Auspicious and Inauspicious Combinations

We have looked at the five limbs separately and at the practical schedules they produce. There remains one more category of panchang feature: the named combination yogas (संयोग)that emerge when specific tithis, varas, and nakshatras align in particular ways. These combinations are not part of the five primary limbs — they are derived. But they are flagged prominently on a careful panchang because they substantially modify the day’s overall reading.

The word yogahere is being used in its broadest sense — “a combination, a coming together” — distinct from both the technical nitya yoga of chapter 5 and from the spiritual yoga path. Context distinguishes them.

We will cover the most-flagged combinations: the powerful auspicious yogas (Sarvarth Siddhi, Amrit Siddhi, Tripushkar, Dwipushkar) and the cautioned periods (Panchaka, Bhadra positioning, Mrityu Yoga, and a few others).

Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga — “all-purpose success” सर्वार्थ सिद्धि योग

Sarvarth Siddhi (सर्वार्थ सिद्धि)means “the accomplishment of all purposes.” It is one of the most strongly auspicious combination yogas in the panchang, and it appears regularly throughout the year — usually several times per month.

The yoga forms when a specific weekday combines with a specific nakshatra. The classical tabulation is:

When the day’s nakshatra at sunrise is in the list for that vara, Sarvarth Siddhi yoga is in effect for the duration of that nakshatra. It overrides — or at least substantially mitigates — most other unfavourable indicators for the activity in question.

The traditional usage is: if you cannot find a formally clean muhurta but Sarvarth Siddhi is in effect, it is acceptable to proceed with auspicious new beginnings.

Amrit Siddhi Yoga — the immortal accomplishment अमृत सिद्धि योग

Amrit Siddhi (अमृत सिद्धि)means “the accomplishment of immortality.” This is a more restricted combination than Sarvarth Siddhi, applying only to specific day-nakshatra pairings:

Amrit Siddhi is one of the most powerful combination yogas. The most famous of these is Guru Pushya Yoga — Thursday with Pushya nakshatra. This combination is held to be among the very best moments in the entire year for making major financial commitments, beginning study, starting spiritual practice, and any major undertaking with long-term implications.

Tripushkar and Dwipushkar Yogas त्रिपुष्कर / द्विपुष्कर योग

These two yogas have an unusual property: they multiply the effect of whatever happens during them — multiplying it three times (Tripushkar) or two times (Dwipushkar). This means they amplify both good and bad effects, and traditional advice is to use them only for clearly auspicious activities, never for anything ambiguous.

Tripushkar Yoga त्रिपुष्कर योग

Forms when three conditions coincide:

• Tithi is Bhadra-tithi (2nd, 7th, or 12th of either paksha — these are also called bhadraja tithis)
• Vara is Sunday, Tuesday, or Saturday
• Nakshatra is Krittika, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Vishakha, Uttara Ashadha, or Purva Bhadrapada (the six nakshatras whose names imply “triple” or which fall in trika positions)

When all three coincide, Tripushkar is in effect. Material gains acquired during Tripushkar are multiplied threefold. Property purchased in Tripushkar is said to bring three times the expected wealth. But debts contracted in Tripushkar will also need to be paid back three times — and losses accrued during this yoga are tripled. So choose only auspicious actions.

Dwipushkar Yoga द्विपुष्कर योग

Same general structure but with different eligibility — the multiplication is twofold rather than threefold. Tithis: 2nd, 7th, 12th; Days: Sunday, Tuesday, Saturday; Nakshatras: Mrigashira, Chitra, Dhanishta. When all three coincide, Dwipushkar is in effect.

Both yogas are flagged on the panchang when they occur. They are rare — sometimes only a handful of days per year produce them — and represent prized moments for major auspicious purchases.

Ravi Pushya Yoga — the Sun-Pushya combination रवि पुष्य योग

Sunday with Pushya nakshatra. This is another instance of Amrit Siddhi but specifically called out by name in many regional traditions because of the special quality of Sun + Pushya. Sunday is the first day of the week, the Sun’s day; Pushya is the most nourishing nakshatra. The combination is held to be ideal for starting any work that requires both authority and nourishment — government work, leadership ventures, political launches, and similar undertakings.

Panchaka — the inauspicious five-day window पंचक

We mentioned panchaka briefly in the nakshatra chapter. It deserves its own treatment here.

Panchaka is the period during which the Moon transits the last five nakshatras of the zodiac:

1. Dhanishta (the second half — padas 3 and 4)
2. Shatabhisha
3. Purva Bhadrapada
4. Uttara Bhadrapada
5. Revati

Total span: 4½ nakshatras × 13°20′ = 60° = 4 days approximately, since the Moon moves through 13°20′ per day on average. Panchaka occurs once each lunar month, lasting about 4–5 days, when the Moon is traversing this five-nakshatra region (which falls in the rashis Kumbha and Meena).

