fixing a muhurta-- satya prakash

8/19/2019 Fixing a Muhurta-- Satya Prakash

1/27

FIXING A MUHURTA- AN OUTLINE OF THE STEPS INVOLVED

------© Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary

Sometime back, immediately after a talk at an astrology meeting, a student who seemed to have beenlearning the subject for a few years came to me with a doubt, just to see if her method of fixing a muhurta

needed any finishing touches. I looked into her notes and was shocked to say the least. She had done a mix

of one 'system' and another 'paddhathi' on which she had a miserly sprinkling of few other jyotish

principles! That was her way of fixing a muhurta. It betrayed her ignorance of the fundamentals of jyotish

in its pure form. It is perhaps for reasons like this, that genuine lovers of traditional jyotish are allergic to

such methodologies. No man's methodology, whatever its advantages, can replace or stand up to the ocean

of Jyotish . A wave just cannot replace the ocean. While I had always been open to testing any

methodology outside conventional jyotish, I was always aware that the authors of such paddhathis/systems

claimed unreasonable things at times. I never took their criticism about traditional astrology seriously. But

a beginner takes them too seriously and misses out on a large and substantial part of the learning process.

Such rebel or non-traditional methodologies may perhaps be fine for discussion with a well-grounded

astrologer. But it is a very good idea for a beginner to stick to traditional, so as to avoid the common

pitfalls. The average learner tries various methods with partial knowledge, hops from one author to theother, manages to catch pieces of information from each place and person, and eventually tries to make

sense of those fragments. The result? His knowledge of astrology is quite often a mass of ideas-undigested,

unassimilated and unharmonised - running riot in his mind!

The process of selecting an auspicious moment to start any activity, is quite complex and needs a very good

knowledge of Jyotish. Perhaps it is here that a vedic astrologer's actual acid test is. A large proportion of

the self-styled vedic astrologers are ignorant of even the basics of fixing a muhurta. If one wants to learn

pure jyotish first without any corruptions by the many so called researches, paddhathis and systems, if one

wants to see how much one knows or has understood jyotish truly, before attempting to practice jyotish,

one should really try his or her hand at muhurta. Jataka and Prasna have both been through certain

influences of other schools of thought over the years. But Muhurta is perhaps the only area which has

maintained its vedic origins and form intact over the thousands of years. Moreover the original purpose forwhich the vedic seers used a knowledge of astronomy, the main purpose for which vedanga jyotisa was

evolved, is to time the various rituals in tune with the cosmic influences, in order to go with the flow of the

cosmic currents. Since a good muhurta will ensure optimum outcome for the desired activity, the principles

behind muhurta, are largely useful in deciding the outcome of any moment, based on an analysis of the

quality of the moment or quality of the time. Since a natal chart is also a moment in time, the same

principles are actually at work in Jataka too. It is for this reason that I would urge every sincere student of

jyotish to learn muhurta well and then decide how much he really knows jyotish. But many underestimate

the value of Muhurta as a subject in their eagerness to start predicting.

There are many books on this subject in the market. But no book addresses the subject FULLY and in a

clear systematic and comprehensive manner. Generally in most books, the common topics are dealt with

and then the steps in evaluating a muhurta are given. Since muhurta deals with hundreds of principles, one

comes to cross-roads many times in fixing an auspicious moment. The most common questions thatstudents ask are: Which component of the panchanga (pancha + anga = five limbs/components) is more

important? What is the order of priority? Which one should be given preference? Is there a

QUANTITATIVE way of justifying the choice of one muhurta over the other? And what of the quality? It

is here that an astrologer's grasp of the subject comes across unmistakably.


2/27

The various components have a degree of preference/priority. There are quantitative as well as qualitative

methods that are part and parcel of electing an auspicious moment. Since the subject is vast, I will outline

the process in a very very skeletal manner in this post first. Later as time permits, I will expand upon

various areas for the students. In fact when I outlined the whole subject with headings, side headings, key

words, tables etc and left gaps for explanations to be inserted later, the file came to four hundred pages.

This post may not teach you muhurta really, especially the beginner. But the student who has been around

for a few years can check his knowledge and see how much of what is given below, is already a part of hispractice.

I will simplify and outline the steps in fixing a muhurta now. I can expand them in later posts whenever

possible. Other learned members may also expand on the topics if they wish to. I am dividing the process

into various steps for convenience and clarity.

STEPS IN FIXING A MUHURTA :

PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS:

1. General for any purpose on any chart

There are many doshas that an astrologer seeks to avoid in the muhurta chart, irrespective of the specific

activity and individual chart, for which he is doing the job. After eliminating maximum number of doshas

stated in the list, one should check for the malefic combinations that prevail due to the combinations of

various components of the Panchanga. Malefic combinations are avoided while the presence of benefic

combinations is preferred. A list of these is given later at the end.

2. Specific to the individual chart

• Chandra bala (natal moon check)

• Tara bala (strength of star)

After eliminating all malefic days in a particular period, we get some days free from those effects. With

those days in hand we move on from the preliminary analysis to the main step of fixing the muhurta now.

• MAIN ANALYSIS

Till now we have only avoided or eliminated certain days etc. Hereafter we will actually evaluate and

consider certain days and ascendants for the muhurta. This involves the following four steps:


3/27

• Finding the days having the suitable combination of the five components (pancha + anga= five

limbs/components).

• Finding a suitable ascendant depending upon the activity.

