4. Viṣa ghaṭīs (poison periods of the nakṣatras)

5. Aṣṭamī - the 8th day of the waxing and waning moon. Also known as the half moon in English. This lunar phase is ruled by Rāhu and indicates confusion and the possibility of cheating or being cheated. It is for this reason that Aṣṭamī is avoided for teaching and was traditionally a Vedic holiday for both teachers and students. Legend states that whatever a teacher teaches during this tithi comes back to harm him later.

6. Viṣṭi karaṇa (bhadrā) - the seventh movable karaṇa or half lunar day is also known as Bhadrā and is considered extremely malefic for all auspicious activities. Some scholars personify Bhadrā as a fierce female deity who may even be the distant sister of Saturn. Read more about Bhadrā here.

7. Riktā tithis - Riktā means empty in Sanskrit and is associated with the air element and the planet Saturn. It indicates a lack of support for the success of the activity in question in the same way the mental outlook of always seeing the glass half empty promotes antagonism and negativity. The fourth (caturthī), ninth (navamī), and fourteenth (caturdaśī) lunar days of both the waxing and waning fortnights are known as Riktā. According to Nārada Riktā tithis support electrical work, destruction of enemies, weaponry, poison, fire, removal of obstacles, and combat. All other auspicious activities are restricted. According to Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi, Chapter 1, Śloka 1, each lunar day (tithi) is ruled by a Vedic deity. Caturthī is ruled by Gaṇeśa, the lord of obstacles. Gaṇeśa helps remove obstructions on the path to success, but when ignored can actually create obstacles. Navamī is ruled by Durgā, the fierce form of the mother goddess who guides and protects us, but also demands our purity of heart and tests us every step of the way making sure we are perfect devotees. Caturdaśī is ruled by Śiva and is about letting go and preparing for the approaching full or dark moon. Śiva approaches Pārvatī and takes her hand in marriage on the full moon, and transcends into pure consciousness on the new moon.

8. Sthira karaṇas - śakuni, catuspāda, nāga, and kimstughna are the half lunar days that take place during the dark moon and are all considered inauspicious except for certain activites. For example, catuṣpāda usually takes place during the morning of the New Moon (amāvāsyā) and is considered beneficial for worshipping the ancestors.

9. Sandhi - the first and last ghaṭī of a tithi and a naksatra, the first and last five vighaṭikās of each rāśi, and the first and last vighaṭikā of each navāmśa are known as the transition (sandhi) periods. These should be calculated in real time as actual divisions of the tithi, naksatra, rāśi, and navāmśa accordingly.

10. Gulikodaya - Gulika rising in the ascendant at the time of praśna

11. Cakrārdha - Cakrārdha means half circle and indicates the ancient Vedic astronomical calculation known as Krānti Sāmya Doṣa or Mahāpāta. Krānti means declination, sāmya means equal and doṣa means affliction. There are two types of Krānti Sāmya Doṣa - Vyatipāta and Vaidhṛti. Vyatipāta means great calamity or disaster and Vaidhṛti means without a foundation or support. The Vyatipāta type takes place when the Sun and Moon are on the same side of the North-South circle and their declination is within one degree of each other. The Vaidhṛti type occurs when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the North-South circle i.e., the Sun is in the south and the Moon is in the north or vice versa, and their declination is within one degree of each other. In both types the Moon's declination will be 30' before the Sun's and continues until it is 30' on the other side of the Sun. Note that in the Vedic calendar (pañcāṅga) two of the 27 nitya yogas are named Vyatipāta and Vaidhṛti. These are not the same thing and are completely unrelated.

• Vyatipāta - when the Sun and Moon are on the same side of the North-South circle and their declination is within one degree.

Example: https://deva.guru/public/share/eedg

• Vaidhṛti - when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the North-South circle i.e., the Sun is in the south and the Moon is in the north or vice versa, and their declination is within one degree of each other.

Example: https://deva.guru/public/share/lXQY

In muhūrta some scholars recommend avoiding only the exact time period of Krānti Sāmya Doṣa, others recommend avoiding the entire Vedic weekday in which the doṣa occurs, while Varāhamihira recommends avoiding one day on either side of the Vedic weekday in which the doṣa occurs. The latter technique of avoiding a total of three days is relevant only in the calculation of a muhūrta for the 16 rites of passage such as conception, marriage, and Gāyatrī dīkṣā, etc.

