Yoga (panchang)
In the panchang, a yoga is one of 27 divisions of the combined longitude of the Sun and Moon, 13°20′ each. It is the fourth limb of the five that make up a panchang.
What a yoga is
The word panchang means “five limbs”: tithi, vaar, nakshatra, yoga and karana. The yoga is computed by adding the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon and dividing the result into 27 parts of 13°20′. Its names run from Vishkambha to Vaidhriti.
Unlike a nakshatra, a yoga is not a place in the sky; it is a relationship between the two lights. It changes roughly once a day, a little faster than a nakshatra, because both the Sun and the Moon contribute to it.
Auspicious and inauspicious yogas
Nine yogas are traditionally treated as unfavourable: Vishkambha, Atiganda, Shula, Ganda, Vyaghata, Vajra, Vyatipata, Parigha and Vaidhriti. Vyatipata and Vaidhriti are the strongest of these and are avoided for muhurats; the rest are usually tolerated when the other limbs are good. Siddhi, Shubha, Brahma, Indra, Dhruva and Harshana are among the favourable ones.
These panchang yogas are different from the combinations also called yogas in a kundali, such as Gajakesari yoga, which describe planetary placements.
FAQ
Why is yoga listed with an end time?
Because it is astronomical like the tithi: it ends when the Sun–Moon sum crosses the next 13°20′ boundary. Hastro shows the yoga at sunrise and the moment it changes.
Does Hastro use yoga in muhurat scoring?
The scores weigh tithi, nakshatra, weekday, choghadiya and Abhijit, and exclude fixed prohibited periods. Yoga is shown on the panchang for reference.
Related: Tithi Nakshatra Karana Vaar (weekday)