कालः
Sanskrit Words for Time
From the blink of an eye to a full year, classical Sanskrit built a remarkably precise vocabulary for measuring time — the same units the Panchanga calendar system is built from.
Nimesha
A blink of the eye — the smallest commonly cited unit.
Kashtha
18 Nimeshas.
Kala
30 Kashthas.
Kshana
An instant; in some texts, a specific small fraction of a Muhurta.
Muhurta
~48 minutes — 1/30th of a day. See our full Muhurta guide.
Yama (Prahara)
~3 hours — 1/8th of a day-night; a traditional "watch."
Ahoratra
One full day-night cycle, ~24 hours.
Paksha
A fortnight — 15 Tithis. See our Paksha guide.
Masa
A month. See our Sanskrit Months guide.
Ritu
A season — two months. See our Ritu guide.
Ayana
Half a year — the Sun's northward (Uttarayana) or southward (Dakshinayana) journey.
Samvatsara
A year. See our Samvatsara guide.
Smallest to largest
The list above runs roughly smallest to largest — from Nimesha (an eye-blink) up through Samvatsara (a year). Not every ancient text agrees on the exact conversion between the smallest units, but the larger, calendar-relevant ones (Muhurta, Paksha, Masa, Ritu, Ayana, Samvatsara) are standard across the Panchanga tradition.
Explore further
See the full Panchanga guide, or dedicated pages on Muhurta, Paksha, and Samvatsara.