Importance of Brahma Muhurtha

By Kumar Kulasingam 

It is believed that great Yogis, Swamis and scholars get the  most important benefits out of Brahma Muhurtha.

I have read and heard much about Brahma Muhurtha. Getting up early in the morning brings many benefits to our lives mentally and physically as said  in ancient Indian religious texts.

Let’s see what’s so important about this so-called Brahma Muhurtha. If the word Brahma Muhurtha is translated into English, it means the power of the creator as we all know Hindus believe that the world was created by lord Brahma who has Saraswati Devi as his consort who takes care of  the 24 forms of art.

Day and night are each divided into 15 Muhurtha. The Brahma Muhurtha is the Muhurtha  before the sunrise. Thirty  Muhurthas occur in a day and each Muhurtha consists of about 48 minutes

It’s very interesting to note how the ancient Indians measured time to the smallest unit called Nimmesha. Which is the smallest time unit calculated by the ancients; it is the wink of an eye. It takes one Nimmesha to blink the eyes of a normal human.

15 Nimmesha = One Kashta

15 Kashta = One Langhu

15 Langhu = One Gatika

2 Gatika =  One Muhurtha

30 Muhurtha = One Day

Even in modern days this measurement is used in Vedic astrology to determine auspicious times to start an event. One Muhurtha is equal to 48 minutes.

Example 1) if the Sun rises at 6.00 a.m. Brahma Muhurtha begins at 4.24 a.m. and continues for another 48 minutes. ( 4.24 a.m. to 5.12 a.m.).

 Now Brahma Muhurtha is the second last Muhurta before sunrise; some people believe that it starts at 3:30 a.m. and ends at 5:30 a.m. which is not true. Brahma Muhurta begins 1 hour 36 minutes before sunrise. And lasts for 48 minutes. The sunrise and sunset depend on the geographical location. So the exact time of Brahma Muhurtha also varies.

  How to calculate Brahma Muhurta of a place on a given day is as follows:

  First, take the exact time of sunrise in your city. And then subtract 1 hour and 36 minutes from it (remember the Sun rises at different times; this could be found by referring to the ephemeris or simply checking the internet for sunrise time).

Example

10  January 2021 Colombo

sunrise at:  6.25 a.m.

Subtract: 1 hr. 36 minutes

Brahma Muhurtha starts at 4.49 a.m.

Continues for another: 48 minutes

Ends at:  5.37 a.m.

Therefore  Brahma Muhurtha will be starting at 4:49 a.m. in Colombo and ending at 5.47 a.m. on 10 January 2021.   

   Brahma Muhurtha has no Dosa (bad effects).

Ascendant (Lagna), Rashi (where Moon is located in one’s birth chart), Karana, Hora, Panchanga Suddi, Yoga  Tithi and Week days( Sunday Monday, Tuesday ect) have no impact on this.

Simply Brahma Muhurtha could be considered as an auspicious time for opening a venue or for a new beginning such as a wedding, starting to learn something new, constructing a new house or a new project.

Do’s and don’ts of Brahma Muhurtha

According to ancient Hindu civilization it’s explained that  Brahma Muhurtha can bring extraordinary good results in terms of physical health and spirituality. Dharmarshstra is one  such text which lays down the following activities for humans to engage in and abstain from during Brahma Muhurtha.

DO’S

1) Meditate

Brahma Muhurta is the exact time to perform Pooja, meditate, chant Mantras and such. At this time mind could be easily mastered and it’s very easy to focus on things you want to memorize.

  Imagine starting the day with spreading tender loving care and kindness to all  living things on this planet earth. You experience this in your real day to day life.

2) Read books

Early  in the morning your mind is clear like a crystal. Anything you read at Brahma Muhurta will be recorded with less effort.

3) Exercise

You can practise yogic breathing exercises during Brahma Muhurtha that brings out the best in you which is beneficial to your physical and mental health.

DON’TS

1) Stressful activities

Don’t do activities that request lots of mental work; this is not the time to exercise the brain strenuously.

So readers work out mechanisms to get up early and get the best out of Brahma Muhurtha.

OM SHANTHI