Vedic Astrology Glossary
Electional Astrology
Muhurta is the Vedic practice of selecting an auspicious moment to begin an important activity. By choosing a moment when planetary positions are favorable, Jyotish practitioners aim to give an action - a wedding, business launch, surgery, travel - the most propitious cosmic support possible.
The logic of muhurta rests on the premise that a moment has a birth chart just like a person. If an event begins at an auspicious moment, the chart of that beginning carries favorable planetary combinations forward into the event's unfolding.
Key factors in muhurta assessment:
Tithi (lunar day): There are 15 tithis in each half of the lunar month. Certain tithis are auspicious for specific activities; others (like Rikta tithis: 4th, 9th, 14th) are avoided for most beginnings.
Vara (weekday): Each day is ruled by a planet. Sunday (Sun) suits power and authority; Monday (Moon) suits nourishment and emotional beginnings; Tuesday (Mars) is avoided for marriages but suits courage-requiring ventures; Wednesday (Mercury) suits contracts; Thursday (Jupiter) is excellent for most auspicious activities; Friday (Venus) suits arts, relationships, luxury; Saturday (Saturn) suits labor and disciplined undertakings.
Nakshatra: The moon's nakshatra on the muhurta day carries significant weight. Pushya, Rohini, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada, Hasta, and Shravana are among the most auspicious nakshatras for beginnings.
Yoga (luni-solar yoga): The 27 nitya yogas (named Vishkambha through Vaidhriti) each carry a quality. Siddha, Shubha, Amrita, and Shukla are especially favorable.
Karana (half-tithi): The 11 karanas (Bava, Balava, Kaulava, etc.) each span half a tithi and carry specific qualities.
Lagna of the muhurta: The ascendant of the chosen moment should be strong, with the lagna lord well-placed, and the 7th, 8th houses free of malefics.
Avoidances: Inauspicious phenomena like solar/lunar eclipses, the moon in the 8th bhava from the natal moon (Chandrashtama), and planetary wars should be avoided in muhurta selection.
Concept map
4 terms
Lunar Mansion
A nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions that divide the zodiac into equal 13°20′ segments. The moon's placement in a nakshatra at birth reveals personality nuances, emotional rhythms, and karmic themes that the broader rashi (zodiac sign) cannot capture.
Vedic Zodiac Sign
Rashi is the Vedic term for zodiac sign. The 12 rashis are calculated using the sidereal zodiac (fixed stars), placing them approximately 23° behind their Western tropical counterparts. In Jyotish, the moon's rashi at birth is often considered more personally significant than the sun's rashi.
Ascendant / Rising Sign
Lagna is the degree of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment of birth. It sets the first house of the chart, determines house rulerships, and acts as the chart's structural foundation - the body, self-expression, and life path.
Planetary Combination
In Jyotish astrology, a yoga is a specific planetary combination in the birth chart that produces a defined effect - ranging from great wealth and fame to spiritual liberation. Hundreds of yogas are catalogued in classical texts, each with precise conditions for formation and predictable results.
Within the Vedic astrological tradition, muhurta is considered a practical tool for risk reduction - choosing a moment when multiple favorable factors align. Whether this reflects a literal causal mechanism or a probabilistic correlation accumulated over centuries of observation remains a philosophical question.
Marriage muhurta traditionally requires the moon in a benefic nakshatra (Rohini, Pushya, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada, Hasta, Shravana), a strong lagna free of malefics, Jupiter or Venus placement in the lagna or its trine, and the 7th and 8th lords weak and afflicted.
Key inauspicious factors for muhurta include: Rahu kala and Yamagandam (inauspicious time periods within each day), the Moon in the 8th house from the natal Moon (Chandrashtama), Amavasya (new Moon day), solar or lunar eclipses, Panchaka (a combination of certain nakshatras considered inauspicious for some events), and the Moon in malefic nakshatras like Ardra, Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Shatabhisha. For important events, both the day (vara) and the nakshatra quality must be considered together.
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