The start of construction. The renewal of relations. Communication with friends, the improvement of relations with people. On this day it is good to make new friends. Marriage is moderately auspicious. Settling various questions with real estate. A change of work, taking up a new post. |
| 7 Saptami | Bhadra |
The start of a long journey. The purchase of means of transport. Physical exercise. Occupation with music. Entering into marriage. |
| 8 Ashtami | Jaya |
Physical activity. Dancing. Creative activity. The start of study. The start of construction. Marriage — moderately auspicious. |
| 9 Navami | Riktha |
Disputes. Competition. Repairs. Physical activity. Work with tools. Marriage is inauspicious. |
| 10 Dashami | Purna |
A wedding. The purchase of clothes and the start of wearing them. Journeys. A house-warming. Making large, significant purchases. Meetings with important people. |
| 11 Ekadashi | Nanda |
Fasting is very auspicious (dry, or only fruit and vegetables). A special day for engaging in spiritual practices. |
| 12 Dvadashi | Bhadra |
An auspicious day for undertakings. An excellent day for donating food to all those in need, but especially to spiritual people. Promises and vows. Luxury and journeys should be avoided. Marriage — moderately auspicious. |
| 13 Trayodashi | Jaya |
A day for the enjoyments of life. The purchase of clothes. Rest. Journeys. |
| 14 Chaturdashi | Riktha |
A day for austerities, repentance, reflections on life. The reading of sacred books. Service to people. Haircuts and journeys should be avoided. |
| 15 Purnima (the full moon) | Purna | A very auspicious day for long-term undertakings. The holding of Official ceremonies. Occupation with household affairs. A wedding. Meetings with relatives. |
| 16 Pratipat | Nanda | Holidays, festivals, journeys. Taking up a post, a change of work. Settling various questions with real estate. A haircut. A wedding — moderately auspicious. |
| 17 Dvitiya | Bhadra |
Holding negotiations. Communication with and the settling of questions with superiors. The start of construction. A wedding. The fulfilment of promises given. The giving of gifts. |
| 18 Tritiya | Jaya |
A wedding. The start of study of creative disciplines: music, drawing, sculpture and so on. The creation of rules, systems and structures. The drawing of boundaries. Building and repairs. |
| 19 Chaturthi | Riktha |
Getting rid of unnecessary things. Dismantling. Carrying out cleansing procedures. Cookery, the preparation of food. Actions connected with fire. For long-term undertakings this tithi is inauspicious. |
| 20 Panchami | Purna |
A wonderful day for long-term and important undertakings. Entering into marriage. The start of treatment. The making of ornaments and other beautiful things. |
| 21 Shashti | Nanda |
The start of construction. The renewal of relations. Communication with friends, the improvement of relations with people. On this day it is good to make new friends. Marriage is moderately auspicious. Settling various questions with real estate. A change of work, taking up a new post. |
| 22 Saptami | Bhadra |
The start of a long journey. The purchase of means of transport. Physical exercise. Occupation with music. Entering into marriage. |
| 23 Ashtami | Jaya |
Physical activity. Dancing. Creative activity. The start of study. The start of construction. Marriage — moderately auspicious. |
| 24 Navami | Riktha |
Disputes. Competition. Repairs. Physical activity. Work with tools. Marriage is inauspicious. |
| 25 Dashami | Purna |
A wedding. The purchase of clothes and the start of wearing them. Journeys. A house-warming. Making large, significant purchases. Meetings with important people. |
| 26 Ekadashi | Nanda |
Fasting is very auspicious (dry, or only fruit and vegetables). A special day for engaging in spiritual practices. |
| 27 Dvadashi | Bhadra |
An auspicious day for undertakings. An excellent day for donating food to all those in need, especially to spiritual people. Promises and vows. Luxury and journeys should be avoided. Marriage — moderately auspicious. |
| 28 Trayodashi | Jaya |
A day for the enjoyments of life. The purchase of clothes. Rest. Journeys. |
| 29 Chaturdashi | Riktha |
A day for austerities, repentance, reflections on life. The reading of sacred books. Service to people. Haircuts and journeys should be avoided. |
| 30 Amavasya (the new moon) | Purna | A spiritual day. Very fortunate for spiritual undertakings. On the material plane it is better not to begin new affairs. Communication with wise people, with the spiritual teacher. |
*The exception is various cleansing procedures, cleanses, getting rid of what is unnecessary, which should be performed during the waning Moon, but begun no later than the 23rd tithi.
Types of tithi:
Nanda (Sanskrit) — “happiness, tranquillity”. This is a moderately auspicious type of lunar day. The 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th tithis belong to it.
Bhadra (Sanskrit) — “wisdom”. A moderately auspicious type of lunar day. The 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, 27th tithis belong to it.
Jaya (Sanskrit) — “victory”. A very auspicious type of lunar day. The 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, 28th tithis belong to it.
Riktha (Sanskrit) — “empty hands, poverty”. An inauspicious type of lunar day. It is not worth beginning affairs, especially those connected with obtaining fruits, the results of activity. The 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 19th tithis belong to it.
Purna (Sanskrit) — “fullness”. A very auspicious type of lunar day. ! It is necessary to pay attention to the number of the tithi and to carry out undertakings in accordance with it. The 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th tithis belong to this type.
For planning undertakings of a general kind it is sufficient to know on which lunar day the undertaking should be begun. However, if the planning concerns such vitally important and strictly individual questions as: an operation, entering into marriage, the conception of a child and so on — in that case the auspicious periods must be calculated taking into account also the individual planetary periods, as well as the position of the other planets in the horoscope — that is, on the basis of the individual chart of the person.