Muhurta Martanda, also known as Muhurta Jyotish, is one of the renowned treatises on Hindu Astrology. The contents and usefulness of it to people, students of astrology and astrologers is comparable to that of Muhurta Chintamani, another standard treatise on the subject.
The author of Muhurta Martanda was Daivajna Narayana, who completed the word in 1571 AD.
Muhurta Martanda deals with the subject of choosing an auspicious time for activities. Like all other branches of knowledge, Muhurta Jyotish aims at maximizing human well-being.
Daivajna Narayana wrote his treatise to help the selection of Muhurta or auspicious times for various activities of life and for performing various samskaras like vagdana samskara (word giving ceremony before marriage), vivaha samskara (marriage ceremony) and so on.
It also provides knowledge of many other concepts which are of great use in phalita jyotisha or predictive astrology.
The treatise consists of eleven prakaranams or chapters. Even a cursory glance at the titles of these chapters is enough to give us an idea of the author’s deep knowledge of astrology. His mastery over the subject is proved adequately by the fact that he has dealt with the subject in 160 verses.
Muhurta Jyotish Contents
The first chapter, entitled Tyajya Prakrana, enumerates the days on which auspicious functions should be avoided.
Knowledge of the 27 nakshatras is provided in the second chapter entitled Nakshatra Prakaranam.
The third chapter, Samskara Prakaranam, deals with all the samskaras performed by Hindus and tells of the auspicious muhurats for their successful performance and completion.
Auspicious timings for marriage are dealt in the fourth chapter, named Vivaha Prakaranam.
Mishra Prakaranam, Anadhyaya Prakaranam, Gocara Prakaranam, and Sankranti Prakaranam deal with matters indicated by their titles. For example, Gocara Prakaranam deals with the effects of current planetary dispositions. Sankranti Prakaranam indicates the effects of the time of entry of the sun in various rashis or signs.
Bibliography
Fundamentals of Astrology (1998) M R Bhat – Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi
New Horizons in Astrology (1985) M S Sitaramaiah – Ramjam Publications New Delhi
Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume VII page 214 - IHRF