Muhurtha Rules: The Building Blocks
The rules a muhurtha is judged by, one per page: tara and chandra bala, the weekday yogas, tithi classes, shoolas, the parts of the day, the lesser doshas, gandanta and what cancels a dosha.
Tara Bala: The Nine Taras Counted from Your Birth Star
Count from your birth star to the day's star, and the count names one of nine taras. Which ones the muhurtha books call favourable, and how the app uses them.
Pariyaya: Why a Tara Weakens in the Second and Third Rounds
The 27 stars from your birth star make three rounds of nine taras. Kalaprakasika does not treat the three rounds alike.
Named Stars from Your Birth Star: Karma, Sanghathika, Vainasika and More
Some stars counted from the birth star carry a name of their own. Jataka Parijata and Kalaprakasika name mostly the same ones, and differ on the 25th.
Chandra Bala: Moon Strength Counted from Your Birth Rasi
Count from your birth Moon sign to the day's Moon sign. The panchangam convention counts the 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 as favourable.
The Six Kinds of Chandrashtama in Kalaprakasika
Kalaprakasika does not treat every chandrashtamam alike. It grades it by the Moon's star into six kinds, three of them favourable, and names two conditions that cancel it.
Amritadi Yogas: Amrutha, Siddha and Marana, the Weekday and the Star
The Tamil panchangam pairs the weekday with the Moon's star and names the pair Amrutha, Siddha or Marana. The app's whole table, and where it comes from.
Weekday, Star and Tithi Yogas in Kalaprakasika, Compared with the App Table
Kalaprakasika builds its yogas in three layers: the weekday with the star, all three limbs together, and pairs of two. Its weekday and star lists set beside the app's, weekday by weekday.
Dagdha Tithis: The Weekday and Tithi Pairs the Books Set Aside
Each weekday has one tithi called dagdha, “burnt”. Kalaprakasika and Muhurta Chintamani give the same list except for Wednesday.
Weekday and Tithi Yogas: Siddha, Amrita, Krakacha and Four More
Muhurta Chintamani pairs each weekday with a tithi class or a tithi number and names seven yogas. The full plate, its contested Saturday cell, and where Kalaprakasika differs.
The Five Tithi Classes: Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya, Rikta and Purna
Every tithi belongs to one of five classes by its place in the fortnight. Which tithi is in which class, and why Rikta is the one the books set aside.
Tithi Lords and Chhidra Tithis: Who Rules Each Tithi, and Three Lists to Avoid
Each tithi has a ruling planet. And the books keep three different lists of tithis to avoid: Rikta, Paksha-chidra and Dagdha. How they compare.
Panchaka: The Remainder-of-Nine Test in Kalaprakasika
Add the numbers of the tithi, weekday, star and rising sign, add five fixed numbers in turn, divide by nine, and watch for one remainder.
Disha Shoola and Vaar Shoola: The Direction Each Weekday Bars
Which direction the tradition avoids setting out in on each weekday, when that bar lifts, and the food custom for an unavoidable journey.
Kaala Shoola and the Barred Opening Ghatis of a Star
Which part of the day each star class bars for setting out, and how many opening ghatis of some stars the books set aside. Two books, two sets of numbers.
Ardhaprahara, Kalan and the Other Eighths of the Day
The day in eight parts, each owned by a weekday lord: where Yamagandam and Gulika come from, and the two parts almanacs rarely print.
The Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas Cycle: 112 Table Cells, One Rule
Kalaprakasika's plate gives a guna for every hour and a half of the week. Behind the table is one unbroken three-step cycle.
Doshas That Wear Off at Noon or Nightfall
Kalaprakasika says Vishti, Vyatipata, Vaidhriti and Tuesday lose their force after midday, and three weekdays after nightfall.
Moudyam: When Jupiter or Venus Is Combust
Why the muhurtha books hold weddings and upanayanam back while Jupiter or Venus is lost in the Sun's glare, the orbs, and the exceptions.
The Lesser Doshas of Kalaprakasika: Ekargala, Kuhoo, Andha Stars, Karthari, Sthoolam
Five flaws the daily panchangam does not print, how each is counted, and the ones the book itself limits to north India.
Thyajyam (Varjyam) in Depth: By Star, Weekday, Tithi and Sign
The panchangam prints one varjyam a day, from the star. Kalaprakasika gives four kinds, and seven stars it exempts.
Gandanta: One Junction, Five Widths
Where a water sign ends and a fire sign begins, the books mark a junction. They agree on where it is, and give five different widths for it.
Sandhya: How Long Is Twilight in the Books?
Sandhya is the joint of night and day. One book gives it two different lengths, for two different purposes, and another uses it without giving a length at all.
What Cancels a Dosha: The Parihara Catalogue of Kalaprakasika
In muhurtha, parihara means a planetary condition at the chosen moment that sets a flaw aside. The book's catalogue, flaw by flaw.
An Election Chart vs a Good Time
A good time comes from the day's panchangam. An election chart is a horoscope cast for the minute an event begins. Why astrologers use both, and what the books say about the second.
Your City’s Panchangam, Every Day
Many printed calendars are computed for one town. Nava Panchangam computes sunrise, sunset and the windows that depend on them, such as Rahu Kalam, for your city, with a choice of Vakya or Drik; a tithi’s ending instant is the same everywhere.
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