12. Grahaṇa - three days before or after a solar or lunar eclipse

13. Sārpaśira - coming soon

14. Ekārgala Doṣa - If there is an inauspicious yoga in the pañcāṅga such as Vyāghāta, Gaṇḍa, Vyatipāta, Śūla, Vaidhṛti, Vajra, Parigha, or Atigaṇḍa, and at the same time the moon is in an odd nakṣatra counted inclusively from the Sun’s current nakṣatra, including Abhijit, then there is Ekārgala Doṣa. Ekārgala Doṣa is also known as Khārjūra Doṣa. Nārada and some other scholars do not include Abhijit in their count.

15. Mṛtyu and dagdhādi yogas - inauspicious combinations of the weekday and tithi or weekday and naksatra, according to muhūrta śāstra. The following is an extensive list compiled from Muhūrta Cintāmani.

Tables coming soon

16. Pāpadṛṣyudaya - Mars, Saturn, and/or Rāhu in or aspecting the ascendant. Sun is not included here.

17. Trayodaśī Pradoṣa Kāla - the one-hour period before sunset until half an hour after sunset during the waxing and waning trayodaśī tithi is known as Pradosa Kāla and is considered one of the most excellent times of the month to perform Rudra Abhiṣeka, Śiva Pūjā, and chant the Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotram, but inauspicious for praśna and muhurta.

18. Niśītha Kāla (madhyarātri) - Niśītha Kāla means true midnight and is the exact time period when the sun is in the middle of the 4th house. In In Ayurvedic medicine the most important time for the body to sleep and recover is 10pm-2am because that is when the liver is the most active in cleansing the blood. In Chinese medicine the midnight is the time when the heart-mind connection is weakest and is one of the reasons why people tend to make poor decisions at this time and then face regret the next day. Two ghaṭīs i.e., one muhūrta in the exact middle of the night, or one ghaṭī on either side of the exact midnight moment. This muhūrta is a 1/15th division of the night and the ghaṭī is a 1/30th division and should therefore be calculated in real time according to the night length.

19. Ravidarśana - the 7th sign from the sun i.e., the sun in the 7th house at the time of praśna indicates something is finishing or coming to an end. According to Pandit Sanjay Rath planets in the 7th house from the sun in a natal chart are capable of giving a lot of pain.

20. Saṅkrānti - the sun moving between 29°44' and 0°16' of any rāśi is considered saṅkrānti for both praśna and muhūrta purposes. This rule should also be applied to the saṅkrānti period of the kāraka planet of the activity in question. For example, if the question is about love and relationship and Venus is in saṅkrānti then the question is premature or does not indicate a positive outcome. According to Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi, Chapter 6, Śloka 80, 33 ghaṭis in the saṅkrānti of the Sun, 2 in that of the moon, 9 in that of Mars, 6 in that of Mercury, 88 in that of Jupiter, 9 in that of Venus, and 160 in that of Saturn, should all be avoided. Of these the Saṅkrānti of the Sun is considered the most inauspicious. Note that the ghaṭis given here need to be divided evenly on either side of the exact 0° moment of the planet's entrance into a sign. For example, Saturn entered 0° Aquarius on 1/17/2023 at 1:12am PST. 160 ghaṭis is equal to 3840 minutes or 64 hours, or 32 hours on either side of the exact Therefore, the Aquarius saṅkrānti period of Saturn lasts from 1/15/2023 at 5:12pm - 1/18/2023 at 9:12am.

There is a misnomer about Sankranti only being the 0° portion of a sign, but this and other texts clearly state otherwise. In fact, according to Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi the saṅkrānti period of the kāraka planet of the activity should be avoided for that activity. Ideally the saṅkrānti period of all planets is avoided in a marriage muhurta.

21. No Tārābala - the 3rd, 5th, or 7th naksatra counted from the natal moon's nakshatra has no tārābala for the native and is inauspicious for praśna and muhūrta.

22. Aṣṭama Lagna & Aṣṭama Candra - ascendant rising at the time of praśna is the 8th rāśi from the natal lagna or natal moon, or the transit moon at the time of praśna occupies the 8th sign from natal moon or natal lagna. The 8th house fails to understand the native on a physical and psychological level as the ascendant is 6th from the 8th.