• Ensuring the Strength and Appropriateness of Dasa, antardasa, and Significator of the activity

• Finding the most auspicious moments within the ascendant chosen/ Amsha charts etc

• Miscellaneous/Special considerations for various activities like marriage etc

Now I will outline and enumerate these steps below.

• Finding the days having the suitable combination of the five components:

The first and the foremost requirement to fix a muhurta is the availability of the suitable five components.

Depending upon the activity we first check whether the five components of panchanga, prevailing on the

days free from malefic effects, suit the activity for which the muhurta is desired. The process of evaluating

those energies is part of the initial evaluation. It is a process of choosing a good lunar day, weekday,

Constellation, yoga and Karana.

The marks allotted are as follows according to the 'Phalita Navaratna Samgraha':

Lunar day = 1,

Weekday = 8,

Constellation = 4

Yoga = 32,

Karana = 16

Chandrabala = 100

Tarabala = 60

Now we move to the second step.

2. Fixing a suitable ascendant depending upon the activity.


4/27

Depending upon the nature of the activity, one should choose fixed, dual or movable signs as

ascendants. After fixing a particular ascendant we should make sure of its strength and check whether it is

free from certain malefic effects. This process can further be divided into three stages.

a.) Avoiding malefic combinations of the ascendent

The five major malefic effects that we should try to avoid with respect to an ascendant are given below.

• Udayastha shuddhi (Ensuring Benefic Asc and 7 th houses)

• Kartari (Malefics Scissoring)

• Bhrigu Shatka (Venus in 6 th in fixed sign etc)

• Moon in 6,8,12

• Sagraha Chandra (Conjunctions with Moon)

b.) Quantitative Evaluation of the Ascendant

This is a process of checking the placement of planets with respect to that ascendant to make sure they add

strength. For that we have two main methods are quantitative (marks can be allotted). They are:

• Panchestika evaluation

In this step, we check whether five important planets in the muhurta chart are well placed. The five

important planets that should be happy are: the lord of time (kaladhipa), ascendant lord, Jupiter, Moon and

Sun. These planets are, in other words, like five bricks/panchestika that support a wall and make it strong.

• Vimshopaka evaluation

This is different from the Vimshopaka bala of varga charts. This is more like rasi balam in that it allots

points based on the positions of various planets in houses/rasis in the rasi chart. Each planet is decided to

give positive, negative or neutral results depending upon its placement from the lagna. This varies from

activity to activity, as each activity needs a different kind of energy.

3. Ensuring the Strength and Appropriateness of Dasa, antardasa, and Significator of the activity

After evaluating the ascendant in the above two ways we then check whether the signification house and

the planet pertaining to the activity are happy; if possible, the dasa and the antara dasa lords should also be

well placed in the chart.


5/27

4. Finding the most auspicious moments within the ascendant chosen/ Amsha charts etc

After making sure that we have an auspicious lagna in hand we proceed to the other subtle factors, which

play an important role in the auspiciousness of a muhurta. For this, we use varga or divisional charts. Main

points checked in this stage are:

• Papa shadvarga

• Pushkaramsa

• Kunavamsa

• Shodasa or Shadvargas (whichever is feasible)

Now I will enumerate the most important doshas to be avoided in the preliminary analysis. Hope you

remember that I skipped this enumeration there to do list them here. This is actually part of the preliminary

analysis.

Preliminary Doshas and malefic considerations

1. Combustion

1. Jupiter in Leo

2. Jupiter in Capricorn

3. Solar ingress

4. Adhika masa

5. Kshaya masa

6. Eclipse

7. Kakracha yoga

8. Samvartaka yoga

9. Dagdha yoga

10. Madhusarpisha yoga

11. Hatashana yoga


6/27

12. Dagdha yoga

13. Yamghantha yoga

14. Kaal danda yoga

15. Dhumra yoga

16. Dhwansha yoga

17. Vajra yoga

18. Mudgara yoga

19. Padma yoga

20. Lumba yoga

21. Utpaata yoga

22. Mrityu yoga

23. Kaana yoga

24. Musala yoga

25. Gada yoga

26. Maatanga yoga

27. Raksha yoga

28. Gandantas

29. Masa-shoonya tithis

30. Masa shoonya Nakshatras

31. Masa shoonya rashis

32. Tithi shoonya rashis

33. Tithi shoonya Nakshatras

34. Tithi shoonya lagna

35. Tripushkara yoga


7/27

36. Dwipushkara yoga

37. Panchaka

38. Baana

39. Adal yoga

40. Vidal yoga

41. Afflicted constellations

42. Parva tithis

43. Galgraha tithis

44. Dagdha tithis

45. Chidra tithis

As already stated earlier, expanding the above outlined steps, points and considerations, one may end up

with a four hundred-page file. Instead of doing that, we could expand upon selected topics as required.

Learned members on this list could also take up various topics. I will end this post by reiterating that

knowledge of muhurta is a must to be a complete astrologer. A thorough understanding of the principles of

Muhurta can actually help an astrologer appreciate the principles of traditional predictive astrology (Jataka)

better and thereby make a better astrologer. In my next article I will introduce the five limbs/components of

the panchanga/calendar, as also other variables like ayana, masa, etc for the benefit of a beginner.

Postscript: After I posted this article on a discussion forum, a reader raised a question on Yoga. It is an

interesting question raised in good spirit. Since both the question and the answer are quite useful to astudent and practitioner, I am including them in the postscript. I will reproduce the content of the letter

without the other details.

