An Alternative system of Murhurta (Electional) Astrology

The usual method of ascertaining a propitious time to commence an important activity, such as starting a new business, or the construction of a house, involves considering five sources of energy that make up the five limbs of the Panchanga.

These forces are:

• Tithi - The lunar day which is one fifteenth of the time from New Moon to Full Moon, or Full Moon to New Moon, about 0.9483 of a solar day.

• Nakshatra - The 27 fixed stars often termed lunar mansions. Each Nakshatra is 13 degrees 20 minutes in length of the ecliptic, and is represents the average movement of the Moon in one day.

• Yoga - The period relating to the joint movement in longitude of the Sun and the Moon, and amounts to 13 degrees 20 minutes. There are 27 Yogas.

• Karana - Half a lunar day, or Tithi. There are 11 Karakas, of which 7 rotate 8 times and 4 are fixed around the time of the Full Moon.

• Vara - The 7 days of the week. Each day has a planetary ruler which gives its auspicious, or inauspicious, effect for different activities.

In selecting an appropriate time, the quality and suitability of the five energies occurring at any particular time have to be considered in relation to the nature of the occasion to be held. Panchanga tables are available showing the daily starting and ending time for each Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana. To obtain success, appropriate and auspicious forces should be available for all five energy types. But, it is a complex matter to weigh up the overall positive, and negative, forces for different days, and for various time during each day.

However, an alternative, and little known system, was published many years ago in a Hindu calendrical magazine (called a Panchanga) which set out a method of determining auspicious times without using four elements above viz. Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga and Karana. This article explains the simpler method.
Three tables are used to ascertain the Muhurta (divisions of time) for every day and night of each weekday during a calendar year.

Table 1 is used for events required during the following Lunar months (South Indian Calendar):
Magha in 2000 commencing 5 February
Phalguna .. .. .. 6 March
Caitra .. .. .. 4 April
Vaisakha .. .. .. 4 May
Sravana .. .. .. 31 July
Bhadrapada .. .. .. 29 August
Table 2 is used in respect of the following months:
Pausa in 2000 commencing 6 January
Aswini .. .. .. 27 September
Kartika .. .. .. 27 October
Margasira .. .. .. 25 November
Table 3 is used in respect of the following months:
Jyaishta in 2000 commencing 2 June
Asadha .. .. .. 1 July
Table 1 Months: Magha, Phalguna, Chaitra, Vaisakha, Sravana, Bhadrapada.

Daytime
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
Ma 2 A 4 Ca 4 Ca 4 A 6 Ca 6 Ca 4
Ca 2 Ca 8 Su 2 A 4 Ca 4 A 4 A 6
A 8 A 6 A 6 Ca 2 A 4 Su 4 Ca 2
Ca 6 Ca 6 Ca 4 A 5 Su 2 Ca 4 Su 8
Su10 A 4 Su 2 Ma 4 A 14 Ma 4 Ca 4
Ma 2 Su 2 A 2 Su 6 Ca 6 Su 2
Su 4 Ca 5 Su 2 A 4
A 6

Night-time
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
Su 4 Ca 2 A 4 Su 2 Ca 4 Ma 6 A 4
Ma 4 A 6 Su 2 Ma 6 Su 2 A 4 Ca 6
Su 2 A 4 A 2 A 2 A 2 Ca 4 Su 2
A 4 Su 6 Ca 8 Ca 6 Ma4 Su 5 Ca 2
Su 2 Ca 8 Su 4 Su 4 A 8 Ca 4 Ma 4
Ca 6 A 4 Ma 6 Ca 4 Su 6 A 2 A 4
Su 6 Su 4 Su 4 Ca 4 Ca 5 Su 2
Ma 2 Ca 2 Ca 6
Table 2 Months: Pausa, Aswini, Kartika, Margasira.

Daytime
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
A 6 A 4 A 2 Su 2 A 4 A 2 Su 4
Ca 8 Ca 4 Su 2 Ma 4 Ca 6 Ca 6 Ca 4
A 4 A 6 Ca 8 A 2 A 4 A 6 A 4
Ma 2 Ca 16 A 6 Su 2 ash. Ca 6 Ca 6 Su 8
Su 2 Ca 6 Ca 4 Su 4 A 8 A 6
Ca 4 Ma 6 Su 2 A 4 Su 2 Su 4
Su 4 Ca 14 Su 2


Night-time
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
Su 2 Ca 2 Ca 6 Ma 4 Su 2 Ca 4 Ca 4
Ca 4 A 8 A 2 A 4 A 8 A 4 A 4
A 6 Ca 8 A 2 Cd en A 6 Su 4 Ca 6
Ca 6 A 6 Ca 6 A 6 A 4 A 4 A 4
Ca 4 Ca 6 Su 6 Su 8 Ca 4 Ma 2 Ma 4
Ca 4 A 8 Ma 2 Ca 6 A 4
Su 4 Ca 2 A 6 Su 4
Su 2
Table 3 Months: Jaistha and Asadha

