Moudyam (asthangatha, combustion) is the time when Jupiter or Venus is so close to the Sun that it cannot be seen. Kalaprakasika (1917) puts the limit at 11 degrees for Jupiter and 10 for Venus (p. 44). The tradition holds that a marriage, upanayanam or other celebration is not started then, nor in a few days around the planet's setting and rising (p. 182). The book also names exceptions and conditions that lift it (p. 197).
☕ A planet hidden by the Sun
Every planet passes behind the Sun's glare from time to time. Seen from the Earth it sets in the evening twilight, stays hidden for some days or weeks, and rises again in the morning twilight. Kalaprakasika calls a planet in that state asthangatha: its light is “obscured by the Sun” (p. 44). Tamil almanacs call it moudyam, and print guru moudyam and shukra moudyam as periods.
The muhurtha books treat Jupiter and Venus as the two great benefics, so their state matters most. The book's rule is short: no marriage, upanayanam or other celebration while either is combust, nor while it is “young or old” (p. 182). Old means the days before it sets; young means the days after it rises. The book does not give a separate reason for each occasion; it states the rule.
The rule has exceptions in the same book. A child's first feeding of rice and the Seemantham ceremony are not held back (pp. 35, 98). And the chapter on cancelling flaws sets moudyam aside when either planet is well placed (p. 197). Nava Panchangam does not use this rule in its day score. This page explains it as the books give it.
What the book holds back, and what it does not
- Marriage, upanayanam and other celebrations (p. 182)
- Upanayanam, in its own chapter (p. 44)
- Tonsure (choulam): Jupiter and Venus bright, not combust (p. 37)
- A Wednesday, when Mercury is combust (p. 45)
- A child's first feeding of rice: the mouth matters, not the two planets (p. 35)
- Seemantham: the month ranks first (p. 98)
- Either planet well placed in its own sign, exaltation or a friend's sign (p. 197)
- Venus combust, with Jupiter in the rising sign and malefics in the 3rd, 6th and 11th (p. 197)
- Jupiter combust, with Venus in the rising sign (p. 197)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is guru moudyam?
The period when Jupiter is within about 11 degrees of the Sun and cannot be seen. Shukra moudyam is the same for Venus, within about 10 degrees (p. 44). Almanacs print the dates; they depend on the planets' real positions each year.
How many days around moudyam does the book set aside?
In its general rule (p. 182): 15 days before Jupiter sets and 8 after it rises; 10 days before Venus sets and 10 after it rises. Its marriage chapter gives 7 days after Venus rises instead of 10 (p. 80). The table below shows both.
Can a wedding be held during moudyam if the stars are good?
The book's general rule says no, and its chapter on cancelling flaws gives conditions that lift moudyam: either planet well placed in its own sign, exaltation or a friend's sign (p. 197). Whether those conditions hold is read from a chart for the moment, by an astrologer.
What is Samadhrishti?
Jupiter and Venus facing each other from opposite signs, with no other planet with them. The book counts it as a moudyam lasting three or seven days, and says it holds only north of the Narbada river (p. 197).
Does Nava Panchangam show moudyam dates?
No. The app does not compute combustion for a muhurtha, and its day score does not weigh it. A printed almanac carries the dates. For the other wedding rules, see choosing the wedding date.
From the source
The orbs and the days in one table, the ways the book lifts moudyam, and what this page leaves out.
📏 Orbs and days, as the book gives them
Orbs from p. 44; the general days from p. 182; the marriage chapter's own figures from p. 80. The two passages differ for Venus: the book does not reconcile them, and this page shows both.
| Jupiter | Venus | |
|---|---|---|
| Orb | 11° | 10° |
| Before it sets | 15 days | 10 days |
| After it rises | 8 days | 10 days |
| Marriage chapter | 15 days before, 8 days after | “just prior” to setting, 7 days after |
The book adds that Jupiter and Venus retrograde, or opposite each other, are a stronger flaw than combustion (p. 182).
🔓 How the book lifts moudyam
In its chapter on cancelling flaws (p. 197) the book says moudyam has no force when one of the two is well placed in its own sign, exaltation or a friend's sign. Venus combust has no force when Jupiter is in the rising sign with malefics in the 3rd, 6th and 11th. Venus in the rising sign lifts Jupiter's combustion. When both are combust at once, the book gives no way round it. Its other cancellations are collected in the parihara article.
✂️ What this page leaves out
Next to the day counts (pp. 80, 182) the book says what it holds will follow for each party and each ceremony; this page keeps the counts and leaves those words out. It also leaves out a line on whom combustion touches (p. 197) and a line asking for worship when the year is uncertain (p. 44).