"Thank you very much for your post on the above-mentioned subject. There is however a small

clarification that I require:

According to Atharvana Jyotisha, Chapter 7, Verse 21,

"In the matter of their potency for bestowing benefits for rituals performed during their currency, the tithi

ranks one-fold, the nakshatra four-fold, the Vaara eight-fold and the karana sixteen fold."

We find here that the Yoga is not given any weight age. Also in books on Muhurata, we find that the yoga ishardly ever given any consideration. But in your post, the yoga is given the maximum weight age of 32

points. May I know the rationale behind this?

A couple of years ago there was a very good article in the Martand Panchanga ( a very popular

Panchanga in North India ), entitled " Kya Panchang Vaastav mein Panchanga hai ?" Here too, the author

questioned the relevance of the yoga as it was hardly ever used in the practice of selecting a good

Muhurata.


8/27

Your views, as well as those of the Gurus will be enlightening".

Now read the contents of my reply to the above.

"Dear .

I will answer your question as briefly as possible, as I am in a hurry since it is Monday morning. You

raised a very interesting question by quoting the Hindi article. Why then do we call it 'PANCHA'nga if we

are to use only four limbs? As opposed to what you say, every standard text discusses Yoga as an important

limb of the Panchanga. Kalaprakasika? Narada Samhita? Phalita Navaratna Samgraha? Muhurta

Chintamani? Muhurta Ganapati? All these texts discuss Yoga as an integral part of Muhurta.

The Kalaprakasika clearly says, " He who makes a study of the Panchangam-the tithi, the varam, the

nakshatra, the yoga, the karana, of every day becomes free from all sins. Knowledge of tithi brings

prosperity, knowledge of varam provides long life, knowledge of nakshatra causes the destruction of sins,knowledge of yoga gives immunity from disease; knowledge of karana leads to success in all endeavors.

Thus Panchangam (the five angas or limbs) bestows five kinds of blessings".

Take the Narada Samhita now. After discussing the basics in the first three chapters, the next five chapters

are devoted to the five limbs respectively. In fact the chapters are even referred to as:

4th chapter: 'Tithi'lakshanadhaya

5th chapter: 'Vara'lakshanadhyaya

6th chapter: 'Nakshatra'phaladhyaya

7th chapter: 'Yoga'adhyaya

8th chapter: 'Karana'dhyaya

It is true that some texts discuss Yoga in just a few verses as compared to Nakshatra or Tithi. But Karana

generally gets even less space compared to Yoga. Space is not a criteria anyway. Most texts (such as

Muhurta Chintamani, Kalaprakasika etc)include the nine malefic naisargika yogas in the list of 21 evils or

doshas to be avoided, while the remaining texts (such as Muhurta Sindhu, Poorva Kalamrtam etc) deal with

the two most malefic Yogas. Even a text like Poorvakalamrtam which hardly deals with Karana, Yoga etc,

specifically refers to Vyatipata and Vaidhriti yogas as MAHA doshas to be avoided. I could list the manyreferences to Yoga in the standard texts. But since your question pertains to yoga as an **integral limb of

the Panchanga, the treatment of the five limbs in five seperate chapters named after the very limb (anga), as

done by Narada Samhita, is the best proof that I can give you, apart from Kalaprakasika's assurance of the

five kinds of blessings arising from a study of the five limbs.


9/27

And now to your doubt as to the rationale of assigning 32 points to Yoga and the verse from Atharvana

Jyotisa that you quoted. If you observe closely, the number of points allotted to Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra and

Karana are still the same in my post, as in Atharvana Jyotisa. Additionally Yoga, Chandra balam and

Tarabalam are also dealt with. The points as allotted in my post is nothing but a verbatim application of

what is given in the 'Phalita Navaratna Samgraha', not my opinion. And there is no contradiction between

the two texts, as it may appear in the first look.

Take Vimpsopaka strengths for instance. The points allotted to various vargas varies in each scheme,

depending on whether you are using Shadvargas or Dasavargas or Shodasavargas. The rasi which gets

maximum weightage in Shadvarga scheme, occupies second place, the moment Shastyamsa is considered,

as in Shodasavargas. Likewise when Yoga, Tarabala and Chandrabala are also considered, more weightage

is given to them. In a general treatment of the limbs with no reference to a *SPECIFIC chart, Karana may

get more marks. But when an individual chart is considered, TARABALA becomes the most important.

What is the use if the tithi, vara and Nakshatra are generally good, but the Nakshatra is a Vipat, Pratyak or

Naidhana tara with **reference to one's janma nakshatra? The weightage given to various factors keeps

changing with the level of information and precision available. In a general sense, Karana is very

important. But TARABALA is more important in an INDIVIDUAL chart. This is the rationale behind texts

like 'Phalitanavaratna Samgraha'. At the same time they do not contradict Atharvana Jyotisa or any other

text.

Moreover, even if one chooses a suitable nakshatra for an activity (not considering tarabala for a moment),

if the yoga is malefic, it can mar the effects. So Yoga gets prominence. As the Kalaprakasika states, "The

YOGA of the Nakshatra of the day chosen for the activity should be beneficial; if so, the result will be

satisfactory". Thus a malefic Yoga can mar the effects of a nakshatra. That is why in Kalaprakasika,

knowledge of Yoga is said to give immunity from disease, probably in a symbolic way. Just as sickness can

reduce or at times mar one's chances of succeeding, Mahadoshas like Vaidhriti or Vyatipata can mar a

muhurta. Any of the nine malefic nitya yogas can spoil the muhurta.

