Muhurta

Muhūrt (Sanskrit: मुहूर्त) is a Hindu unit of measurement for time in the Hindu calendar.

In the Brāhmaṇas, muhūrta denotes a division of time: one-thirtieth of a day, or a period of forty-eight minutes.^[1] The sense "moment" is also common in the Brāhmanạs.^[2] In the Rigveda^[3] we only find the sense "moment."^[4]

Further each muhūrta is further divided into 30 (Indian) minutes or kalā (making 30 Kalā ≈ 48 western min). Each kalā is further divided into 30 (Indian) seconds or Kāṣṭhā, making 30 Kāṣṭhā ≈ 1.6 western minute.

Etymology

The "Sandhi Vidchhed" for the term is thus: It breaks muhūrt into two parts, "muhu" (moment/immediate) and "ṛta" (order). The author of Ṛg Ved III.33.5 has accordingly created this descriptive term. Ṛta refers to the natural, yearly order of the seasons, so that the term muhūrt refers to the daily reflection of these. Also, cf., Śatpath Brāhmaṇa X.4.2.18, as below.

Usage in the Vedic Period

The term appears as early as the Ṛg Veda, where, according to Monier Williams, it means "a moment",^[5] but does not evidence any specification of an exact periodicity there as received in later works, such as the Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa, "The One Hundred Path Riddle" or the Taittirīya-Brāhmaṇa, "The Partridge's Riddle".^[6]

Pt. Vijay Shrikrishna Jakatdar points to two specific Ṛg Veda passages that employ the term, III.33.5, and III.53.8:^[7]

रमध्वं मे वचसे सोम्याय रतावरीरुप मुहूर्तमेवैः | पर सिन्धुमछा बर्हती मनीषावस्युरह्वे कुशिकस्य सूनुः ||

"Linger a little at my friendly bidding rest, Holy Ones, a moment in your journey. With hymn sublime soliciting your favour Kuśika's son hath called unto the River." (trans. Ralph T. H. Griffith^[8])
and

रूपं-रूपं मघवा बोभवीति मायाः कर्ण्वानस्तन्वं परि सवाम | तरिर्यद दिवः परि मुहूर्तमागात सवैर्मन्त्रैरन्र्तुपा रतावा ||

"Maghavan weareth every shape at pleasure, effecting magic changes in his body, Holy One, drinker out of season, coming thrice, in a moment, through fit prayers, from heaven." (ibid.^[9])

According to Authur Anthony Macdonell and Authur Berriedale, the Taittirīya-Brāhmaṇa mentions the names of 15 muhūrtas:

(1) saṁjñānaṁ (2) vijñānaṁ (3) prajñānaṁ (4) jānad (5) abhijānat |
(6) saṁkalpamānaṁ (7) prakalpamānam (8) upakalpamānam (9) upakḷptaṁ (10) kḷptam |
(11) śreyo (12) vasīya (13) āyat (14) saṁbhūtaṁ (15) bhūtam |
citraḥ ketuḥ prabhānābhānt saṁbhān |
jyotiṣmaṁs-tejasvānātapaṁs-tapann-abhitapan |
rocano rocamānaḥ śobhanaḥ śobhamānaḥ kalyāṇaḥ |
darśā dṛṣṭā darśatā viṣvarūpā surdarśanā |
āpy-āyamāṇāpyāyamānāpyāyā su-nṛterā |
āpūryamāṇā pūryamāṇā pūryantī pūrṇā paurṇamāsī |
dātā pradātā'nando modaḥ pramodaḥ || III.10.1.1 ||

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa describes a muhūrta as 1/15th portion of a day:

átʰa yaccáturviṃśatimātmáno'kuruta | tásmāc-cátur-viṃśaty-ardʰa-māsaḥ saṃ-vatsaraḥ sá etaiś-cátur-viṃśatyā triṃ-śád-iṣṭakair-ātmábʰir-na vyábʰavat-sa páñca-daśā́hno rūpā́ṇy-apaśyad-ātmánas-tanvò muhūrtā́lokam-pr̥ṇāḥ páñca-daśaiva rā́tres-tadyán-muhu trā́yante tásmān-muhurtā átʰa yát-kṣudrāḥ sánta imā́ṃ-lokā́n-āpūráyanti tásmāl-lokam-pr̥ṇā́ḥ || (X.4.2.18)

saṃvatsarásya muhūrtā́ yā́vanto muhūrtā́s tā́vanti páñcadaśa kŕ̥̄tvaḥ kṣiprā́ṇi yā́vanti kṣiprā́ṇi tā́vanti páñcadaśa kŕ̥̄tva etárhīṇi yā́vanty etárhīṇi tā́vanti páñcadaśa kŕ̥̄tva idā́nīni yā́vantīdā́nīni tā́vantaḥ páñcadaśa kŕ̥̄tvaḥ prā́ṇā́ yā́vantaḥ prā́ṇā́s tā́vanto 'nā́ yā́vanto 'nā́s tā́vanto nimeṣā́ yā́vanto nimeṣā́s tā́vanto lomagartā́ yā́vanto lomagartā́s tā́vanti svedā́yanā́ni yā́vanti svedā́yanā́ni tā́vanta eté stokā́ varṣanti // XII.3.2.5b

It is stated in Manusmṛti that 18 nimeṣas (twinklings of the eye) are 1 Kāṣṭhā, 30 Kāṣṭhās are 1 Kāla, 30 Kālas are one Muhūrta, and 30 Muhūrtas are one day and night.

Ritual Significance

"Muhūrt" is the common term used in present-day South Asia for calculating the most auspicious moment for a Vedic-Hindu Wedding ceremony. Astrologers are often hired to calculate a moment for the wedding so that any possible divinely-sourced problems can be averted. Jakatdar suggests a shift in the contemporary temperament regarding the traditional approach to calculating such events, to accommodate the every increasing complexity of modern life.^[7]

Yearly Calibration

The Muhūrtas are traditionally calculated by assuming sunrise at 06:00 AM on the Vernal Equinox, which is the Vedic New Year. Not all of the constellations cross the zenith, so that it is not in every case clear which constellation presides over the Muhūrta. Yet it is clear that one or more prominent features of the correlate constellations, from which the later Muhūrtas draw their respective names, falls within the Celestial Longitude of the same, drawn from the Polar Axis.

Significance

Traditionally, it is common practice amongst Hindus to start or avoid starting significant tasks like religious ceremonies, etc. on the basis of the quality of a particular Muhūrta. The Vedic scriptures also generally recommend one or more Muhūrtas to perform rituals and practices. The most widely known example of this practice:

• Brahma Muhūrta, approximately one and a half hours before sunrise or more precisely is 1Hr 36 Mins. i.e. 96 Minutes = 2 Muhūrta or 4 Ghaṭīkā, is recommended in all practices of yoga is traditionally considered most apt for meditation.^[10] However, it is clear from the associations of the names with specific constellations that the present Brahma-Muhūrta starts just before 6:00AM during the Vernal Equinox. At present, Jīva-Amṛta and Viṣṇu comprise the two twilight muhūrtas prior to sunrise.

See also

• Electional astrology
• Gudhi Padwa
• Jyotiṣa
• Rāhu-Kālam or Rāhu Kāla

References

Further reading

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola

External links

Look up Mahurat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Article on Importance of Muhurta by Shyamasundara Dasa