Once a marriage is agreed, the first task is finding a date. The priest opens the panchang, works for a while, and comes back with two or three options. Knowing what he was checking lets you have a far better conversation with him, and lets you put your own constraints on the table.
The five limbs of the panchang
The word panchang means five limbs, and a muhurat is fixed from the combination of those five.
| Limb | What it is | Role in a wedding |
|---|---|---|
| Tithi | The lunar day | The rikta tithis, meaning the 4th, 9th and 14th, are generally skipped |
| Vara | The weekday | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are considered favourable |
| Nakshatra | The Moon's nakshatra | Certain nakshatras are specifically prescribed for marriage |
| Yoga | A combination of Sun and Moon positions | Yogas such as Vyaghata, Parigha and Vajra are avoided |
| Karana | Half of a tithi | Vishti karana, better known as Bhadra, is avoided |
Nakshatras prescribed for marriage
Tradition names these as favourable: Rohini, Mrigashira, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Mula, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada and Revati. Of these, Rohini, Hasta and Uttara Ashadha are held to be the most auspicious.
A nakshatra runs only until a particular hour of the day, not the whole day. That is why a muhurat always specifies a time window, not just a date.
Periods that get avoided
- Bhadra kaal, also called Vishti karana. It is the single most prohibited window for auspicious work.
- Rahu kaal, an hour and a half every day that shifts with the weekday.
- Jupiter or Venus going combust. These two are the primary planets of marriage, and weddings are not held while they are too close to the Sun to be visible.
- Chaturmas, the stretch from Ashadha to Kartik, during which weddings traditionally do not take place.
- Malmas or adhik mas, and Kharmas, when the Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces.
- Eclipse periods and the days adjoining them.
This is why some months of a year have very few wedding dates and others have many. If you have been told there is nothing available for three months, the reason is usually Jupiter or Venus being combust, or Kharmas.
Both charts get checked too
Alongside general panchang purity, the priest checks whether the chosen date suits the charts of both the bride and groom. Mainly he is looking at whether the transit positions of Jupiter and Saturn are unfavourable for either of them, and whether the Moon is well placed.
The same day can therefore produce different answers for two different families. An auspicious tithi in the panchang is the same for everybody, but chart compatibility is personal.
What to do in practice
- Collect the date, time and place of birth for both people and give them to the priest.
- State your own constraints, such as a particular month or a holiday window. He can then look for options inside that range.
- Ask for two or three dates, not one. It gives you room to negotiate the venue and the guests.
- Ask for the exact time window with each date, because the auspicious lagna lasts only a few hours.
- Once fixed, get it in writing with the tithi, nakshatra and lagna timing clearly stated.
If family logistics and the muhurat are in conflict, say so plainly to your priest. Tradition recognises several grades of muhurat, and a workable middle path usually exists. There is more room for discussion here than most families assume.
Matching is a separate step
Kundali matching and muhurat are two different stages. Matching happens before the marriage is agreed and asks whether the pairing is compatible. The muhurat comes afterwards and decides when. Treating them as one thing causes a lot of confusion. If you have not done the matching yet, our free 36-guna calculator gives you an initial reading.