Thus in *FULLFLEDGED work in fixing a muhurta, the Nakshatra emerges as the most important, among

all the five limbs, by vitue of **TARA BALA, not Tithi, or Vara or Karana or Yoga. But when a person

does not know his birth details, or much about the other limbs of the panchanga, then Vara or Weekday is

considered. So whether they have their charts or not, even illiterate villagers avoid Tuesdays and Saturdays

generally for any activity. But an astrologer may choose a Tuesday for a Kroora and Ugra activity , after a

close study of the chart and the Panchanga, since Tuesday has an Ugra-Krura (Aggressive-Cruel) quality to

it. So Tuesdays are considered for activities like 'roga mukta snana' (taking bath after recovering from

illness), cultivation of land, acts involving killing of birds/animals etc (not that I approve such activities!).

But this doesnt contradict the general verses that state that tuesdays are inauspicious, since the texts state

elsewhere that tuesdays may be considered for *some activities. So quoting one verse and trying to justify aview that no standard text on muhurta supports is highly misleading.

As for the original question of whether Yoga is to be used as an integral part of the Panchanga, it has been

used and SHOULD be used as an important limb of the Panchanga, as it was meant to be. Any attempt to

distort this fact cannot be justified, as the standard texts unambigiously declare Yoga not only as an integral


10/27

limb of the Panchangam, but also as a very important consideration, since it can spoil the effects of an

otherwise carefully chosen muhurta.

Hope this clarifies your doubts. An interesting question though!

Muhurta------ © Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary

The exact juncture of time

"To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heavens; a time to be born and a

time to die; A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill and a time to heal; A

time to breakdown and a time to build up; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time

to Dance; a time to get and a time to lose; A time to keep and a time to cast away". Almost all religions

state that there is a time for everything in the natural order. When one does anything at the right moment, it

certainly has to bear fruit. Going with the rhythm of nature, one learns to swim along the current. Infact, is

not success due to the right effort at the right time? Such a time is ascertainable definitely. Muhurta is the

branch of astrology, which deals with the study of 'time of commencement'. It is a part of the earliest

writings of Vedic astrology gifted by the ancient sages. Traditionally this has been a very important and

continuous living tradition in India since the Vedic times. The Vedic seers seemed to have given their

insights into astronomy primarily for this purpose, for timing their various rituals. Aligning their day-to-day

activities with the cosmos, they insisted on going with the common flow of the Universe.

Time is god. Time is MAHAKALA. Time is the creator of destiny. It is also the carrier of fruits of destiny.

Time is the most important factor that plays a major role in our lives. Each and everything has been

destined to take place in a particular time. And destiny is the power that decides the course of events,

another word for our own karmas. The time of commencement of life or the time of birth has certain

information about the auspicious and inauspicious moments through which life will progress before it

reaches its end. The moments or the instances of birth carry broad parameters of one's destiny for hislifetime. As a man cannot control his time of birth or time of commencement of life, he cannot control all

the good or bad he has to face just because his life started at that particular time. The way time of beginning

of life influences the major incidents of life, time of commencement of any activity will contain certain

favorable and unfavourable promises for such activity. And man as a progressive element of nature had

always been curious to know about the future and found no other substitute to influence and change the

outcome.


11/27

Muhurta is the branch of astrology, which deals with the study of 'time of commencement'. It is a part of

the earliest writings of Vedic astrology gifted by the ancient sages. The word muhurta literally means a

period of 48-min. (2 ghatis). But in the actual sense, muhurta is a moment created. Or in other words the

exact juncture of time within the existing limiting points of freedom of action, when the divine powers are

more likely to aid us and are favourably disposed towards the success of the activity. Muhurta includes or

is concerned with the planetary bodies and their various positions that contain certain vibrations or

promises that show likely success of an activity (or a connected set of natural/human actions or operationsthat produce continuation or gradual change in order to reach a particular result or as a part of official

system; which humans have little control) starting at that time.

The study of muhurta explains the effects that decide the fact of being suitable or unsuitable of that moment

first for a particular action and then for a particular individual. It is the study of time in various forms. The

relative positions of the Sun and Moon are given more importance. The variables of muhurta are ayana,

month, constellation, yoga, ascendant etc. all based on the movements of Sun and Moon individually and in

relation to each other. Other planets also play their role by various positions. The right time which is

promising or showing signs of future success for a particular activity is muhurta.

The practical value or importance can be observed in terms of self-created short-term destiny applicable to

a specific aspect of life. This self-created short-term destiny will certainly prove when it is put in a state of

complete agreement with the individual's horoscope. If we avoid going against the forces of nature,

eventually cosmic power comes favorable; muhurta helps us in searching those moments. To appreciate

this better, we need a good understanding of the Indian calendar or Panchanga.

* * * * *

"From Lunar day the stages of growth and decay, from weekday the longer life, from constellation the

seizure of bad actions, from yoga the cure of ill health, from Karana the result of the work, with all these

the calendar or panchanga gives the required results".

• Skanda Narayanan

The concept of muhurta or choice of an auspicious moment can be used to fix a particular time for the

commencement of almost each and every activity: marriage, education, occupation, journey, oath taking,

filing of nominations, procurement of vehicles, property etc. by practicing it man can tune himself to the

frequency of the cosmic powers instead of going against it.

'No axe can cut what had already been written'. In the astrological history of India there lived a great

mathematician and astrologer named Bhaskaracharya. He was a great expert in his subjects. And when it

happened that he was studying the horoscope of his daughter Leelavati, he found that she had a certain

dosha called "Mangalya dosha" in her horoscope (chances for widowhood).

