Whether it's a marriage ceremony or the construction or entering in of a new house, or the Muhurat of a film, or the naming ceremony or annaprashana (first feeding) of a child, there is a great deal of trouble taken to find the right time or "Muhurta" to do it. It is believed that if the beginning time of the work is auspicious, then the result of the action will be very fruitful and as desired.
In astrology, the starting time of an event is taken for the calculation of the horoscope and making the interpretations. So, the starting or the beginning time is the most important factor. The future and the life events of a person depend on what time he was born. But the irony is that it is not under the control of the person as to what time he wants to be born. But the other things that he performs in his lifetime are under his control. He can choose the time of his performing any work.

Muhurta is the selection of the best date and time for performing any work.

1. It helps in concentrating the energy of the planets and other astrological factors in an auspicious way so as to nullify the evil influences and make the result of the work performed most fruitful.

2. It helps in counteracting the obstructions provided by the birth chart of a person and in neutralizing or overcoming the loss mentioned therein.

3. It synchronizes the energy of the person, the stars and the event itself so as to make it most advantageous to the person performing the work.
So, whenever there is some important consideration in your life, which is significant and meaningful for you, you should perform that action in accordance with Muhurta, so that it can be of utmost advantage to you and you can lead a much better, happier, satisfactory and gratified life.

What is Muhurta?

A Muhurat is a unit of time. It comprises of 48 minutes. Thus there are 30 Muhurats of 48 minutes each in a day. Muhurat Jyotish deals with a system to determine specific time periods or Muhurats, which will ensure success and happy culmination of different activities, provided these actions are started during these time frames. Muhurats are widely applicable to many different areas including marriages, relationships, childbirths, journeys, new ventures/investments, purchase of property and start of medical treatment.

The auspicious time frames or Muhurats for a specific activity or an event are calculated by taking into account a combination of Tithis, Nakshatra and Vara. The astrological computation gives general auspicious time periods. Personalized Muhurats for a specific purpose are calculated using a combination of many different analyses.

Selection of the right Muhurta has the power of averting a major disaster also. Even in marriages, if in the girl's horoscope widowhood is foreseen, it can be averted by selecting a very auspicious moment for celebrating the marriage.

Traditional Wisdom:

Once Indra, the King of the Gods, approached Brihaspati, his preceptor and Guru to determine the auspicious time for starting the plantation of a forest. Brihaspati consulted the Hora and advised Indra. Accordingly, the forest plantation was started and the plants soon grew into a thick forest. Unfortunately, during summer, there was a fire and the entire forest which had dried wood was burnt down. Indra was disgusted and asked Brihaspati the reason for this failure. Brihaspati replied that anybody can make a mistake and that Brahma alone knew everything. Sukracharya arrived to chide Indra about his failure and stated that the reason for the same was the inauspicious Muhurtha. Thereafter, he explained the principles for selection of Muhurtha.

The basic difference between Hora (Hour - 60 minutes) and Muhurtha (48 Minutes) is that the former is used in personal charts whereas the latter is used for determining auspicious time for specific activities. In the above episode, the time was favourable for Indra to take up the work as this would not damage him personally, but since the Muhurtha itself was inauspicious for planting trees, the same failed.

In conclusion, the traditional wisdom of the two great sages is as follows:-

1. Brihaspati: Guru is the Kavacha (protector) of the self and the first step in Muhurtha is to ensure that the time chosen for initiating any activity is not going to harm the person concerned in any way. The time should not result in further bad Karma for the native.
2. Sukracharya: The time chosen should result in the fructification of the objective. Even if the obstacles are tremendous, they should be surmounted.

Three factors on which Muhurta depends

Tithi (Lunar date)
Tithi means a lunar date. In a lunar month, there are thirty Tithis. A Tithi is also a measure of separation of the Moon and Sun from each other. Each Tithi has an independent planetary lord. Persons born under different Tithis have different personalities - a person born on the poornima would have more characteristics of the moon than a person born on amavasya.

Nakshatra (Lunar constellation)
The Zodiac is divided into twenty-seven equal parts, of 13 degrees and 20 minutes each, called Nakshatras, which form an essential part of Vedic Astrology. Each Nakshatra or lunar constellation has a unique set of qualities and a distinct planetary lord. Each Nakshatra has specific qualities; for example, there are "fixed" and "movable" Nakshatras - chandra in a fixed Nakshatra promotes stability, whereas chandra in a movable Nakshatra promotes change. This is why a fixed Nakshatra is preferred in a Muhurta for building a house, while a movable Nakshatra is better for beginning a journey.

Vara (Days of the Week)
There are seven days in a week, each named after the planet which rules them. These days, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, are ruled by the seven planets of Astrology - Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn respectively. This ancient relationship is still reflected in the names we use today. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are governed by benefic grahas, so they are generally favourable for all auspicious undertakings. Tuesday is governed by mangala, or Mars, the significator of wounds or injuries, which makes it more suitable for surgery.

Favourable Periods or Muhurtas for:

1. Marriage - The new moon day, full moon day, the 8th and 6th lunar days must be avoided. Days 2, 3, 5, 7, 10,11, 12, 13 dated from poornima and amavasya are good. The lunar months of Magha, Phalguna, Vaisakha and Jyestha are good. The constellations of Uttara, Uttarashadha, Uttarabhadrapada, Revati, Swati, Makha , Hasta, Rohini, Anuradha, Mrigasira and Moola are favourable.

2. Travelling - Travelling towards east on Saturday and Monday, west on Sunday and Friday, north on Tuesday and Wednesday and south on Thursday does not produce good results. The days for travelling in particular direction are: East - Tuesday, South - Monday & Saturday, West - Wednesday and Thursday and North - Friday and Sunday.

The constellations Mrigasira, Ashwini, Pushyami, Anuradha, Hasta, Punarvasu, Revati, Moola, Sravana and Dhanistha are good.

3. Entering a new house - The lunar months Magha, Phalguna, Vaisakha and Jyestha are good. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are good. Uttarashadha, Uttarabhadra and Rohini are good. New houses should not be entered into when the sun is in Aquarius, Cancer or Gemini. Constellations occupied by evil planets must be avoided.

4. Namakarana or Name giving of a new-born child - The 8th house must be free. Friday, Wednesday, Thursday and Monday are good. The constellations Anuradha, Sravana, Uttara, Uttarabhadra, Pushyami, Revati, Hasta, Ashwini, Rohini, Mrigasira , Dhanishta and Uttarashadha are favourable.

Rahu Kalam
Rahu Kalam is an inauspicious time period for a particular day. During this time frame one should avoid any auspicious actions such as investments, business transactions, asset purchases, journeys, relationships, meetings and medical treatments. It is one-eighth part of the difference between the Sunset and Sunrise time of a particular place for a specific day of the week. The Rahu Kalam time period and its order vary from day to day. It is considered the best time for worship of goddess Durga, especially on Tuesday.

Monday: 7.30 am - 9.00 am
Tuesday: 3.00 pm - 4.30 pm
Wednesday: 12 noon - 1.30 pm
Thursday: 1.30 pm - 3.00 pm
Friday: 10.30 am - 12 noon
Saturday: 9.00 am - 10.30 am
Sunday: 4.30 pm - 6.00 pm

Any astrologer or pandit can tell you the Muhurta and there are several online sites which give the convenient Muhurta for any activity.

But one must remember, the vast array of astrological knowledge is intended to help man go with the cosmic flow and will. At no point should it be taken in a fatalistic manner and as an excuse to postpone and procrastinate. The Muhurta should be used to enhance the richness of experience, give good results, complement the activities and should never become a handicap.