Shoola means a spear. Vaar shoola, often called disha shoola, is the direction the tradition avoids setting out in on a given weekday: east on Monday, Saturday, south on Thursday, west on Sunday, Friday, and north on Tuesday, Wednesday. Kalaprakasika (1917, p. 148) and Muhurta Chintamani (p. 241) give the same table, and Kalaprakasika adds that each bar lifts a set number of ghatikas after sunrise.
☕ One direction per weekday
The rule is about starting a journey. Each weekday has one direction the tradition holds is not the one to set out in. Two weekdays share east, two share west, two share north, and Thursday alone has south. The rule says nothing about which way you face, live or work: only the direction of a journey's start.
Kalaprakasika says the bar does not last the whole day. On Monday and Saturday it lifts after the 8th ghatika from sunrise, on Thursday after the 22nd, on Sunday and Friday after the 15th, and on Tuesday and Wednesday after the 12th. A ghatika is 24 minutes, so the 8th ghatika ends 3 h 12 min after sunrise.
For a journey that cannot wait, Muhurta Chintamani and the Tamil almanac keep a food custom: a little of a particular food is taken before leaving. Muhurta Chintamani names the food by weekday. Tamil almanac practice, as the app shows it, names it by direction instead. Kalaprakasika gives no food. The custom is the tradition's; this page reports it.
Nava Panchangam's day header shows the day's shoola direction, from the same weekday table, with the food Tamil almanac practice gives. Nava Panchangam shows this on the day's panchangam, but it does not change the day score.
The weekday table, and what the books add
- Sunday: west
- Monday: east
- Tuesday: north
- Wednesday: north
- Thursday: south
- Friday: west
- Saturday: east
- Kalaprakasika: each bar lifts after set ghatikas from sunrise (the table below)
- Muhurta Chintamani (p. 241): a star for each direction as well, and a food for each weekday
- Tamil almanac practice, as the app shows it: a food for each direction
- Kalaprakasika (p. 173): a second, star-based Soolam that splits the stars four ways
Frequently Asked Questions
Is disha shoola the same as vaar shoola?
In everyday use, yes: both names point to the weekday table, one direction per weekday. Vaar means weekday and disha means direction. The books also have shoola rules by star and by tithi, explained below.
Does the bar last the whole day?
Not in Kalaprakasika (p. 148). It lifts after the 8th ghatika from sunrise on Monday and Saturday, the 22nd on Thursday, the 15th on Sunday and Friday and the 12th on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What is the food custom?
For a journey that cannot wait, a little of a set food is taken before leaving. Muhurta Chintamani names it by weekday: ghee on Sunday, milk on Monday, jaggery on Tuesday, sesame on Wednesday, curd on Thursday, barley on Friday and black gram on Saturday. Tamil almanac practice, as the app shows it, names it by direction: curd (thayir) for east; jaggery (vellam) for west; milk (paal) for north; oil (thailam) for south.
Does the rule apply in Tamil Nadu?
Kalaprakasika has a footnote (p. 192) that the effects of Soolam hold only north of the river Sone. It does not say which Soolam it means, the weekday one or the star one. Tamil almanacs print the weekday direction, and the app shows it as they do.
Does the shoola change my day score?
No. The app shows the day's direction in the day header, but the day score does not weigh it.
From the sources
The full weekday table, the star and tithi shoolas, and what this page leaves out.
🧭 The weekday table in full
The directions are the app's own table; Kalaprakasika (p. 148) and Muhurta Chintamani (p. 241) give the same seven weekdays. The lifting time is Kalaprakasika's, and the food is Muhurta Chintamani's.
| Weekday | Direction barred | Lifts after (from sunrise) | Food before leaving, by weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | West | 15 ghatikas (6 h) | ghee |
| Monday | East | 8 ghatikas (3 h 12 min) | milk |
| Tuesday | North | 12 ghatikas (4 h 48 min) | jaggery |
| Wednesday | North | 12 ghatikas (4 h 48 min) | sesame |
| Thursday | South | 22 ghatikas (8 h 48 min) | curd |
| Friday | West | 15 ghatikas (6 h) | barley |
| Saturday | East | 8 ghatikas (3 h 12 min) | black gram |
The hours assume a ghatika of 24 minutes, counted from the day's sunrise.
⭐ The star shoolas
Kalaprakasika (p. 173) has a separate Soolam by star: the seven stars from Krittika bar east, the next seven south, the next seven, with Abhijit counted, west, and the last seven north. Muhurta Chintamani (p. 241) gives one star per direction instead. The two are different rules.
| Direction | Kalaprakasika's seven stars | Muhurta Chintamani's one star |
|---|---|---|
| East | Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha | Jyeshta |
| South | Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha | Purva Bhadrapada |
| West | Anuradha, Jyeshta, Moola, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Abhijit, Shravana | Rohini |
| North | Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati, Ashwini, Bharani | Uttara Phalguni |
🌙 The tithi shoola
Kalaprakasika (p. 148) also pairs the tithis with eight directions:
| Tithis | Direction barred |
|---|---|
| Prathamai and Navami | East |
| Dwitiyai and Dasami | North |
| Tritiyai and Ekadashi | South-east |
| Chaturthi and Dwadashi | South-west |
| Panchami and Trayodashi | South |
| Shasthi and Chaturdashi | West |
| Saptami and Pournami | North-west |
| Ashtami and Amavasai | North-east |
Each tithi name holds in both fortnights; the full moon and the new moon come once each. Read more on tithi and vara.
✂️ What this page leaves out
Next to its tithi and star rules Kalaprakasika names what a traveller is said to meet. This page keeps the directions and the times, and leaves those lines out, along with the eclipse-based Soolams.