Choosing an Auspicious Time: Abhijit, Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika and Amrita Yoga

Before a wedding, moving into a new house, opening a business, buying a vehicle or setting out on a long journey, many people look for a good time. The branch of astrology that chooses it is called muhurta. A full muhurta weighs tithi, weekday, nakshatra, yoga, karana and lagna together, but a few daily periods are easy to know.

The day in eight parts

Divide the time from sunrise to sunset into eight equal parts, each about an hour and a half (more or less by season). On each weekday one part is Rahu kaal, one Yamaganda and one Gulika:

Example: on a Monday with sunrise at 6:00 and sunset at 18:00 each part is 90 minutes, so the second part, 7:30 to 9:00, is Rahu kaal.

• Rahu kaal: avoided for starting new work, agreements, journeys and purchases, especially in South India. Work already under way need not stop.
• Yamaganda: avoided for travel and auspicious work.
• Gulika kaal: the period of Gulika, son of Saturn. What is done in it is believed to repeat, so it is avoided for auspicious work, though some recommend it for repaying debts.

There is more in what is Rahu kaal.

Abhijit muhurta

Divide the daytime into fifteen muhurtas and the eighth is Abhijit: about 48 minutes straddling local noon, when the Sun is highest. It is held to cancel almost every fault, and the old advice is to start in Abhijit when no better time can be found. Some authorities avoid it on Wednesdays.

Local noon is not 12:00 on the clock. In Dhaka it usually falls between 11:45 and 12:15, depending on the season.

What is checked for a major event

To fix a wedding or house-warming date, an astrologer typically works through:

1. Month and fortnight: no weddings while Venus or Jupiter is combust, nor in an intercalary month. The bright fortnight is preferred.
2. Tithi: Rikta tithis (Chaturthi, Navami, Chaturdashi) and Amavasya are excluded.
3. Weekday: by the kind of work; for weddings usually Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
4. Nakshatra: particular nakshatras suit particular work. For entering a new house: Rohini, Mrigashira, Uttara Phalguni, Chitra, Anuradha, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati.
5. Yoga and karana: Vyatipata and Vaidhriti yogas and the Vishti (Bhadra) karana are excluded.
6. Tara bala and chandra bala: where the day's nakshatra falls from the person's birth nakshatra, and the day's Moon from the birth sign.
7. Lagna: a starting lagna aspected by benefics, with the eighth house empty and no malefic in the lagna.

Matching all of this is not simple, so for major events it is best to consult an experienced astrologer. Suvolagna offers personal consultations.

Amrita and Mahendra yoga

Bengali almanacs list daily times for "Amrita yoga" and "Mahendra yoga": fixed portions of the day and night by weekday that the almanac makers mark as favourable. These vary slightly between almanacs, so follow the one you use.

A word of sense

An auspicious time does not guarantee success; no muhurta replaces preparation, effort and judgement. Do not wait for a muhurta for emergency treatment, exams or official deadlines.