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A. PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS:

1. General for any purpose on any chart

There are many doshas that an astrologer seeks to avoid in the muhurta chart, irrespective of the specific activity and individual chart, for which he is doing the job. After eliminating maximum number of doshas stated in the list, one should check for the malefic combinations that prevail due to the combinations of various components of the Panchanga. Malefic combinations are avoided while the presence of benefic combinations is preferred. A list of these is given later at the end.

2. Specific to the individual chart

** Chandra bala (natal moon check)

** Tara bala (strength of star)

After eliminating all malefic days in a particular period, we get some days free from those effects. With those days in hand we move on from the preliminary analysis to the main step of fixing the muhurta now.

B. MAIN ANALYSIS

Till now we have only avoided or eliminated certain days etc. Hereafter we will actually evaluate and consider certain days and ascendants for the muhurta. This involves the following steps:

1. Finding the days having the suitable combination of the five components (pancha + anga= five limbs/components).

2. Finding a suitable ascendant depending upon the activity.

3. Ensuring the Strength and Appropriateness of Dasa,antardasa, and Significator of the activity

4. Finding the most auspicious moments within the ascendant chosen/ Amsha charts etc 5. Miscellaneous/Special considerations for various activities like marriage etc

Now I will outline and enumerate these steps below.

1. Finding the days having the suitable combination of the five components:

The first and the foremost requirement to fix a muhurta is the availability of the suitable five components. Depending upon the activity we first check whether the five components of panchanga, prevailing on the days free from malefic effects, suit the activity for which the muhurta is desired. The process of evaluating those energies is part of the initial evaluation. It is a process of choosing a good lunar day, weekday, Constellation, yoga and Karana.

The marks allotted are as follows:

Lunar day = 1, Weekday = 8, Constellation = 4 Yoga = 32, Karana = 16 Chandrabala = 100 Tarabala = 60

Now we move to the second step.

2. Fixing a suitable ascendant depending upon the activity:

Depending upon the nature of the activity, one should choose fixed, dual or movable signs as ascendants. After fixing a particular ascendant we should make sure of its strength and check whether it is free from certain malefic effects. This process can further be divided into three stages.

a.) Avoiding malefic combinations of the ascendant

The five major malefic effects that we should try to avoid with respect to an ascendant are given below.

** Udayastha shuddhi (Ensuring Benefic Asc and 7th houses)

** Kartari (Malefics Scissoring)

** Bhrigu Shatka (Venus in 6th in fixed sign etc)

** Moon in 6,8,12

** Sagraha Chandra (Conjunctions with Moon) b.) Quantitative Evaluation of the Ascendant

This is a process of checking the placement of planets with respect to that ascendant to make sure they add strength. For that we have two main methods that are quantitative (marks can be allotted). They are:

** Panchestika

evaluation---In this step, we check whether the five important planets in the muhurta chart are well placed. The five important planets that should be happy are: the lord of time (kaladhipa), ascendant lord, Jupiter, Moon and Sun. These planets are, in other words, like five bricks (panchestika) that support a wall and make it strong.

** Vimshopaka

evaluation---This is *DIFFERENT from the Vimshopaka bala of varga charts. evaluation---This is more like RASI BALA in that it allots points based on the positions of various planets in houses/rasis in the rasi chart. Each planet is decided to give positive, negative or neutral results depending upon its placement from the lagna. This varies from activity to activity, as each activity needs a different kind of energy.

3. Ensuring the Strength and Appropriateness of Dasa, antardasa, and Significator of the activity:

After evaluating the ascendant in the above two ways we then check whether the signification house and the planet pertaining to the activity are happy; if possible, the dasa and the antara dasa lords should also be well placed in the chart.

4. Finding the most auspicious moments within the ascendant chosen/ Amsha charts etc:

After making sure that we have an auspicious lagna in hand we proceed to other subtle factors, which play an important role in the auspiciousness of a muhurta. For this, we use varga or divisional charts. Main points checked in this stage are:

** Papa shadvarga

** Pushkaramsa

** Kunavamsa

** Shodasa or Shadvargas (whichever is feasible)

Now I will enumerate the most important doshas to be avoided in the preliminary analysis. Hope you remember that I skipped this enumeration there to do list them here.

This is actually part of the preliminary analysis.

Preliminary Doshas and malefic considerations 1. Combustion

2. Jupiter in Leo 3. Jupiter in Capricorn 4. Solar ingress

5. Adhika masa 6. Kshaya masa 7. Eclipse

8. Kakracha yoga 9. Samvartaka yoga 10. Dagdha yoga

11. Madhusarpisha yoga 12. Hatashana yoga

13. Dagdha yoga 14. Yamghantha yoga 15. Kaal danda yoga 16. Dhumra yoga 17. Dhwansha yoga 18. Vajra yoga 19. Mudgara yoga 20. Padma yoga 21. Lumba yoga 22. Utpaata yoga 23. Mrityu yoga 24. Kaana yoga 25. Musala yoga 26. Gada yoga 27. Maatanga yoga 28. Raksha yoga 29. Gandantas

30. Masa-shoonya tithis 31. Masa shoonya Nakshatras 32. Masa shoonya rashis 33. Tithi shoonya rashis 34. Tithi shoonya Nakshatras 35. Tithi shoonya lagna 36. Tripushkara yoga 37. Dwipushkara yoga 38. Panchaka

39. Baana 40. Adal yoga 41. Vidal yoga

42. Afflicted constellations 43. Parva tithis

44. Galgraha tithis 45. Dagdha tithis 46. Chidra tithis

As already stated earlier, in expanding the above outlined steps, points and considerations, one may end up with a four hundred page file. Instead of doing that, we could expand upon selected topics as required. Learned members on this list could also take up various topics. I will end this post by reiterating that knowledge of muhurta is a must to be a complete astrologer. A thorough understanding of the principles of Muhurta can actually help an astrologer appreciate the principles of traditional predictive astrology (Jataka) better and thereby make a better astrologer. In one of my next posts I might introduce the five limbs/components of the panchanga/calendar, as also other variables like ayana, masa, etc for the benefit of a beginner.