Since ancient times, Hindus have followed the tradition of choosing an auspicious day and time to perform important functions or events, like marriages, Grihapravesam/housewarming, starting a new business, naming ceremony, Annaprashna, Upanayanam, etc. This is called Muhurta/Muhurat. Vedic Astrology claims that it is very important to select a day and time that is suitable for a specific event and is also suitable for the person who performs the event. This supposedly ensures the success of the event.
The Hindu Panchang has daily Muhurtas to conduct one’s daily activities, as well as Muhurtas for major events. RahuKaal, AbhijitMuhurat, Varjyam, Yamaganda, Durmuhurat, and AmritKaal.are the daily Muhurats that most Hindus still follow.
Muhurta is essentially a Vedic unit of measurement for time. A 24-hour day+night comprises 30 muhurtas. Each Muhurta lasts for 48 minutes.
Each Muhurta is again divided into 30 Kala ≈ 48 minutes. The Rig Veda defines Muhurta as “muhu” (moment/immediate) + “ṛta” (order). Hence, it is the moment that occurs in an order daily.
Mythology also says that Muhurta is one of the 10 wives of Dharma and one of the sixty daughters (shatyamsa) of DakshaPrajapati and Asikni.
Why Are Muhurtas Important?
In the Ramayana, one can come across some references to Muhurtas and their importance. In the Yuddha Kanda, 4th Sarga, there is a scene in which Rama chooses an auspicious Muhurta to go to Lanka with the Vanara army to rescue Sita.
Ravana was a great astrologer himself and wrote books like RavanaSamhita; still, he did not give importance to Muhurta and paid a heavy price for it.
The 15 Muhurtas of a day are different from the Muhurtas of the night. The day Muhurtas can have specific names like those below:
1.Brahma Muhurta
2. AbhijitMuhurta
3. VairajaMuhurta
4. Others
Muhurta is only one of the four elements that play a role in the success of an event. The other three are Tithi, Nakshatra, and Karaṇa. Muhurtas that are auspicious for various activities find mention in books on astrology. Such activities include:
1. Buying merchandise
2. Performance of auspicious acts
3. Wearing new clothes for the first time
4. Upanayana and wedding
5. Others
Interestingly, a work called Muhurtamuktavali even suggests an ‘auspicious’ time for stealing! At the same time, some sages have said that if one’s mind is pure, all the planets will become favorable, and it is not necessary to find an auspicious time to do something.
A Mythological Story about Muhurta
Once, Indra, the king of the Devas/Gods, approached Brihaspati, who was his Guru, to find an auspicious time for planting a forest. Brihaspati then consulted the Horas and advised Indra about the right Muhurta. Indra began the forest plantation, and soon enough, the plants grew into a lush forest. Unfortunately, a summer fire destroyed the entire forest. A disappointed Indra asked Brihaspati the reason for this, as he had planted the forest at an auspicious time. Brihaspati’s reply was that anybody could make a mistake and that Brahma alone knew the reason. Sukracharya, the Guru of the demons, then arrived and chided Indra for his failure. He added that he had chosen an inauspicious Muhurtha. He also explained the principles for selecting the Muhurta.
According to Sukracharya, the fundamental difference between Hora (Hour – 60 minutes) and Muhurta (24 minutes) is that Hora is used in personal charts, while Muhurta is used for finding an auspicious time for specific activities. Sukracharya explained that the time was good for Indra to take up the work as this would not harm him personally. However, the Muhurta he had chosen was not favorable for planting trees, and hence, the forest was destroyed.
The traditional wisdom of the two great sages can be summarized as follows: –
Brihaspati believed that Guru is the Kavacha/protector of the self and that the first step in Muhurta is to ensure that the time chosen for an activity would not harm the person doing it in any way. The time should also not lead to further bad Karma for the person.
Sukracharya believed that the time chosen should lead to the fructification of the objective. Even if there are huge obstacles, they should be overcome.
The Dynamics behind ShubhaMuhurta
A ShubhMuhurta helps to concentrate the planetary energies and other astrological factors in an auspicious way so that the evil influences are nullified and the work performed becomes fruitful. The time when an event takes place is the birth of the event; hence, its outcomes/future will depend on that time. If you start a work in a ShubhaMuhurat, the chances of success will increase. Thus, Muhurat is a tool that enables you to align your forces with nature and boost the chances of success.
During a ShubhMuhurat, one will be beginning an important task when all cosmic powers are in one’s favor. The Muhurat of an event, therefore, defines the horoscope of the event. The birth chart and Muhurat are also interrelated. If a person performs auspicious tasks during ShubhMuhurat according to one’s birth chart, they will be happy, and their problems may end. It helps to overcome the obstacles indicated in the person’s birth chart and neutralize any losses.
Muhurat can be very useful for those who lack a birth chart or have any Dosha. Such people can achieve success in their tasks after executing them during a ShubhMuhurat. Important actions, when carried out during the ShubhMuhurat, can lead to successful outcomes. The most auspicious Day/Time/Date for an event is determined on the basis of many variables like the nature of the task/activity, the horoscope of the person who will perform the activity, planetary positions, lunar day, the 'Nakshatra' during the time of the event, etc.
The Muhurat Horoscope
A Muhurat horoscope involves a detailed analysis of the horoscope of the person who will perform the activity, the position of each planet, the lunar day, 'Dasha' periods, 'Nakshatra' during the time of the event, and calculation of the most auspicious time for the ceremony. Muhurats are available daily and in a span of a few minutes, and the work should begin during this particular time span.
Conclusion
In Ayurveda, there is a saying: AshtamiVyadhiNashini. It means that when a medicine is taken on the 8th day of a lunar month, the patient will be healed faster. This is because the distance between the Moon and the Earth is the farthest on the 8th day of each month. Hence, the liquid medicine is believed to remain stable in the stomach, which makes it work better and faster. This is just one example of how the planets can have an impact on us. For this reason, people should perform important activities during an auspicious Muhurta.