Daytime
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
Su 4 Ca 8 Su 4 Su 4 A 2 Su 4 Su 4
A 8 A 2 Ca 8 Ca 4 Su 6 A 14 Ca 4
Ca 6 Su 2 A 4 A 8 Ma 4 Ca 8 Su 2
A 6 Ca 4 Ca 4 Ca 6 A 4 Ca 4 A 8
Ca 4 A 6 A 2 A 8 Ca 10 Su 4
Su 2 Ma 6 Su 2 Su 4 A 2
Ca 2 Ca 2 Su 2
A 4 Ca 4

Night-time
Sun. Monday Tues. Wed. Thurs. Friday Sat.
A 4 Su 4 A 4 A 10 A 4 Ca 4 A 8
Su 4 Ca 8 Ca 4 Ca 2 A 4 Su 5 Su 2
Ca 4 A 4 Su 2 Su 8 Ca 4 A 2 Ca 2
A 6 Ca 8 A 6 Ca 8 Su 4 Ca 2 Ma 6
Ca 10 A 4 Ca 6 A 2 Ca 10 Su 8 A 6
Su 2 Su 2 A 6 Su 4 Ca 5 Ca 2
Su 2 A 4 A 4

Notes:
1. The figures in each column add up to 30, and are 30 divisions of time.
2. Auspicious times are indicated by:
Ma = Mahendra (Success)
A = Amrita (Effective accomplishment of any work)
3. Inauspicious times are indicated by:
Ca = Cakra (delays, procrastination or slow progress)
Su = Sunyam (serious problems, failure/destruction)
4. Day time starts at sunrise, whilst night time is from sunset.

Example of use of the Tables:
Selected date for starting a new activity: 8th June 2000, Thursday, Daytime
Month: Jyaistha; Light fortnight (Sukla)
1. Ascertain times of sunrise and sunset for the day viz. 3.43 and 20.13
2. Compute the daylight time in minutes = 20.13 - 3.43 = 16 hours x 60 + 30 = 990 minutes
3. Divide 990 minutes by 30 (total half daily measures) = 33 minutes i.e. period of one measure
4. Find the auspicious times (A and Ma), and inauspicious times (Ca and Su), during the day from Table 3 for Thursday day time, and note the figures beside them viz.
A 2 and multiply by 33 minutes (from step 3) = 1 hour 6 minutes
Su 6 = 3 hours 18 minutes
Ma 4 = 2 hours 12 minutes
A 4 = 2 hours 12 minutes
Cu 2 )
Ca 10) no need to consider these times as they are all inauspicious
Su 2 )
5. Starting from sunrise, the auspicious times on the chosen day are:
5.1 3.43 am to 4.49 (sunrise plus time of 1 hour 6 minutes for A 2 above)
(period of 3 hours 18 minutes from 4.49 to 8.07 am will produce
delays - Su 6 above)
5.2 8.07 am to 12.31 (8.07 am plus 4.24 hours for both Ma 4 and A 4 above)
5.3 The most auspicious period will be from 8.07 to 10.19 am. for starting a new activity as it is a Ma period.
5.4 Add 1 hour to covert the above times from GMT to BST.

Other points:
1. Data about the Indian lunar months, sunrise and sunset times have been obtained from Lahiri’s Indian Ephemeris for 2000 AD obtainable from BAVA bookshop.
2. According to B.V. Raman, Tuesday and Saturday should be avoided for all good and auspicious works. Thursday (Jupiter), Friday (Venus), Wednesday (Mercury) and Monday (Moon) are the best days of the week.
3. In the lunar month, the most auspicious period is the week immediately before the full moon. The week after may also be used but it is usually not as propitious as the previous one.

Summary
The above system for ascertaining the auspicious times to start new activities is reasonably easy to use, and the author has found it to be fairly accurate. He would be most interested to hear about other people’s experiences before recommending to Vedic Astrology computer systems developers that they incorporate it into their software.

Acknowledgements
The author is indebted to Elizabeth Hillman and Vasant Kothari for translating the original article from Sanskrit and Hindi into English. Also to Thakur Jaikrishnan for bringing it to his attention.

Geoffrey Pearce is treasurer of BAVA and a leading teacher of Jyotish in London where he is the Head of the Vedic Astrology Department, and a tutor in Practical Philosophy at a major school.

Geoffrey can be contacted on 020 8466 0718 in Kent, or email Geoffrey Pearce or visit his web site