What is choghaḍiyā, and how do I read it?

day and night are each split into eight slots named Amṛt, Śubh, Lābh, Cal, Udveg, Rog and Kāl; the first four are good for starting work.

Choghaḍiyā (“four ghaṭīs”, about 1½ hours) is a quick muhūrta method popular in Gujarat, Rajasthan and among traders everywhere. Daytime from sunrise to sunset is cut into eight equal slots, and night into another eight. Each slot gets one of seven names in a fixed sequence that depends on the weekday.

Amṛt (nectar), Śubh (auspicious) and Lābh (gain) are considered good, and Cal (moving) is good for travel and neutral otherwise. Udveg (anxiety), Rog (illness) and Kāl (loss) are avoided for new beginnings. Merchants often open account books, make purchases or start journeys in a Lābh or Amṛt slot.

It is a practical, everyday tool rather than a full muhūrta. For weddings, gṛha-praveśa and other saṁskāras, a proper muhūrta based on tithi, nakṣatra and lagna is still used.

Source: Western Indian pañcāṅga practice · Good: Amṛt, Śubh, Lābh, Cal

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