Due to strong belief in his own abilities, he felt that he could alter the course of events that are destined to

happen with his versatality. He tried various combinations and finally succeeded in fixing the marriage of


12/27

his daughter in an ascendant in which all the planets are in a favorable position as to ensure she remains a

deergashumangali. (One who would lead life with husband to a ripe old age). In those days, to measure

time, people used to use a water pot, which consisted an upper and a lower part. The water in the upper

receptacle would trickle through a hole into the lower container. The system was arranged in such a way

that it gets filled up exactly after 24 min (1 ghati) or 1/60 the part of the day. It was a unit of time followed.

The lower part would determine the time of day.

On the day of the wedding, Leelavati dressed in her wedding robes, fascinated by the trickling drops sat,

beside the water clock. As she peered into it, a pearl from her nose stud fell into it exactly into the hole. She

being a small girl didn't observe that. As the flow of water slowed down, the clock was no longer accurate.

The exact auspicious time fixed for the marriage elapsed. When Bhaskaracharya discovered this he was

shocked but it was too late for him to do anything to prevent the disaster that was going to happen. She led

her widowed life with her father learning mathematics in the latter part of her life. The waves of destiny are

never less severe or cruel. Nor do they show pity.

Thus Muhurta has its limitations too. Prarabdha, the fraction of past karmas that the individual has to work

on, in this life, already decides the general framework, within which an individual's life operates. Anastrologer can study prarabdha or destiny through the birth time. But part of the result of destiny depends

on the individual's freewill, how he chooses to alter his karma. With each thought, word and deed, we are

constantly debiting or crediting our karmic account. So if the natal chart itself indicates unhappy married

life, what can the choice of an auspicious muhurta for the marriage do? It can at best reduce the intensity of

suffering by one-third! It is a common experience of many astrologers that individuals with very strong

negative indications in the natal chart in a particular area often fail to even utilize the muhurta chosen. They

either get wrong guidance, or have obstacles in using the auspicious moment chosen! After all we are up

against the karmas through thousands and millions of lives.

But Muhurta is the most crucial area apart from remedial measures, in the area of free will. This is where

the relevance of astrology as a useful subject of study becomes all the more significant. Both muhurta and

remedial astrology come under the purview of free will. The outcome of free will depends largely on how

strong the previous karmas are. Destiny vs freewill will remain an enigma, one of those secrets of theworkings of the Cosmos, a complete knowledge of which man will probably never attain. Those who

unravel this mystery fully will be among the liberated and enlightened.

Panchanga literally means "Five limbs". The Hindu calendar has five limbs. It describes five ways to divide

the span of the day. The day is from one Sunrise to another Sunrise . In deciding the general auspiciousness

of a moment, all five limbs are taken into account. Of course the planetary positions too are considered

next. Finally the matching of the generally auspicious moment with the individual chart, is also done to

ascertain whether it suits the individual or not. First we will cover the five limbs of the calendar briefly.

The five limbs are:

• Lunar day (Tithi)

• Week day (Vaaram)

• Constellation (Nakshatra)


13/27

• Yoga

• Karana

LUNAR DAY (TITHI)Tithi is the name given to the various angles formed by the Sun and the Moon. When the Sun and Moon are

together at the same degree it is called the new Moon (amavashya). As Moon moves away from the Sun at

each 12 difference a new Lunar day is formed. Mathematically.

Lunar day (tithi) = (Moon's longitude - Sun's longitude)/12

The 30-day lunar month is divided into a dark half, Krishna Paksha and a bright half, Shukla Paksha. Each

half is further divided into 15 parts, which are called lunar days or tithis. A Lunar day is the daily spread of

distance between the Sun and the Moon, which is 12 degrees. The lengths of Lunar days may differ as the

amount of space covered by a lunar day varies from time to time. There are 30 Lunar days out of which 15

are in the bright half (Shukla Paksha) when Moon moves towards the Sun.

BRIGHT HALF

Moon - SunTithi Group Nature In Auspicious Pa

0 0 -12 0 Pratipada Nanda I A

12 0 -24 0 Dwitiya Bhadra I A

24 0 -36 0 Tritiya Jaya I A

36 0 -48 0 Chaturthi Rikta I A First 3h 12min

48 0 -60 0 Panchami Poorna I A

60 0 -72 0 Shasthi Nanda M First 3h 36min

72 0 -84 0 Saptami Bhadra M

84 0 -96 0 Ashtami Jaya M First 5h 36min

96 0 -108 0 Navami Rikta M First 10hrs

108 0 -120 0 Dashami Poorna M

120 0 -132 0 Ekadashi Nanda F.S

132 0 -144 0 Dwadashi Bhadra F.S First 4hrs


14/27

144 0 -156 0 Triyodashi Jaya F.S

156 0 -168 0 Chaturdashi Rikta F.S First 2hrs

168 0 -180 0 Purnima Poorna F.S

I A: Inauspicious M: Medium F.S: Full Strength

Rikta Lunar days are generally considered inauspicious.

DARK HALF

Moon - Sun Tithi Group Nature In Auspicious P180 0 -192 0 Pratipada Nanda S

192 0 -204 0 Dwitiya Bhadra S

204 0 -216 0 Tritiya Jaya S

216 0 -228 0 Chaturthi Rikta S First 3h 12min

228 0 -240 0 Panchami Poorna S

240 0 -252 0 Shasthi Nanda M First 3hrs 36min

252 0 -264 0 Saptami Bhadra M

264 0 -276 0 Ashtami Jaya M First 5hrs 36min

276 0 -288 0 Navami Rikta M First 10hrs

288 0 -300 0 Dashami Poorna M

300 0 -312 0 Ekadashi Nanda I A

312 0 -324 0 Dwadashi Bhadra I A First 4hrs

324 0 -336 0 Triyodashi Jaya I A

336 0 -348 0 Chaturdashi Rikta I A First 2hrs

348 0 -360 0 Amavashya Poorna I A

The time from one new Moon to another new Moon is called a lunar month.