Five activities are traditionally avoided during panchaka, captured in a Sanskrit verse:

1. Kashta-grahanam (काष्ठ-ग्रहण) — gathering firewood. By extension, gathering wood for major construction.
2. Shava-pradhanam (शव-प्रदहन) — cremation. If a death occurs during panchaka, traditional observance includes additional rituals to counteract the multiplying effect of panchaka (since panchaka multiplies — the fear is that a single death during panchaka may be followed by four more in the family within a short period).
3. Kati-bandhanam (खाट-बन्धन) — bed-making / purchasing of beds.
4. Griha-chhadanam (गृह-छादन) — roof-laying on a new building.
5. Dakshina-prayanam (दक्षिण-प्रयाण) — travel southward.

These five prohibitions are traditional. Modern observance varies. Construction crews in many parts of India still do not lay roofs during panchaka. Wood-gathering for major timber-frame work is deferred. The cremation prohibition is largely symbolic — funerals do happen during panchaka, with additional ritual mitigations.

Mrityu Yoga and similar inauspicious combinations मृत्यु योग

Several combinations of vara and tithi produce yogas called Mrityu (death), Yamaghanta (Yama’s bell), Vishaghata (poison strike), and other ominously-named combinations. They are flagged on a careful panchang. Their general use is to warn against new beginnings; any auspicious work begun during them is held to suffer in the long term.

These yogas form when specific tithi-vara or nakshatra-vara combinations occur — for example, Saptami (7th tithi) on Tuesday is one classical Mrityu Yoga combination. The complete enumeration is in the muhurta literature; for everyday panchang reading, the important practice is simply to recognise when one is flagged on your panchang and consider deferring important work past its window.

The Bhadra positioning rules भद्रा-वास नियम

We met Bhadra in the karana chapter as the inauspicious 7th karana (Vishti). Bhadra has additional positional rules that affect its severity. The traditional dictum is: Bhadra in heaven spoils nothing on earth. Bhadra in the netherworld spoils nothing on earth. Only Bhadra on earth itself causes harm. (स्वर्ग की भद्रा हानि नहीं करती; पाताल की भद्रा हानि नहीं करती; पृथ्वी पर ही भद्रा हानि करती है।)

Where does the Bhadra reside on a given day? Tradition prescribes specific positions for each tithi-paksha combination. The detailed scheme is in classical muhurta texts; the practical observance is that some Bhadra-occurrences are flagged as “effective on earth” (avoid) and others as “not on earth” (proceed cautiously).

For everyday use, a careful panchang flags Bhadra with its position (heaven, earth, or netherworld), and readers can consult their tradition for the appropriate response.

Holashtak — the eight days before Holi होलाष्टक

A regional convention worth knowing: in many North Indian traditions, the eight days from Phalguna Shukla Ashtami to Phalguna Purnima (the day of Holi) are called Holashtak— “the eight days of Holi.” These days are traditionally inauspicious for marriage, beginning a new business, or making major purchases. The reasoning is mythological — these are the days during which Bhakta Prahlad endured his father Hiranyakashipu’s torments in the Hiranyakashipu story — and the inauspiciousness is carried forward as a regional observance.

Holashtak is observed mostly in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan; not all regions observe it.

Anala-yoga, Shashthi-vara combinations, and others

Beyond the major yogas above, classical muhurta texts catalogue dozens of further combinations — some auspicious (e.g., Vridhi Yoga, Ekargala Yoga, Brahma Yoga), some inauspicious (Krakacha Yoga, Visha Yoga,Hutasana Yoga). The full list runs to hundreds of named yogas. For a beginner, the ones in this chapter cover the bulk of what a daily panchang flags. For a serious student of muhurta, the Muhurta Chintamani and the Muhurta Martanda are the standard reference texts.

What you should be able to do now

After this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define Sarvarth Siddhi Yoga, Amrit Siddhi Yoga, and state the day-nakshatra combinations that produce each.
• Identify Guru Pushya Yoga as the most celebrated combination of the year.
• Distinguish Tripushkar and Dwipushkar yogas and state that they multiply effects (good and bad).
• Define Panchaka, identify its five constituent nakshatras, and recall the five activities traditionally avoided during it.
• State that Mrityu Yoga and similar combinations are inauspicious and to be avoided for new beginnings.
• Identify Holashtak as a regional eight-day inauspicious window.
• Read a panchang’s combination yoga line and know what each named yoga implies.

Now we have all the elements. In the final chapter of Book 1, we will read a complete daily panchang from top to bottom — taking a real day in the calendar, identifying every panchang feature on it, and synthesising them into a complete picture. After that, the panchang on this site will look like a well-arranged paragraph rather than an opaque table.