Paksa
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Paksha (or pakṣa) relates to the time period of a fortnight.
Pakṣa literally means the flank or side half of anything[1]. Its most common use though refers to the two parts of the lunar month created by the Moon’s waxing and waning. The waxing phase of the Moon is called Shukla-paksha (Śukla-pakṣa)- the white half of the Moon. The waning phase of the Moon is called Krishna-paksha (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa)-the dark half.
Each pakṣa is composed of 15 tithis. A tithi is calculated by 12 degree motion of the Moon. 30 tithis or two pakṣas make one synodic lunar month.
[edit] Usage
Pakṣa can refer to the actual phase of the Moon or to the period of time related to half a lunar month (fortnight).
In Vedic astrology when a person does a prasna (a question chart) and the planet Venus indicates the time period, the event referred to in the answer will happen in a pakṣa (fortnight) from the time the question was asked.
[edit] References
- ^ Monnier Williams Sanskrit Dictionary