15/27

Muhurta

The lunar days are classified into five groups. (M.C.-Shubhashubha Prakaranam 4)

Nanda (Delightful) ..... 1 st , 6 th , 11 th , of both dark and bright half

Bhadra (Auspicious/Cow) ...2 nd , 7 th , 12 th , of both dark and bright half

Jaya (Triumph/Victorious)...3 rd , 8 th , 13 th , of both dark and bright half

Rikta (empty/Emptied) .....4 th , 9 th , 14 th , of both dark and bright half

Poorna (Full/Filled) .......5 th , 10 th , 15 th , 30 th of both dark and bright half.

The first five lunar days of bright half are considered inauspicious (because Moon is weak), next five Lunar

days medium, and the next five, full strength.

In the dark half, first five - full strength, second five are medium, third weak.

LORDS OF Lunar dayS

Tithi Nature Lords

Pratipada Vriddhi (Increase) Agni (F

Dwitiya Auspicious Happening Brahma

Tritiya Power giving Gauri (G

Chaturthi Khala Ganesh

Panchami Lakshmi (wealth) Naga (s

Shasthi Fame giving Kartike

Saptami Friendly Sun

Ashtami Conflict Shiva (l

Navami Aggressive Durga (

Dashami Sober Yama (g


16/27

Ekadashi Enjoyment Viswed

Dwadashi Fame and good qualities Vishnu

Triyodashi Victory Kama D

Chaturdashi Aggressive Shiva (g

Poornima Sober Moon

Amavashya Pitara (a

Some o the prescri!e" or prohi!ite" acti#ities in the Lunar "a$ s are as

o%%o&s'1 st : Marriage, Upanayana, travel, installation of deity, first feeding, tonsure, house construction, housewarming, etc. are commended.

2 nd : Installation of deity, travel, marriage, upanayana and other auspicious activities are followed, but oil

bath is prohibited.

3 rd : Music, education, Seemanta, tonsure and other auspicious activities mentioned in the 2 nd lunar day.

4 th : Experiment with Weapons, jail activities etc.

5 th : All auspicious activities, but giving loan is prohibited.

6 th : Activities belonging to architecture, war, house construction etc. but oil bath is prohibited.

7 th : All auspicious activities mentioned for the 2 nd , 3 rd and 5 th lunar days.

8 th : Battles, Government activities, writing, dance, ornaments etc. but taking meat is prohibited.

9 th : Activities mentioned for the 4 th lunar day.

10 th : Activities, mentioned for 2 nd , 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th , but oil bath is prohibited.

11 th : Temple activities, house construction, preparation of liquors, travel, wearing new clothes andornaments etc.

12 th : Upanayana, marriage and other auspicious activities, but house-construction, house -warming and

travel are prohibited.

13 th : All auspicious activities mentioned above, but oil bath, wearing new clothes and ornaments and

yajnopaveeta dharana are prohibited.


17/27

14 th : All evil activities - but hair cutting and travel are prohibited.

Poornima: Marriage, installation of deities, architectural work, yagna and propitiation etc. allowed.

AMAVASYA: Giving oblations is commended, but sexual union with woman is prohibited.

CONSTELLATION (Nakshatra)The Constellation is the Moon sign. From the starting point of the sidereal zodiac if we divide the zodiac

into 27 equal parts then each part will be of 13 deg 20 min and is called a Constellation. Each Constellation

is further divided into four sub-sections of 3 deg 20 min called pada (foot). When Moon transits in a

particular division of 13 deg 20 min it is called constellation of that moment. Out of the five components of

the panchanga, constellation is given maximum importance.

The constellations are classified into seven major groups according to their nature. They are:

1. Fixed and constant (Dhruva and Sthira)

2. Movable (Char-chala)

3. Aggressive-cruel (Ugra-Kroora)

4. Mixed and ordinary ( Mishra-sadharana)

5. Short and dynamic (Kshipra-laghu)

• Gentle-friendly ( Mridu-maitra)

• Ferocious and bitter ( Teekshana-daruna).

According to direction, constellations are divided into three major groups, they are:

• Upward looking ( Urdhwa mukha)

• Downward looking ( Adho mukha)

• Straight looking (Triyung mukha)

Constellation Star Appearance Lord/Deity

English Sanskrit

Arietus Ashwini N1 3 Horse's face Ashwini Kumaras


18/27

(Celestial twin

Physicians)

Arietisa Bharani N2 3 Vagina Yama (lord of death)

Tauri

Aloyoni

Krittika N3 6 Knife Agni (Fire)

Tauri

Aldeboran

Rohini N4 5 Shakat

(Bullock cart)

Brahma

(God of Creation)

Orionis Mrighshira N5 3 Face of deer Chandhra (Moon)

Orionis Ardra N6 1 Mani or Jewel Rudhra

(Lord of destruction)

Gemini

Plollux

Punarvasu

N7

4 House Aditi

(mother of Devas)

Cancri Pushya N8 3 Arrow Guru

Hydrae Ashlesha

N 9

5 Wheel Sarpa (serpents)

Leaonis

Regular

Magha N 10 5 House Pitri (ancestors)

