A dagdha (“burnt”) tithi is a tithi that falls on one particular weekday. Kalaprakasika (1917, p. 206) names one for each day of the week: Sunday with Dwadashi (or the full moon), Monday with Ekadashi, Tuesday with Panchami, Wednesday with Dwitiyai, Thursday with Shasthi, Friday with Ashtami and Saturday with Navami. Muhurta Chintamani (p. 8) gives the same pairs, except that its Wednesday tithi is Tritiyai. The tradition holds these pairs unfit for starting new work.
☕ A weekday and a tithi, and two books
The weekday and the tithi run on separate cycles: seven days, fifteen tithis a fortnight. So any tithi can fall on any weekday. The muhurtha books mark one pairing per weekday as dagdha, “burnt”: a Sunday that is Dwadashi, a Monday that is Ekadashi, and so on through the week. The pair matters, not the tithi alone; an Ekadashi on a Tuesday is not dagdha.
Kalaprakasika (1917, p. 206) and Muhurta Chintamani's plate (p. 8) give the same tithi for six weekdays. On Wednesday they part: Kalaprakasika says Dwitiyai, the 2nd tithi, and Muhurta Chintamani says Tritiyai, the 3rd. Kalaprakasika also adds the full moon on Sunday, next to the Dwadashi both books give. Which Wednesday reading Tamil practice follows is a question for an experienced astrologer; this page shows both.
Neither line says which fortnight it means. Each names the tithi by its number only, so the page gives the number and leaves the fortnight as the books leave it.
Nava Panchangam does not use this rule in its day score. This page explains it as the books give it.
The two books' lists
- Sunday: Dwadashi (12) or Pournami (15)
- Monday: Ekadashi (11)
- Tuesday: Panchami (5)
- Wednesday: Dwitiyai (2)
- Thursday: Shasthi (6)
- Friday: Ashtami (8)
- Saturday: Navami (9)
- Sunday: Dwadashi (12)
- Monday: Ekadashi (11)
- Tuesday: Panchami (5)
- Wednesday: Tritiyai (3)
- Thursday: Shasthi (6)
- Friday: Ashtami (8)
- Saturday: Navami (9)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does dagdha mean?
“Burnt”. It names a weekday and tithi pair the muhurtha books set aside for starting new work. It describes the calendar, not a person.
Is the Wednesday dagdha tithi Dwitiyai or Tritiyai?
The books differ. Kalaprakasika gives Dwitiyai, the 2nd tithi; Muhurta Chintamani gives Tritiyai, the 3rd. Both are shown here. Which one a family follows is a question for its astrologer.
Is a dagdha tithi the same as a Rikta or chhidra tithi?
No. Rikta and the chhidra tithis are set aside on any weekday. A dagdha tithi depends on the weekday it falls on. The three lists overlap in places but are different rules.
Is there also a dagdha star?
Muhurta Chintamani has one more row named Dagdha that pairs the weekday with a star, not a tithi. It is a separate rule; the table below shows it next to the app's own weekday and star list.
From the sources
Both books side by side, and Muhurta Chintamani's star row.
🔥 Dagdha tithi by weekday, in both books
The number is the tithi's place in the fortnight; 15 is the full moon. The two columns name different tithis only on Wednesday; on Sunday Kalaprakasika adds the full moon.
| Weekday | Kalaprakasika (p. 206) | Muhurta Chintamani (p. 8) |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Dwadashi (12) or Pournami (15) | Dwadashi (12) |
| Monday | Ekadashi (11) | Ekadashi (11) |
| Tuesday | Panchami (5) | Panchami (5) |
| Wednesday | Dwitiyai (2) | Tritiyai (3) |
| Thursday | Shasthi (6) | Shasthi (6) |
| Friday | Ashtami (8) | Ashtami (8) |
| Saturday | Navami (9) | Navami (9) |
⭐ Muhurta Chintamani's dagdha star row
The same plate (p. 8) pairs each weekday with a star under the name Dagdha. Four of the seven pairs are Marana pairs in the app's weekday and star table; the other three are ordinary days there. That is a partial overlap, not support for the app's table.
| Weekday | Dagdha star | In the app's Marana list? |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Bharani | no |
| Monday | Chitra | no |
| Tuesday | Uttara Ashadha | no |
| Wednesday | Dhanishta | yes |
| Thursday | Uttara Phalguni | yes |
| Friday | Jyeshta | yes |
| Saturday | Revati | yes |
The app's table is on Amrutha, Siddha and Marana yogas; the other weekday and tithi yogas of the plate are on weekday and tithi-class yogas.