All 52 chapters
  1. Part 1 · The sky and the chart
  2. The sky above us
  3. Time and place of birth
  4. Two zodiacs
  5. How a chart is drawn
  6. Part 2 · The building blocks
  7. The 9 planets
  8. The 12 signs
  9. The 27 nakshatras
  10. The 12 houses
  11. The lagnas
  12. Part 3 · How planets work together
  13. How planets interact
  14. Friends, dispositors, exchanges
  15. House lords
  16. Reading one placement
  17. Part 4 · Strength and condition
  18. Dignity in depth
  19. A planet's mood
  20. Planetary strength
  21. Ashtakavarga in depth
  22. Part 5 · Patterns: yogas and doshas
  23. Yogas
  24. Doshas
  25. Part 6 · The nakshatras up close
  26. Reading a nakshatra
  27. Tara Bala
  28. Part 7 · Divisional charts
  29. Divisional charts
  30. Navamsa in depth
  31. Part 8 · Timing
  32. Dashas
  33. Transits
  34. The annual chart (Tajika)
  35. Part 9 · Relationships
  36. Compatibility
  37. Marriage in depth
  38. Part 10 · Advanced systems
  39. Special points
  40. Jaimini astrology
  41. Arudha padas
  42. KP astrology
  43. Nadi astrology
  44. Part 11 · Choosing the moment
  45. Panchanga
  46. Muhurta
  47. Prashna (horary)
  48. Part 12 · Life areas
  49. Career, money and business
  50. Travel, abroad, spirituality
  51. Health and longevity
  52. Karma and past lives
  53. Remedies
  54. Rectifying a birth time
  55. Part 13 · Western astrology
  56. Western astrology basics
  57. Aspects and chart shapes
  58. Western prediction
  59. Synastry
  60. Horary and electional
  61. Part 14 · The wider world
  62. Mundane astrology and eclipses
  63. Astrocartography and branches
  64. Part 15 · Putting it all together
  65. How it all fits
  66. How AstroMatch4u scores a chart
  67. Using astrology well
Part 11Choosing the moment
CHAPTER 35

Muhurta: choosing a good time

How is an auspicious time picked for a wedding or a launch?

A muhurta is a chosen moment to begin something. The idea is simple: if a birth chart describes a person, then the chart of a beginning describes the thing begun. An astrologer filters the calendar step by step, discarding bad times until a good one is left.

The filters

  1. Panchanga: a good tithi (not Rikta), a helpful weekday, a nakshatra suited to the task, no Vyatipata or Vaidhriti yoga, no Vishti karana.
  2. Tara Bala and Chandra Bala: the day's star and Moon sign friendly to the person's own.
  3. Lagna: a strong rising sign at the chosen minute, with benefics in kendras and the 8th house empty.
  4. Time-of-day periods to avoid and to prefer (below).
  5. Season: some months are avoided for weddings, such as when Jupiter or Venus is combust ("asta") or the Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces (kharmas).

Periods of the day

Daylight (sunrise to sunset) is cut into eight equal parts. Three of them are avoided for new starts, a different part each weekday:

DayRahu KaalYamagandaGulika Kaal
Sunday8th part5th7th
Monday2nd4th6th
Tuesday7th3rd5th
Wednesday5th2nd4th
Thursday6th1st3rd
Friday4th7th2nd
Saturday3rd6th1st

With sunrise at 6:00 and sunset at 18:00, each part is 1½ hours, so Monday's Rahu Kaal is 7:30–9:00. On real days the parts stretch and shrink with the length of daylight.

Abhijit muhurtaThe 8th of the day's 15 muhurtas, about 24 minutes either side of local noon. Considered good for almost anything (traditionally not on Wednesdays).
ChoghadiyaDay and night each cut into eight parts named Amrit, Shubh, Labh, Char (good) and Udveg, Kaal, Rog (avoided). Popular for travel and business in western India.
HoraEach hour is ruled by a planet in the order Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. The first hour after sunrise belongs to the day's own planet. Pick a Venus hora for romance, a Mercury hora for paperwork.

Typical muhurtas

MarriageFavoured nakshatras: Rohini, Mrigashira, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Mula, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati. Venus and Jupiter visible, a strong 7th house.
Business launchA strong 10th and 11th, Mercury and Jupiter well placed, a fixed or movable lagna depending on whether stability or growth is wanted.
House purchase or entryFixed signs and a strong 4th house; griha pravesh has its own month and nakshatra rules.
TravelMovable signs and nakshatras; avoid travelling in certain directions on certain weekdays (disha shool).
Naming, education, starting a job, registering propertyEach has its own preferred nakshatras and days in the muhurta texts.

choosing the weather for a picnic. You cannot change the weather, but you can pick a sunny day to begin.

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