Leonis P.falguni

N 11

2 Stage Bhaga (Name of Sun)

Corvi U. Falguni

N12

2 Cot Aryama

(Name of Sun)

Virginis Hasta N13 5 Hand Sun


19/27

Spiica

Boothis

Arcturus

Chitra N14 1 Pearl Viswakarma

(Architect of gods)

Librae Swati N15 1 Coral Vaayu (Air)

Scorpionis Vaishakha N16 4 Torana a Flag Indra- agni

Antaras Anuradha N 17 4 Pinda Mitra

(Name of Sun)

Scorpionis Jyeshtha N18 3 Ear rings Indra

Sagittanis Moola N 19 11 Stage Rakshasa

Sagittaris P.shada N20 2 Elephant's teeth Jala (water)

Sagittaris U.shada

N21

2 Stage Vishawadeva

N 21(a) Abhijit

N 21(a)

3 Triangle Brahma

Aquailate Shravana

N 22

3 Vaamana

(Three foot steps)

Vishnu

Dellphini Dhanishtha N 23 4 Mridanga Vasu

Aquari Satabhisha N 24 100 Circle Varuna


20/27

Pegasi P.bhadrapadN 25 2 Stage Ajcharan

(Name of Rudra)

Ajagapada

Pegase

Andreda

U.bhadrapad N26 2 Twins Ahirbhudhnya

(Name of Rudra)

Pocium Revati

N 27

32 Mridanga Pusha

(Name of Sun)

(The lords of the Nakshatras-M.C.-Nakshatra Prakaranam-1)

The Constellations are suitable for various activities depending on their nature.

A rough guide is given below.

Understanding the energies of the stars

Fixed and constant (Dhruva-Sthira): Works of fixed nature like laying foundations, digging a well,

house building, agriculture, and starting service are done in this category.

(M.C.-Nakshatraprakaranam-2)

Movable (Char Chala): All movable activities like riding on vehicles, horses, elephants and journeys and

any other activity needing motion can be done in this constellation.

(M.C.-Nakshatraprakaranam3)

Aggressive-cruel (Ugra-Kroora): It is suitable for killing, cheating, works involving use of fire, theft,

poisoning, research on poisonous medicines, purchase sale and use of arms.

(M.C.-Nakshatraprakaranam4)


21/27

Mixed-ordinary (Mishra-Sadharana): Good for fireworks, welding, melting, gas works, fabrications,

preparing medicines etc.


Short and dynamic (Kshipra-Laghu): Suitable for construction and starting a shop, selling, sex, starting

education, making and wearing ornaments, fine arts, learning and display of arts etc., (M.C.-

Nakshatraprakaranam-6)

Gentle-friendly (Mridu-Maitra): Singing, learning music, making and wearing clothes, playing, learning

game skills, making friends, making and wearing ornaments etc., can be done in these. (M.C.-

Nakshatraprakaranam-7)

Ferocious and bitter (Teekshana-Daruna): Killing, black magic, aggressive and deadly deeds, to divide

others, to train animals and control animals etc.


According to direction:

• Upward looking: Suitable for construction of house, temples, multistoried buildings, horticulture etc,

where the activity needs looking upward.


2. Downward looking: Digging for wells and ponds, digging for foundation laying, underground

constructions, mining, sever works are done in these constellations where one has to face downwards.


3. Straight looking: Activities facing straight like riding, driving, journeys, construction of roads etc. Each

and every constellation has a specific shape, number of stars in it and a lord ruling it. Their suitability to

various activities can also be decided by the above characteristics.



22/27

WEEK DAY ( Vaaram )

The period from one Sunrise to another Sunrise is called a day. Each day is allotted a planet. Ex. Sunday-

Sun; Monday-Moon; Tuesday-Mars; Wednesday-Mercury; Thursday-Jupiter; Friday-Venus; Saturday-

Saturn. Each day is considered for the influence brought about by the ruling planet. Out of these Tuesday

and Saturday are malefic. Sunday is partially malefic. These are classified as constellations as follows:

Sunday Fixed-constant Dhruva-Sthira

Monday Movable Char-chala

Tuesday Aggressive-cruel Ugra-kroora

Wednesday Mixed Mishra-sadharana

Thursday Short and dynamic Kshipra-laghu

Friday Gentle and friendly Mridu-maitra

Saturday Volatile Teekshana-daruna

Like the constellations the weekdays are also judged by their nature and are selected for the activity. Ex:

Sunday for tasks of fixed nature and so on.

Combination (YOGA or NITYA YOGA):

The relative position of the Sun and the Moon in the zodiac gives the yoga. The word yoga means the union

or celestial relationship between the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon. There are 27 yogas and a specific

interpretation is allotted for each of them. To put it mathematically,

Yoga = (Moon's longitude - Sun's longitude)/13°20min

The quotient gives us the number of the yoga prevailing. Their names give an indication of benefic/malefic

nature of the yoga.

The malefic yogas are: 1.Vishkumbha 6.Atiganda 9.Shoola 10.Ganda 13.Vyaghat 15.Vajra 17.Vyatipata19.Parigha 27.Vaidhriti.

