Panchang (also spelled Panchanga or Panchangam) is the Vedic almanac that records five key elements of each day: Vara (weekday), Tithi (lunar day), Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Yoga (a combined Sun-Moon value), and Karana (half of a tithi). The five elements together are used to determine the auspiciousness of a given time for starting important activities.

Tithi is the lunar day in Vedic astrology. It is based on the angular difference between the Sun and Moon, each 12 degrees apart. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, 15 in the waxing phase (Shukla Paksha) and 15 in the waning phase (Krishna Paksha). Tithi is one of the most important elements in determining muhurta, the auspicious timing for activities.

The Nakshatra in Panchang refers to the lunar mansion the Moon occupies at the given time. The Moon moves through all 27 nakshatras roughly once per month, spending about 24 hours in each. The daily nakshatra affects the quality of the day for various activities. Some nakshatras are considered auspicious for travel, business, or rituals, while others are avoided for certain tasks.

Rahukala is an inauspicious period of approximately 1.5 hours each day, associated with Rahu. The day from sunrise to sunset is divided into 8 equal parts, and one of these parts is designated as Rahukala based on the day of the week. It is traditionally avoided for starting new ventures, travel, or auspicious activities. The specific segment varies by day: on Sunday it falls in the 4th part, on Monday the 2nd, and so on.

Abhijit Muhurta is a universally auspicious 48-minute window that falls around midday each day. It is the 8th of 15 equal muhurtas from sunrise to sunset. Abhijit Muhurta is considered highly favorable for starting important activities because it is one of the few auspicious periods that overrides most inauspicious combinations in the rest of the panchang. It is especially favored for travel and business commencements.