A lunar month in the Hindu calendar has two fortnights, and begins with the purnima (new moon).
Shukla Paksha refers to the bright lunar fortnight or waxing moon in the Hindu calendar.
Krishna Paksha refers to the dark lunar fortnight or waning moon in the Hindu calendar.
Krishna Paksha is considered inauspicious,[6] as the moon loses light during this period.
Festivals during the Krishna Paksha are: 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.