How Is Vivah Muhurat Calculated? The Checks, in Plain Words

A vivah muhurat is calculated in layers. First the solar month must be an allowed one, outside Chaturmas, with Venus and Jupiter visible. Then each day is checked for one of 11 marriage nakshatras and for bad yogas and karanas. Last, the priest fixes the lagna, the rising sign, for the ceremony inside that window.

The first two layers give the yearly lists you see on Drik Panchang and Prokerala. The last one, and the checks on the bride's and groom's own charts, happen with your priest.

The Five Building Blocks of a Muhurat

Drik Panchang explains its own method in a long note, citing Muhurta Chintamani and Dharmasindhu. Most of what follows comes from that note. Where traditions differ, we say so.

Auspicious Solar Months

As per the rule Drik Panchang quotes from Muhurta Chintamani, a wedding should be held only when the Sun is in one of these six signs:

Tula is the exception in practice. Drik Panchang's own 2027 list for New Delhi gives 10, 11, 15 and 16 November, while the Sun is still in Tula, before Vrishchika Sankranti on 17 November. Many Tamil panchangams also list muhurthams in Aippasi, the same solar month. So only a priest who follows the old rule strictly will close Tula.

On top of this, Drik Panchang removes the lunar months of Chaturmas and any Adhik (extra) or Kshaya (dropped) month. Because only the solar month is used, Drik Panchang argues that the same dates should hold for every Hindu calendar, North or South.

Venus and Jupiter Must Be Visible

When Venus or Jupiter is too close to the Sun to be seen, it is called asta, or set. Drik Panchang says marriage is not held while either planet is set. In 2027, Venus is set from 21 July to 9 September and Jupiter from 17 August to 13 September, both inside Chaturmas.

Drik Panchang also notes Singhast Guru, Jupiter in Simha, as inauspicious in some traditions, and Holashtak in North India. Its published list does not apply either of these, so if your family follows them, the priest will.

Tithi and Weekday Rules

Drik Panchang's note lists Dwitiya (2), Tritiya (3), Panchami (5), Saptami (7), Ekadashi (11) and Trayodashi (13) as the best tithis. The Rikta tithis, Chaturthi (4), Navami (9) and Chaturdashi (14), are to be avoided. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are good weekdays, and Tuesday is not.

Here is the surprise. Drik Panchang treats tithi and weekday as less important and does not use them to filter its marriage list. That is why you will see dates such as 13 May 2027, with Ashtami and Navami tithi, on its calendar. Your priest may still avoid such days.

The 11 Auspicious Nakshatras for Marriage

Drik Panchang lists 11 nakshatras as good for marriage:

Within these, the first quarter of Magha and of Mula and the last quarter of Revati are rejected. Drik Panchang also notes that many astrologers avoid Uttara Phalguni, because tradition holds that Rama and Sita married in it and faced many hardships.

Prohibited Yogas and Karanas

Of the 27 daily yogas, Drik Panchang marks 9 as bad for marriage: Vishkambha, Atiganda, Shula, Ganda, Vyaghata, Vajra, Vyatipata, Parigha and Vaidhriti. It adds that only the most harmful part of each, the visha ghati, needs to be discarded.

Four karanas are also avoided: Vishti (also called Bhadra), Shakuni, Chatushpada and Nagava. The other seven are fine.

This is the layer that removes single days inside an open month. When a month page says "an unsuitable yoga covers most of the day", it is this rule at work.

Lagna at the Time of the Pheras

After the day is chosen, the ceremony should take place in a good lagna, the sign rising on the eastern horizon. Drik Panchang says most sources prefer Mithuna (Gemini), Kanya (Virgo) and Tula (Libra). One lagna lasts about two hours, and the exact times change with the city.

Drik Panchang does not fix the lagna in its list. Its note says a window of at least four hours is enough to find a good lagna, and some listed windows are much shorter than that. So the table you see online is the outer limit, and the lagna inside it is the priest's job.

Gurubala and Chandrabala for the Bride and Groom

The yearly list is general. Many priests then check whether the date also suits the two people getting married, using their moon signs and birth stars.

Priests differ on whose chart gets which check, and on how strictly to apply them. Our guide to marriage muhurat by date of birth shows how a family list is filtered this way.

A Worked Example from 2027

Take Sunday, 18 April 2027 in New Delhi.

1. Month: the Sun entered Mesha on 14 April, an allowed month. Not Chaturmas, no Adhik Maas.
2. Planets: Venus and Jupiter are both visible in April.
3. The day: Uttara Phalguni nakshatra, one of the 11. Drik Panchang finds no bad yoga or karana from 6:05 am to 9:58 pm.
4. Tithi: Dwadashi, then Trayodashi. Trayodashi is one of the best tithis. Sunday is neither on the good list nor on the bad list.
5. Lagna: the priest picks a two-hour slot inside 6:05 am to 9:58 pm, after checking both charts.

Note what step 3 also tells you. Some astrologers avoid Uttara Phalguni, so a careful family might still prefer 25 April, in Mula. That is a family choice, not an error in the list.

Why Dates Differ by City and Panchang

The nakshatra and tithi change at the same moment everywhere, but sunrise does not, and the panchang day runs from sunrise to sunrise. That moves the clock times, and sometimes the date itself. On Drik Panchang's 2027 lists, 8 May is a marriage day in Mumbai and Ahmedabad but not in New Delhi. And 20 June is a marriage day in New Delhi but not in Kolkata or Patna.

Panchangs also differ in method. Prokerala's 2027 list has 40 windows against Drik Panchang's 96 days for New Delhi, and a few Prokerala dates, such as 3 May 2027, are not on Drik Panchang at all.

So set your own city on the panchang you use, and let one priest work from one panchang. Mixing two lists is how families end up arguing over a date.

The priest will ask for the date, time and place of birth for both sides. If these are on the biodata, check them once more. Hello Biodata fills in rasi, nakshatra and lagna from the birth details, and you download it as a PDF or a JPG.