QUESTION:
Hare Krsna, esteemed guru Manonatha Maharaja! Acording to the Vaisnava calendar, when does one day end and the next day begin? When should we actually begin our fasting on Ekadasi and other festive occasions?
ANSWER
Dear devotee,
Receive my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
According to the Vedas, the day is divided into 30 muhurtas, or periods of time. Each muhurta corresponds to 1/13 of the day, roughly 48 minutes. All this comes from astronomical calculations.
Although in our tradition there is the tendency to think that the beginning of the day is the most auspicious muhurta called “brahma” (beginning about 4.24 AM), according to the Vedas the day begins with the inauspicious muhurta called “Rudra”, that begins at 6 AM. Be sleeping at that time is very bad.
So, if we want to follow the Vedas and unless our Acarya Srila Prabhupada said anything different (at the moment I don’t know of any diffent instructions) all our feasts, fastings etc. should begin or end at 6 AM.
For the lovers of higher knowledge I give you here the complete list of muhurtas with their rispective times of beginng and end.
1 – 06:00 – 06:48 Rudra
2 – 06:48 – 07:36 Ahi
3 – 07:36 – 08:24 Mitra
4 – 08:24 – 09:12 Pitru
5 – 09:12 – 10:00 Vasu
6 – 10:00 – 10:48 Vara
7 – 10:48 – 11:36 Visvadeva
8 – 11:36 – 12:24 Vidhi
9 – 12:24 – 13:12 Satamukhi
10 – 13:12 – 14:00 Puruhuta (o puruhutika)
11 – 14:00 – 14:48 Vahini
12 – 14:48 – 15:36 Naktancara
13 – 15:36 – 16:24 Varuna
14 – 16:24 – 17:12 Aryama
15 – 17:12 – 18:00 Bhaga
16 – 18:00 – 18:48 Girisha
17 – 18:48 – 19:36 Ajapad
18 – 19:36 – 20:24 Ahirbudhnya
19 – 20:24 – 21:12 Pusa
20 – 21:12 – 22:00 Asvini
21 – 22:00 – 22:48 Yama
22 – 22:48 – 23:36 Agni
23 – 23:36 – 24:24 Vidhatr
24 – 24:24 – 01:12 Canda
25 – 01:12 – 02:00 Aditi
26 – 02:00 – 02:48 Jiva
27 – 02:48 – 03:36 Visnu
28 – 03:36 – 04:24 Yumihadyuti
29 – 04:24 – 05:12 Brahma
30 – 05:12 – 06:00 Samudram
This is the classic division.
It has to be said that various Vedic sastras divide the day in different ways.
Your well-wisher
Manonatha Dasa (ACBSP)
24 ago 2018
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