What is Muhurat?
A muhurat (muhurta) is an auspicious span of time selected for beginning an important activity — a wedding, house-warming, journey or purchase. Choosing it well is called muhurta-shodhana.
How a muhurat is judged
A good muhurat aligns the five panchang limbs — an auspicious tithi and nakshatra, a favourable weekday (vaara), and benefic yoga/karana — while avoiding blemishes such as Rahu Kaal, an inauspicious tithi, or a malefic yoga. Certain limb combinations form named yogas.
Named auspicious yogas
Some combinations are auspicious by themselves regardless of activity: Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga (a weekday–nakshatra pairing), Ravi and Guru Pushya (Pushya nakshatra on Sunday or Thursday), Amrit Siddhi, and the daily Abhijit muhurat around midday.
Activity muhurats and periods
For events like marriage, dedicated Vivah muhurats are computed. Some periods are blackout windows — Panchak, Gand Mool, Kharmas and Chaturmas — during which many muhurats are avoided.
Yogas that spoil a muhurat
Some combinations are avoided rather than sought. Bhadra (the Vishti karana) recurs eight times a lunar month and is why Raksha Bandhan and Holika Dahan wait for it to pass. Vyatipata and Vaidhriti are the two nitya yogas held gravest for a new undertaking — though the same hours are counted fit for japa and for rites to the ancestors — and Parigha carries its blemish for only its first half. Each of those four has its own dated list.
The five weekday–tithi doshas
Five more are named in the Muhurta Chintamani as a single tithi paired with a single weekday, counted in either paksha. They are point blemishes rather than periods, and this site lists no dates for them; the app's Muhurta Finder will find them if you need them.
- Dagdha (“burnt”) — Sun Dvadashi, Mon Ekadashi, Tue Panchami, Wed Tritiya, Thu Shashthi, Fri Ashtami, Sat Navami.
- Visha (“poison”) — Sun Chaturthi, Mon Shashthi, Tue Saptami, Wed Dvitiya, Thu Ashtami, Fri Navami, Sat Saptami.
- Hutasana (“fire”) — Sun Dvadashi, Mon Shashthi, Tue Saptami, Wed Ashtami, Thu Navami, Fri Dashami, Sat Ekadashi.
- Krakacha (“saw”) — Sun Dvadashi, Mon Ekadashi, Tue Dashami, Wed Navami, Thu Ashtami, Fri Saptami, Sat Shashthi.
- Samvartaka — Sun Saptami and Wed Pratipada only.
Related tools
FAQ
What makes a time auspicious?
A favourable combination of tithi, nakshatra, weekday, yoga and karana, free of blemishes like Rahu Kaal or a malefic yoga.
What is Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga?
An auspicious weekday–nakshatra combination considered good for almost any undertaking; it recurs many times a year.