For a griha pravesh, a wedding or the opening of a shop, families look for a muhurta — a window of time in which the day’s signs all favour the beginning. A muhurta is not chosen by a single rule. It is a day and an hour that pass many checks at the same time.
The checks, from the widest to the narrowest
Each ceremony has its own list, but the order of thinking is much the same.
- The season. Some months are closed for certain ceremonies: Kharmas (when the Sun is in Dhanu or Meena), Chaturmas (the four monsoon months), and an adhika masa (an extra lunar month). Weddings and griha pravesh are usually not held in these.
- Guru and Shukra. When Jupiter or Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen — asta, or combust — weddings in particular are avoided.
- The nakshatra. Each ceremony has nakshatras that suit it. Fixed (sthira) nakshatras such as Rohini, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha and Uttara Bhadrapada are favoured for a new home; others suit travel, learning or trade.
- The tithi. The rikta tithis — Chaturthi, Navami and Chaturdashi — and Amavasya are avoided for beginnings. Some tithis suit one ceremony better than another.
- The weekday. Some weekdays are avoided for some ceremonies; the rules differ between regions and families.
- The hour. Within a good day, the window should fall in an auspicious choghadiya, and should not touch Rahu kaal, Yamaganda or Gulika kaal.
- Bhadra. When the Vishti karana is running — Bhadra — beginnings are avoided, even if everything else is good.
- Yoga and Panchak. Certain yogas, and the five nakshatras of Panchak, are checked and, depending on the ceremony, avoided.
Why most days are left out
Each check on its own removes only some days. Together they remove most of them. Over a month, it is common for only a handful of windows to pass every check for a wedding, and sometimes none.
That is why we show not only the good windows but also the reason each other day was left out. When you can see that a Thursday failed only because of its nakshatra, and a Saturday only because of Bhadra, the good days become easier to trust.
Your city changes the answer
Tithi and nakshatra change at the same instant everywhere, but sunrise, the choghadiyas and Rahu kaal follow your own place. A window that is clean in Pune may overlap Rahu kaal in Kolkata. A muhurta should always be found for the city where the ceremony will happen.
Traditions differ
Families and regions follow different texts and customs — about weekdays, about Panchak, about which nakshatras suit which ceremony. A calculated list is a strong starting point. For a wedding or a thread ceremony, confirm the final choice with your family priest, who will also consider the charts of the people involved.
In short
- A muhurta must pass the season, Guru and Shukra, nakshatra, tithi, weekday, hour, Bhadra, yoga and Panchak checks together.
- Most days fail at least one check; seeing which one makes the result believable.
- Work it out for the city of the ceremony, and confirm the final choice in your own tradition.