Free tool · Sankalpa
Sankalpa generator for your puja
Enter the date, time and city of your puja. We prepare the sankalpa with that moment's samvatsara, month, tithi, weekday and nakshatra, in Sanskrit, transliteration and plain English.
What you'll get
- The sankalpa in Sanskrit (Devanagari), large enough to read aloud
- The same in IAST transliteration, and its meaning line by line in English
- The samvatsara, ayana, ritu, month, paksha, tithi, weekday, nakshatra, yoga and karana for that moment in your city
- A copy button and a clean printout
How the sankalpa is prepared
We work out the Panchang for the moment you give, at the city you choose, with the Lahiri ayanamsa and NASA JPL's DE421 ephemeris, the same calculation as our daily Panchang. Without a time, the moment is that day's sunrise.
- Cosmic time. Shveta Varaha Kalpa, Vaivasvata Manvantara, the 28th Kali Yuga in its first quarter, as tradition gives them, with the Kali, Vikram and Shaka years.
- Place. In India: Jambudvipa, Bharatavarsha, Bharata-khanda, south of Mount Meru, then Aryavarta (north of the Vindhyas) or Dakshinapatha (south of them), your state and your city (a sacred place such as Varanasi as a kshetra). Abroad: the dvipa for your part of the world, then your country and city.
- Year and season. At the day's sunrise: the samvatsara of the sixty-year cycle (by your family tradition), the ayana (Uttarayana from Makara Sankranti, Dakshinayana from Karka Sankranti) and the ritu from the Sun's sign (Meena and Mesha are Vasanta, and so on).
- The day. The lunar month at sunrise (Amanta or Purnimanta by your family tradition, with any Adhika month); the paksha, tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana at your start time; the weekday from sunrise to sunrise.
- The words. Each is put in the Sanskrit locative case (“in the month of Kartika” is kārtika-māse), with your gotra, name and the puja.
Wording varies between families and regions; your family priest's form takes precedence.
Saying the sankalpa
How it is usually done
After achamana and a short prayer to Ganesha, take a little water (with rice or a flower, if you like) in the right palm, read the sankalpa slowly, and let the water fall into a plate at the words “kariṣye”. Reading it calmly matters more than speed; the IAST line helps with the pronunciation.
Why the time and place are named
Naming the moment is a way of being present: you remember where you stand in the vast traditional reckoning of time and on the earth, and make your intention clear. It is not a test to get exactly right, and a small slip in the wording does not spoil a puja.
Related
- The day's tithi, nakshatra and timings: today's Panchang.
- Choosing a good time to begin: today's shubh muhurat.
- The next festivals and their puja times: Hindu festivals.
- Tithi birthdays and Shraddha dates: tithi calendar.
Questions
What is a sankalpa?
A sankalpa is the statement of intent said at the start of a puja, vrat or other ritual, usually with water, rice or flowers in the right hand. It places the act in time and space: the cosmic age, the land, the year, season, month, fortnight, tithi, weekday and nakshatra of that moment. Then the person names their gotra and name and says what they are about to do.
Why does the sankalpa change with the date, time and city?
Its Panchang words are those of the moment and place of the puja. The tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana change through the day at times that depend on the Moon and Sun, the weekday runs from sunrise to sunrise, and the city is named in the text. So a sankalpa for Delhi at 9 AM can differ from one for London, or for the same day in the evening.
What if the tithi changes during the day?
We name the tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana running at the time you will begin; for today the time is filled in with the time now, and you can change it. Without a time we use sunrise and say so. The year, month, ayana and season are those of the day's sunrise, as Panchangs name the day. If the tithi changes before sunset we tell you, so you can prepare the sankalpa for your start time.
Why are the month and year names different in North and South India?
Both describe the same days. In the southern tradition (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and South India) the lunar month ends on the new moon (Amanta) and the year of the sixty-year cycle is named by the Shaka reckoning; in the northern tradition the month ends on the full moon (Purnimanta) and the year is named by the Vikram reckoning. For 2026-27 that is Parabhava in the South and Raudra in the North. In India we set it from your city's state; abroad we ask, because families follow their ancestral tradition, not where they live. You can always choose the other.
I don't know my gotra. What should I say?
Choose “I don’t know my gotra” and the sankalpa uses Kashyapa gotra: when the gotra isn’t known, Kashyapa is traditionally used, as the common ancestor. You can also leave it empty (the text keeps a blank) or ask an elder or the family priest.
Can I use this for a puja outside India?
Yes. Abroad the place is named with the dvipa of the traditional geography, then the country and city: Krauncha Dvipa for the Americas, Varaha Dvipa for the United Kingdom, Shaka Dvipa for the rest of Europe, Shalmali Dvipa for Australia and Africa, and Jambudvipa for the Gulf and Asia. For the Americas, the UK and Europe it adds “west of Mount Meru”. The tithi and other words are worked out for your city's own sunrise and local time, and you choose your family's North or South Indian tradition.
Is this the only correct wording?
No. The sankalpa is said in many slightly different ways, and families, regions and sampradayas have their own forms. Treat this as a careful starting point. If your family priest has a form, it takes precedence.
Do you save my name or gotra?
No. The name, gotra and purpose are only used to fill in the text on your screen. The date and city are used for the calculation.