When should the tithi swar be checked, at sunrise or on waking, and does getting up at night to pass urine count as waking?
Getting up at about 2 or 3 am to pass urine is not counted as waking up. The tithi swar is checked at the moment you actually wake from sleep; it has nothing to do with the time of sunrise.
Related questions
Mornings go in sending the children to school. When else can nadi shodhan be done?
At any time on an empty stomach, for example at 3 or 4 pm, provided the last meal was about four hours earlier. Wear clean clothes and keep the body free of negativity.
What does a window do, and why should it open outward?
A door is placed by pada, but a window does not work on the surface current: currents are dense near the ground and lighter higher up, so positive energy stays higher, which makes ventilation a must. Windows and ventilators bring in clean air and push the negativity of the house out, so they should open outward, while the main door opens inward; sliding windows are acceptable. Keep windows in even numbers, two-shuttered if possible, in one row at one level, with a window beside the main door; open all windows in the morning and keep the left (Chandra swar) window open during the day.
Can a swar expert answer a vastu question sent by message or asked at any random time?
A question gets a true answer only when the person being asked sits with a calm, concentrated mind and steady chitta, ideally early in the morning in brahma muhurta at his seat. If he has been working for hours with his Surya swar active and you ask at that moment, the same swar keeps running and no connection with your question forms. Sending repeated messages does not create the connection either.
Do the swastiks for nazar and other uses need to be made at a particular time?
Select a muhurta if possible. Otherwise make swastiks for shanti and paushtik (peaceful, nourishing) work in the Chandra swar and for ugra (forceful) work in the Surya swar. Any remedy done in the wrong swar gives no result.
Does a sinus problem or a cold affect the swar, and how can swar help a heavy cold?
Yes, the swar becomes reversed; during a cold the Chandra swar runs more. To clear accumulated kapha, change the swar and run the Surya swar, forcibly if needed; congestion built up over many days takes time and will not clear in a day. The body stays warm inside however cold it is outside, just as borewell water comes out warm in winter.
How is the tatva (element) running in the swar identified?
It needs proper tatva swar training; the element is known from how many angul the breath reaches. It also shows in the mind: steadiness means the earth element, joy the water element, restlessness the air element, anger the fire element and indifference the space element.