Shubh muhurat finder

What a muhurta is

A muhurta is, strictly, one of the thirty 48-minute divisions of a day and night. In everyday use it means an auspicious time chosen for an important act: a wedding, entering a new home, a child's samskaras, buying a vehicle, opening a shop or setting out on a journey. Muhurta Chintamani, written by Rama Daivajna around 1600, is the text most almanacs still follow.

Each occasion has its own lists of good tithis, nakshatras and weekdays, its own seasonal restrictions and its own preferred time of day. The finder for each occasion applies its rule and shows it on the page.

How the dates are chosen

Each day in the range is scored on the four limbs of the panchang that matter for timing an event: the tithi, the nakshatra, the weekday and the yoga, all read at sunrise. Every day starts at 50; a limb on the occasion's favourable list adds 10 and one on its unfavourable list takes 15. Amrit Siddhi, Sarvartha Siddhi, Ravi Pushya and Guru Pushya add 5, Jwalamukhi takes 10. Days below 50 are left out, and so are days the rule bars outright, such as Ekadashi, an eclipse or an Adhika month.

Then the season: Kharmas, Chaturmas, Jupiter or Venus being set, Holashtak or Pitru Paksha, whichever apply to the occasion. These are where traditions differ most, so you can show those days flagged instead of hidden.

Last, the time. Inside each remaining day we take the good Choghadiya slots and Abhijit muhurta, and cut out Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda, Gulika, Dur Muhurta, Varjyam, Bhadra and any hours when an unfavourable tithi or nakshatra has begun. The best piece left is the window shown; if nothing of at least 24 minutes is left, the day is dropped. Days are ranked by score, then by the quality and length of the window.

Personal dates: Tarabala and Chandrabala

A day can be good in general and still be poor for one person. Two checks from Muhurta Chintamani make it personal. Tarabala counts from the person's birth nakshatra to the day's nakshatra and reduces the count to a cycle of nine taras; the 3rd (Vipat), 5th (Pratyari) and 7th (Vadha) are bad. Chandrabala counts the house of the day's Moon from the birth Moon sign; the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th are good.

Personal mode keeps only the hours when both are good and drops days with none left. For a wedding the texts check the bride and the groom; run it once for each and pick a date good for both. Some texts let Chandrabala decide in the bright fortnight and Tarabala in the dark one; we apply both strictly.