• Vishkumbha 10. Ganda 19. Parigha

• Preeti 11. Vriddhi 20. Shiva

• Ayushmana 12. Dhruva 21. Siddha


23/27

• Saubhagya 13. Vyghata 22. Sadhya

• Shobana 14. Harshana 23. Shubha

• Atiganda 15. Vajra 24. Shukla

• Sukarama 16. Suddhi 25. Brahma

• Dhriti 17. Vyatipaata 26. Indra

• Shoola 18. Variyana 27. Vaidhriti

Malefic portions of yogas to be avoided

ishum!ha First 3 ghatis 1 hr 12 min

Ganda First 6 ghatis 2 hrs 24 min

Vyghata First 9 ghatis 3 hrs 36 min

Parigha First 30 ghatis 12 hrs

Vyatipata Full 60 ghatis 24 hrs

Atiganda First 6 ghatis 2 hrs 24 min

Shoola First 5 ghatis 2 hrs

Vajra First 3 ghatis 1hr 24 min

Vaidhriti Full 60 ghatis 24 hrs

(M.C.-Shubhashubhaprakaranam-35)

If on a particular day Vishkumbha yoga prevails for 25 hours then inauspicious period will be.

(3*25)/24 = 75/24 3 ghatis and 7 and a 1/2 vighatis.

KARANA

Karana is one half of a lunar day. Totally there are eleven karanas. Out of them four are fixed and seven are

movable. The four fixed karanas are considered inauspicious and their names are as follows: 1.Shakuni

2.Chatushpada 3.Naga 4.Kimstughna.


24/27

The seven movable karanas are

1.Bava

2.Balava

3.Kaulava

4.Taitila

5.Gara

6.Vanija

7.Vishti.

Karanas give us a more exact description of the nature of the favorable and unfavorable influences

occurring around us at a specific time of the day.

How to find out the karana:

If it is the dark fortnight, double the lunar day's number and divide it by 7. The remainder gives you the

name of the Karana in the first half of the lunar day. The next Karana would be in the 2 nd half of the lunar

day.

Double the Lunar day's number and subtract 2 from it and then divide it by 7, if it is the bright fortnight.The remainder gives you the name of the Karana in the 1 st half of the lunar day. The next Karana would be

in the 2 nd half of the lunar day.

Example -1: The Lunar day is 5 th in the dark half.

So 2x5/7 = 10/7 R=3 so the karana is Kaulava in the first half of the Lunar day. In the 2 nd half, it is Taitila.

Example -2: The Lunar day is 5th in the bright half.

So, 2x5 = 10;

10-2=8, and 8/7, R=1

So, the Karana Bava is the 1 st half of the Lunar day and Balava is the 2 nd half of the Lunar day.

Uses of the karanas:


25/27

Bava: Nutritive works

Balava: Reading , teaching, in performing yogas.

Kaulava: Making friendship or any work concerning women.

Taitila: For married and not widowed women

Garaja: Ploughing and seed - sowing

Vishti: Setting fire, poisoning, war and for all evil acts.

Sakuni: Making and taking of medicine.

Chatushpada: Ruling the country; swearing - in ceremonies.

Naga: Evil deeds.

Kimstughna: Auspicious activities.

*ri+ht ha% Dark half

Sl.No First half

Of Lunar day

Second half of Lunar day Sl.N First half

Of Lunar day

1 Kimstughna Bava 16 Balav

2 Balav Kaulava 17 Taitila

3 Taitila Gar 18 Vanija

4 Vanija Vishti 19 Bav

5 Bav Balav 20 Kaulava

6 Kaulava Taitila 21 Gar

7 Gar Vanija 22 Vishti

8 Vishti Bav 23 Balava

9 Balava Kaulava 24 Taitila

10 Taitila Gar 25 Vanija


26/27

11 Vanija Vishti 26 Bav

12 Bav Balav 27 Kaulava

13 Kaulava Taitila 28 Gar

14 Gar Vanija 29 Vishti

15 Vishti Bav 30 Chatushpada

Bhadra:

When Vishti karana prevails, it is considered inauspicious in election. It is called Bhadra. (M.C.-

Shubhashubhaprakaranam 43)

When Bhadra is in the daytime, the auspicious ceremonies are approved in the night, when the Bhadra is inthe night, the auspicious ceremonies are allowed in the daytime. Bhadra is not evil in the evening.

Bhadra is considered auspicious for cutting the umbilical chord, Jaatkarma Samskara, barter transaction,

cooking, Yagna, to present something to the king, propitiation of Lord Shiva and Parvati, 'Haritalika pujan'

and Holika'.

Bhadra is not evil during the solar ingress in Pisces, in the worship of Shiva and Ganesh, in Devi Pooja and

in the worship of Vishnu and Sun God. (Jyotirvidabharanam)

Tithis Shu%a ,Krishna 14

Shukla 8

Krishna 10

Shukla 11

Krishna 7

Bhadra Mouth

Starting 2hrs

Of

Vishti Karana

From 3 rd hr

To

5 th hour

From 6 th to

8 th hour

Bhadra

TailEnding 1hr 12min

From 1hr 48min

To

3 rd hour

From 4hrs 48min to

6 th hour

The above table: M.C.-Shubhashubhaprakaranam44


27/27

The living and the effects of Bhadra:

When the Moon is in the signs of Aquarius, Pisces, Cancer or Leo Bhadra lives in the Mrityuloka (on

earth); when Moon is in the Aries, Taurus, Gemini, or Scorpio, Bhadra lives in Swargaloka (abode of

gods); when Moon is in Virgo, Sagittarius, Libra, and Capricorn, Bhadra lives in Pataalloka (the under

world). The effects of Bhadra are felt in the loka it resides.

(M.C.-Shubhashubhaprakarana-!")

fixing a muhurta-- satya prakash

Documents